c. A blessed Exercise for Saints indeed So we finde the Scripture-Saints sweetly taken up with contemplation and admiration of the Excellencies of God himself Thou art glorious in Holiness Exod. 15.11 saith Moses But Thou art Holy saith David Psal 22. Oh how great is thy Goodness Psal 8.31 as might be abundantly shewed and the exercise of the thoughts this way hath a powerful influence upon the Heart as to its abasement purity sincerity 2. Saints have the riches and freenesse of the grace of God in Jesus Christ towards poor sinners to be taken up withall Oh the free rich distinguishing grace of God to a poor Creature that was posting to Hell that was a Rebellious Wretch a vile Hypocrite the worst of sinners the most unlikely to be converted of any sinner in the World We have David and Paul's heart swallowed up in this above any other as David in many Psalms is in the admiration of grace and Paul in most of his Epistles makes it his great scope as the great Argument to be not onely believing but humble and holy and heavenly all their days specially Col. 1. and Ephes 1st 2d and 3d Chapters 3. Saints have the unsearchable Riches of Jesus Christ to take up their thoughts with the Excellencies and Dignities of his Person the Beauty and glory that is in him the depths of his love the matchless price of his bloud his bowels to sinners his care of his Churches Oh these are things worthy the thoughts of Saints indeed 4. They have to take up their thoughts the glorious blessedness of the forgiveness of their sinnes What a blessed state a state of forgiveness in the bloud of Jesus Christ is Blessed oh blessed for ever are they whose iniquities are forgiven Bless the Lord O my soul who forgiveth all thine iniquities c. Psal 103. God hath not appointed me to wrath but to obtain salvation through my Lord Jesus Christ 1 Thess 5. Oh blessed extasie for a poor called pardoned Believer to be in 5. Such as are New Creatures in Christ they have the Mystery of the New Covenant the everlastingness of it to bring their hearts to and to work the Promises thereof upon their hearts to muse on the returns of their Prayers to behold the continual Providences of God towards them and his ways of mercy and kindness to them 6. They have the shortness of their time the vanity of their lives the certainty of Death to muse on Lord make me to know the number of my dayes that I may know how frail I am Yea they have a future and eternal state of blessedness and glory to have their thoughts swallowed up into That they shall one day see Jesus Christ as he is in all his glory and never look off him any more they shall do nothing else but love him enjoy perpetual communion of Saints be praising admiring adoring the blessed Majesty of God for ever and ever Oh! If there are such excellent and blessed things for the thoughts of the holy-ones of God to be exercised in oh what bare Dunghill hearts have such that pore upon nothing but earth and filth Let it not be so with such that have tasted the good and sweetnesse of those things that have a reall substanstiall soul-filling goodnesse in them What matter of Complaint to Gods poor Children whose hearts are too too apt to sink earth-wards poys'd with weights that they cannot keep them up in the vision of God his Christ and what ever is blessed in him Oh! when the thoughts of your hearts must be taken up with your Callings which cannot be done without it keep a watch over them let them not run forth to sinfull distempers but that you may be fit to go to God and converse with him and get the blessed savour of these things upon your hearts and do not let out your thoughts to idlenesse and soul-defiling vanity and feed upon vanity when there are such solid glorious things to feed upon which you expect to be taken up with in an infinite unwearied delight to all eternity And do not suffer the Devil to take up his abode by his subtle and suddain suggestions or more close insinuations upon you If he make his inroads resist check defie with abhorrency his first attempts before he work up corruption in you And remember still your spirits and bodies are the Temples of God and the Temple of God must be Holy 1 Cor. 6.19 20. What know ye not that your body is the Temple of the Holy Ghost that is in you which ye have of God and ye are not your own for ye are bought with a price therefore Glorifie God with your spirits and bodies which are Gods And thus much of this speciall evidence of the New-Creature in the newnesse of his thoughts and the acting of them 8. The Eighth discovery of the New Creature is this The New-Creature hath a new lip a new tongue let loose to speak of God and for God And this also I shall a little insist upon Saith our blessed Lord A good man out of the good treasure of his heart bringeth forth good things Mat. 12.35 Good and wholsome and savoury words To this we find the Holy Ghost in the Scriptures often pressing Saith the wise man Prov. 20.15 The lips of the knowledge are a precious Jewell The mouth of a righteous man is a well of Life The lips of the righteous feed many Prov. 10.11 12. So the Apostle Let no corrupt communication proceed out of your mouth but that which is good to the use of Edifying that it may minister grace to the hearers Ephes 4.29 Let your speech be alwayes with grace seasoned with salt c. Col. 4.6 By which places 't is evident that a special discovery of the New-Creature is herein manifested 1. The New-Creature hath a New-tongue to speak Savourly and Experimentally of the things of Christ and the work of the spirit Because that which the heart is exercised with it will be bringing forth Out of the abundance of the heart the mouth speaketh An evil man out of the abundance of evil in his heart bringeth forth evil things As a good man doth good things Math. 12.25 8. If the heart and affections be spiritually exercised the Tongue will be speaking forth 2. Because thereby A New Created Soul doth give glory to God they speak of the Testimonies works goodnesse grace and the wonders of the Love of God to poor sinfull Creatures And hereby God is much glorified Come and hear all he that fear God and I will tell what he hath done for my soul Psal 66.16 3. Gracious hearts do hereby stirr up the grace of Christ in them t is like the blowing of a spark and makes the heart to glow ere it is aware gracious Conference is the very breath of the Spirit which kindles all our graces afresh as it was with the Disciples going to Emaus Luke 24.32 Did not our hearts burn within while he
through Jesus Christ grounded rooted establish'd upon and in a Scripture-Christ as the truth is in Iesus and abandon any other spirit but a Scripture-Spirit which blessed be rich grace hath hitherto kept you and led you in the way of life and peace Now the Lord of Peace himself give you peace alwayes by all means The Lord be with you all 1 Thes 5.16 Reader who ever thou art if thou art by grace helpt-on to Jesus Christ by what is here presented to thee or in the walk of the New Creature in Christ Give the Lord the glory and pray that he may do so also even in every thing who would gladly approve himself The servant of Christ and of all his A. P. Bourton on the Water 23 of the first Month 1657. THE GOSPEL New-Creature THE FIRST TREATISE Discovering The weight of the Pardon of Sin the Spirits Conviction of Sin and the Souls emptying and reducing into nothing in its self PSAL. 25.11 For thy Names sake O Lord pardon mine iniquity for it is great IN this Psalm you have David's sins laid-in with weight upon his Conscience and in the deep sense of their guilt pleading with God about mercy and pardon The sense of that one great sin in the matter of Uriah meant specially in the Text brought-in the sense of other sins of his youth upon him as is usually Gods way in humbling a sinner and at ver 7. you have him at the feet of God begging as for his life as to the remission of them all Remember not the sins of my youth nor my transgressions According to thy mercy remember thou me for thy goodness O Lord And here at the Text for thy Names sake O Lord c. That which I design to lay before you from the words is to open to you and presse upon you the weight and blessedness of a pardoned condition that you may be awakened to it while the day of mercy lasts and may indeed be in very good earnest about it till through infinite grace you may obtain it and live and dye in the sweet and blessed peace comfort of it through our Lord Jesus Christ That which I intend to give out from hence through the Spirit of grace assisting is but as praevious and preparatory to the opening of a justified estate and the New Creature in Christ That if God will your consciences may be brought to a thorough awakening a spiritual sight and conviction of sin and a self-emptyness which is the good and safe way of a Soul to Jesus Christ which from this Scripture take in these plain Observations Obs 1. That great and weighty concernment that should most of all take up the thoughts of the hearts of poor sinners is that their sins may be pardoned 2. Such who come to God by Jesus Christ to have their sins pardoned they look upon them as great sins for it is Great 3. The great reason of Gods pardoning a sinner and the Plea that a poor sinner hath with God is that God will pardon for his own Names sake 1. To begin with the first proposition viz. That great and weighty thing that should most of all take up the thoughts of the hearts of all the Children of men is that their sins may be pardoned This may be evinced from the frame of blessed David's spirit and other the pardoned ones of the Lord up and down the holy Scriptures exercised with such a violence and importunity with the Lord in this matter of the Pardon of their sins as if they had no other thing besides what conduced thereunto to beg of God in the world and all that God gave them in the world as indeed it is not were nothing without it therefore you have them thus wrastling with God about it According to the multitude of thy tender mercies blot out my transgressions Psal 51.1 If there be any mercy in heaven let a poor guilty soul have a drop of it yea David layeth a kind of violence upon God Psal 65.2 As for our transgressions thou shalt purge them away thou shalt do it I cannot must not will not be denyed this thou shalt do it for me So Moses interceding for the people Exod. 39.9 If I have found grace in thy sight Oh Lord let my Lord I pray thee go amongst us for it is a stifnecked people and pardon our iniquity and our sin and take us for thine inheritance with what vehemency of heart doth Moses cry if I have any favour with thee let it be layd out this way Oh Lord let my Lord c. Otherwhiles when the blessed sense of a pardoned condition is upon their hearts Blessed is he whose transgressions is forgiven Blessed man or woman as ever he was born Blessed He and onely blessed and fully blessed and for ever Blessed whose sins are pardoned And then admiring the blessed God in such riches of grace as to pardon sinners Who is like to thee a God pardoning iniquity Micah 7.18 Thou art a God ready to pardon gracious and merciful c. Neh. 9.17 Psal 103.1.2 3 10. Blesse the Lord oh my soul and all that is within me blesse his holy name why what had the Lord done see verse 3. Oh who forgiveth all thine iniquities who forgiveth and forgiveth All great sins as well as lesse sins of nature as well as life sins before conversion and sins since conversion sins of knowledge as well as of ignorance for David was under all these yet All All All forgiven and that freely too onely because the Lord is gracious verse 8. and so forgiven them as never to come before him any more As far as the East is from the West so far hath he removed our transgressions from us verse 12. I shall hint some Reasons of the Truth why it is that the pardon of sins doth or should so greatly take up the hearts of sinfull creatures Reasons 1. The pardon of sin should thus greatly take up the hearts of all that indeed expect pardon because t was the greatest thing if I may so speak that ever took up Gods heart how a sinner might be pardoned He laid forth more of his wisdome and goodnesse about it then in the making of the Heavens and the Earth The framing of the New Covenant the giving out of his eternall Son Jesus Christ God manifested in his flesh such a glorious way of reconciling justice and mercy through the death of Christ the choicest piece of divine wisdom that ever was brought forth they were all conversant about and their proper tendency was about this great and weighty concernment how and that a sinner might be pardoned when Moses had that blessed enterview and parley with the Lord Exod. 33. 34. and Moses getting nearer and nearer to God who was glimpsing out a ray of glory upon him breakes out Shew me thy glory I will saith God I will shew thee what way of glory I most design to my self among the Sons of men I
will be gracious to whom I will be gracious and will shew mercy on whom I will shew mercy And as if this had not been enough the heart of the blessed God was so infinitely taken with it Chap. 34 5 6. The Lord comes nearer to him descended in a Cloud and stood with him there and as if meerly to have spoken what he had before said to Moses namely That he should have mercy had not been enough at verse 6 He proclaimes it and makes it as his proper Name and most glorious Title The Lord The Lord God Mercifull and Gracious c. verse 7. forgiving iniquity c. As if forgiving iniquity were the great design of glory he had upon the world his heart most affected and taken up with it This is the first reason poor sinners should have their hearts most taken up about the pardon of sins because the heart of the infinite wise and blessed God is most taken up about it 2. The pardon of sin should so greatly take up the heart of a poor guilty sinner because Nothing is a a Blessing to a man till his sins are pardoned but All a curse The Scripture is well known that proves it among many Deut. 28.15 16. If thou wilt not hearken unto the voice of the Lord thy God to observe to do all his Commandments and his Statutes which I command thee this day that all those curses shall come upon thee overtake thee Cursed shall thou be in the City cursed shalt thou be in the field Cursed shall be thy basket thy Store Cursed shall be the fruit of thy body the fruit of thy Land the encrease of thy kin the flocks of thy sheep Cursed shalt thou be when thou comest in cursed shall thou be when thou goest out the Lord shall send upon thee cursing vexation and rebuke in all that thou settest thine hand unto for to do c. Now that soul that doth not hearken to the voice of God according to the tenour of the New-Covenant to come unto Jesus Christ to have his sins pardoned to have the spirit given him to walk before God in all his wayes is in an unpardoned condition and so liable to all these curses now under the old Testament God did more usually come forth in visible stroakes of punishment upon outward mercies but under the New Testament his judgements specially upon such as are under the Gospell are more spirituall as blessings to his people run in a more spirituall way as in cursing them with hardnesse and blindnesse of heart having resisted the truth but yet though such outward curses are not so visibly and frequently executed though sometime they are yet unpardoned unconverted sinners enjoy not their outward good things as a blessing but they serve but to further their damnation if their hearts are not through infinite grace made soft and turn unto the Lord that they may be pardoned Now to have outward mercyes and be hardned in an impenitent estate under them is a farr greater curse then to have them smitten or imbittered from the Lord though with the heaviest hand This is the 2d Reason of the point Every thing is a curse while such to an unpardoned sinner therefore t is of the greatest weight to have his heart taken up about it 3. The person of an unpardoned sinner is hated of the Lord therefore the weight of it is very great Psal 5.5 Thou hatest all workers of iniquity All be they what they will high or low rich or poor God hates them and while they are workers of iniquity they are certainly unpardoned what they may be in the decree of God is nothing to that sinner in this condition while he is a worker of iniquity he hath no ground for any other apprehension of God unles he turn in unto him Now what a dreadfull thing is it to be hated of that great and righteous God a drop of whose wrath is able to scortch the soul with unspeakable torment yet such is the condition of a wretched unpardoned sinner therefore t is his great concernment to look to it c. 4. While a sinner is unpardoned he is under the law What that is I shall if God will further discover He stands bound over to the most exact fullfilling of it under the penalty of Hell bound to make God satisfaction to the utmost upon the least breach and being under transgression of it is under wrath and condemnation if he abide so without remedy There is no condemnation to them that are in Christ Jesus but All condemnation to those that are out of Christ Jesus as all unpardoned sinners are therefore t is a condition above all others to be weighed and considered and not to be rested in one moment 5. Neither the Prayers nor Alms nor any other duty of an unpardoned sinner are at all accepted with the Lord. This wretched sinners will not admit of but think if they perform any duty to God he accepts of it and that indeed it makes an atonement for their sins Take that one eminent place in Esa 1.15 Though you make many prayers yet I will not hear you mark it you that think because you make or say as you style it many good prayers sure God hears you No saith God I will not hear why see verse 16. they were not washed from their sins therefore the Prophet calls them to come to the Lord that they might be pardoned verse 38. T is true when a poor sinner hath his heart smitten for sin and comes to the Lord upon the account of promises of grace and pardon through Jesus Christ with full purpose of heart to cleave unto the Lord and so begs for pardon and all things that do accompany pardon and salvation then God hears his cryes at the very first breathing of his soul Lam. 3.56 but not till then doth God regard the multitude of his Prayers Alms Worship Keeping conscience to men therefore certainly if nothing be accepted with God till in a pardoned condition such an estate requires great and deep thoughts of heart of it 6. Upon all this it will follow That an unpardoned sinner will have no other word from the Lord Jesus Christ at his coming but Go you cursed Everlasting darknesse and wrath and woes and all misery must be his portion for ever If he dye in his sins Joh. 8.29 his soul must be eternally damned without all Remedy Live and dye unpardoned and be damned unpardoned When Jesus Christ shall be come neither he himself nor Saint nor Angel will or can speak one word for a soul that dyes unpardoned though the soul screek out for a drop of mercy it will be answered with nothing but the Ecchoes of the screekings of other desperate souls ready to be hurled with it into the same everlasting burnings no eye to pitty there though Ministers and Saints did warn invite weep mourn pity when on this side the grave yet at the
great Judgment it will not be so No nothing but upbraidings of Devils for neglecting Gospel-grace and refusing the termes of pardon and for grosse security This will be the portion of every unpardoned sinner that neglects the day of his salvation Therefore the pardon of sins requires the deepest thoughts of heart and can never be made too sure to a poor sinfull Creature Use 1. If the pardon of sin be of so great and infinite weight how doth this meet with the wretched deplorable carelesnesse of a world of souls in this day that think of nothing lesse then whether their sins are pardoned that will hear of nothing that may call this great matter into question or way awaken them to it Oh how many poor souls I fear too many of you though so often and earnestly prest to it that were never before the Lord mourning after the pardon of your sins What a leight matter would it be to be pardoned if there should be no more in it not care about it then most sinners that call themselves Christians make about it Ah sinners why do you make no more ado no more matter of it why so sensless of that which is alone worthy all the thoughts of thy heart if thou shouldst live a million of years to dispatch this one thing to get thy sins all pardoned You that are Elderly people have a large reckoning specially upon your account of sinning against Gospell-light and grace make haste what you do do quickly lay hold on eternall life the sun is ready to let upon you and wo with you as ever you were men and women if you fail of a good and sure dispatch of this one corcernable thing your sins being pardoned And you that are younger take heed lest the day of grace set upon you and you be given up to your own hearts lusts and no word that is spoken from God or man shall ever reach you Oh tremble at tryfling with convictions and light but begin to honour the Lord Jesus and bow unto him and wait for the promised effusion of his spirit and the joy of the Lord shall be the joy of your youth and the love of the Lord will be very sweet and precious to you 2d Exhort Oh then let every soul of us be deeply affected with this weighty matter let your souls say within you Oh the dreadfulnesse of an unpardoned condition what tongue can expresse it to have all my store little or much house corn cattle all under a curse and enjoy it as a curse and onely to further my eternall damnation to be hated of the great God and not loved to be under all the condemnation of the Law where ever I read of wrath and wo it belongs to me to have not one of my prayers or any thing else accepted of the Lord to be in a condition of expecting nothing from Jesus Christ at his coming but go ye cursed when I shall see so many blessed souls that took paines for Heaven enter into the Kingdome and my self shut out Wo is me if I speak peace to my soul in such an estate one moment more Awake my soul Awake Away in to the blessed God for mercy pardon grace Christ his blood spirit holinesse eternall life I will go the Lord helping me and cry in the bitternesse of my soul for them all and if 't were possible to weary the Lord with the cryes of my poor soul I will do it till he have mercy upon me and bid me go in peace The gracious God shall as hardly deny me as ever he did any poor sinner that lay bleeding at his feet for mercy and grace from heaven to heale a poor condemned soul Oh what have I been doing in the world all this while get a little something and my sins unpardoned in daily danger of dying in them and so be lost without all remedy for ever Oh! such will be the great thoughts of heart about the pardon of sins when the Lord shall speak to a poor sinner and the Conscience shall be thoroughly awake about it Oh! let me yet in the name of the Lord argue out this matter with thee Be serious for once and ponder it in thy heart what is health or wealth what is it to have something about thee in the world lay up yearly thou go deeper in debt with the just God every day What if all the world be at Peace with thee and God thy enemy and hate thee as thou hast been shewed What if all the world say of thee Blessed if God and his holy Word of truth pronounce thee Cursed because thy sins lye upon thy soul and the Spirit of grace is not upon thee Ah! poor Creature Do not do not let thy sins lye upon thy precious soul any longer do not be contented to be a child of Gods wrath any longer Oh! do not thou poor carelesse soul if there be a spark of pity in thee Do not as the Devil flatters rest in this and say I hope better and I hope 't is better with me and I hope I am or shall be pardoned and so fall asleep till thou drop into hell You that think it an easie common matter to be pardoned know not what it is you have yet no part in this blessednesse Saith a poor convinced soul 1. 'T is a great matter that any sinner in the world is pardoned much more such a one as I if ever I attain to it 2. Souls that get pardon do make it their greatest care to be assured of it they do not leave the matter at sixes and sevens and put it off with bidding the heart hope well but they labour after a Gospel assurance of it 3. Such souls will labour to see that nothing be wanting that must accompany pardon of sin and a state of salvation Heb. 6.9 4. They try all their pretences to pardon and grace over and over and will take nothing upon trust from their hearts or the Devils flatteries or the flatteries of carnal Ministers but search and prove and lay their hearts under the Word and Spirit till it be sealed by the Holy Ghost and that they are wrought of God for this self same thing and that he hath given them the Earnest of the Spirit 2 Cor. 5.5 Well therefore say in thy heart in good earnest Oh! it hath not been so with me I have been carelesse I thought well of my self I nere questioned this weighty matter to purpose Oh! the Lord give me grace to take pains in the use of means to be violent for Heaven Oh! I will not rest Oh! let me not till I am assured indeed that my my sins are done away and Christ is mine Go and say and do it and the God of all grace and might be with thee in it But yet further to presse the weight of this matter upon thy Conscience that thou mayest go off thoroughly convinced and resolved to pursue effectually the compassing of this so
that is paid for the salvation of him from his sins the price of the blood of the eternal son of God How great was sin how sinful and damnable the nature of it in the eye of the righteous God when justice could not be satisfied but by such a way Oh saith a poor soul that comes for pardon what a damnable thing is sin which was once nothing to me that redemption from it is at such a rate God had no greater a price to give then what he layd down to save a wretched sinner from his sin Oh 't was great sin that must crucifie the Lord of life and glory therefore doth my soul hate it 13. Lastly This consideration also greatens sin in as much as a poor creature hath drawn and tempted others to sin with him specially such as have lived more vainly loosly it lies hard upon many a poor soul after thorough conviction Oh how many have I drawn to sin not only by my example but encouragement and perswasion that may be now in hell for such sins or are under a state of impenitency and hardned by me Oh this is an abasing consideration to a poor convinced humbled sinner when God smites his heart with it Use 1. Before we go further let us labour to apply this to the consciences of all I have shewed you the matter we are upon is the weightiest that ever took up Gods heart the pardoning of a sinner and therefore how should it swallow up the hearts of poor undone souls that are so infinitely concern'd in it I beseech you therefore lay to your hearts what hath been spoken as to the greatness of sin And consider If souls that come to God by Christ for pardon see their sins as great sins and 't is their great trouble that they cannot see them greater First then This may serve to take off that woful deceit of heart and delusion of the Devil of poor careless souls that dream of pardon and yet never in any measure thus saw their sins as great This shews the heart was never touched of God never smitten for sin as yet This is the way indeed of unpardoned sinners they are lessening their sins to God and themselves finding out circumstances to lessen them of others tempting them and the Devil and the like and many or most of men or women allow themselves in the same or they were overtaken or the like they think they can easily pacifie God again and that God makes not so great a matter of it thus a deceitful heart and a cheating Devil juggle together and sooth Conscience in a damnable peace And such souls call their great reigning sins their infirmity and God will not be so exact as some of the Preachers make him here 's a sinner riverted in a cursed estate But now take a soul whom God as I shall shew hath made sensible of sin and the weight of pardon and comes to the feet of the Lord for it 't is quite otherwise Oh my sins wretch that I was and am were little sins to me before but now they are great sins I called it my infirmity to lye swear profane the Sabboth allow my self in any excess but now I see 't was reigning sin soul-damning sin great oh great sin Oh that I am out of hell Oh the patience of God! Is there mercy for such a wretch What a wonder will it be if I get to Heaven How great will that mercy be that pardons me 2. Therefore in the second place examine how it is with you and whether you have had some such workings of heart Have you been before the Lord in David's posture Oh mine iniquity is great Oh I have sinned against a great God wearied great patience turned great mercies into sin Oh I have sinned against great light How shall I be pardoned Sins continued in and multiplyed from my youth up and these against serious purposes under the reign of it there 's an infinite fountain of all evil within me If I have been any way restrained no thanks to my own heart for it Oh saith a poor soul I was led by the Devil befool'd by the Devil served the Devil against God And now what can I challenge at the hands of God What belongs to me but wrath great wrath everlasting wrath infinite wrath If one sin deserves a thousand hells what do innumerable transgressions do If mercy be not infinite how shall I look up to God or how shall God look down upon me Oh I say let your Conscience answer hath it been thus in some good and real measure though not so deep as your soul desires I know there are degrees and I also know till God come to let out Himself in such a way as this that sin is ☞ great and greater in mine eye then ever we make but slight work of it in out spirits want of this makes many in these dayes run away with pleasant notions of Grace Christ Light though blessed be the Lord for ever for the more glorious Revelation of all these but I speak of abuses but sin was never great by the appearance of God and so they wanton with such notions which at last weare off and so they come to nothing but a reproach to the Gospel 3. In the third place therefore let it serve to exhort sinners to look back upon your lives even from your youth up you may find one more of the discoveries mentioned of the greatnesse of sin that you will fall under specially such as have bin given to the profanesse and vanities of the age you live in lying swearing profaning of the Sabbath to riot ungodly pastimes and sports reviling the godly or other more secret wickednesses and pollutions any of which may be speak thee in a state of sin and wrath joyned with thy living in the neglect of known duties upon which neglect God hath pronounced a curse as the neglect of secret or Family-prayer Jer. 10. ult Or if thou hast not been engaged in grosse sins but hast bin sober and well carriaged from thy youth up yet thou mayst be still in a state of sin but go a little more soberly to hell and in more danger of being damned in thy civill sober carriage then great sinners with which thou art apt to compare thy self and seeing thy self not so bad as them thinkest all is well But remember well what hath bin proved that sin is greater in the Fountain then the streames though it make a greater noise or shew to others in the streame of ones life thou hast a Hell in thy nature an infinite fountaine of any wickednesse that ever any of the Sons or Daughters of men did commit An Idolater An Adulterer A Murderer A Sodomite A devil in thy heart and whole frame thy nature In a word one sin which thou callst little reigning but in thy heart and cherished there is enough to send thee to hell as if thou wert the veryest reprobate living
God as a thing melted in heart-melting confessions at least the poor soul mourns over the hardnesse of its heart oh that I have thus sinned and yet my heart will not break blessed be every stroak and every word of God and every Ordinance that though grace breaks my heart more A sincere soul sets a high price upon brokennesse and yet rests not in it c. 5. Such confession that hath the promise is accompanied with soul-abasement He that humbleth himself shall be exalted Luke 18.14 spoken upon the Publicans acceptance with God in his confession under brokenesse smiting upon his breast and deep abasement not lifting up his eyes to heaven So that great promise 2 Chron. 7.14 If my people shall humble themselves and pray and seek my face and turn from their wicked wayes then will I hear from Heaven will forgive their sins This a work of the narrowest search of any other I intend if the Lord will to speak to this more distinctly and fully in another discourse Only now a word of such a humiliation as is joyned with such confession that hath the promise of pardon which is the scope we drive at 1. When the soul is in confession and under the Lords humblings in order to pardon The poor Creature acknowledgeth himself infinitely unworthy that ever the Lord should cast a look upon him or give out mercy and pardon to him This conclusion is fixed upon the soul and the soul falls down abased in the sence of it what ever the Lord do with me I will lay my mouth in the dust I am worthy of nothing from the Lord but a thousand Hells this quiets the heart in some measure what ever the pleasure of the Lord be towards him 2. As the poor sinfull Creature is worthy of nothing so he will give glory to God if God never pardon God is never the lesse righteous or holy wise or good if he never let out one drop of mercy upon so vile a Creature yet he is a God blessed for ever Thou art holy saith David Psal 22.3 But I am a worme and no man verse 6. A worm sit for God and man to tread upon and yet must not rise up against God nor say to him what dost thou no Man I have un-man'd my self with sin I am dust and vanity it self vile dust that 's my make my frame oh I must give glory to his justice though I perish for ever 3. The poor Creature hath no good no not the least to procure pardon or to move God to pardon Psal 14.3 Saith a poor humbled soul treating for pardon if mercy and pardon must come forth upon termes of my good having or doing any thing but what hath infinitely sin enough in it to damn me for ever assuredly to Hell I must No sin enough to send a world of souls to Hell but not a drop of good to move the Lord to mercy If God give our mercy upon a sight of good I exspect not a drop from him 4. It followes from hence when a sinner comes humbled he comes as nothing else but a sinner Luke 18.13 God be mercifull to me a sinner one that 's nothing else but a wretched sinner for so the Publican means it as in a contrary frame to the Pharisee who thanks God that he was not so bad as many were though the Pharisee no doubt would acknowledge some sin but now the Publican is All a sinner in as bad a condition as any sinner in the world ☞ Here 's a touchstone poor souls in these dayes they hope they have not so much need of Christ as many great sinners they be not nothing else but sinners they have or do some good The discussion of this will be the next discourse only now a word more Know sinner that one sin strikes off all thy pretended good as shall at large through mercy be proved to thee stick to one drop of good in thee or from thee when thou comest for mercy and pardon and thou losest all oh to be wholly condemned wholly unrighteous wholly a sinner is a great work t is the most distinguishing conviction of any other While a man hath any thing to live upon he is not fit to beg so while a soul hath a drop of any thing that in his own sense may the more admit him to pardon he cannot have it Take it thus If one came to your doors and beg and he hath good Cloaths on his back and he should say I have good Cloaths on my back I have something of my own therefore I pray Give me would you not answer if you have something of your own are pretty well cloathed why should you beg t is not for you to come and ask almes But if a poor naked wretch come and say cry oh I am a poor creature a poor naked destitute creature I have nothing all 's gone I have lost all pray cover me pray feed me out of great pity you will look upon such a poor wretch and do something for him if you have any bowels So if a sinner as that Pharisee did come and say Lord I have done this and this I have not been so wicked as many I do some good therefore pardon that therefore will make the Lord send thee away without mercy no saith God live upon what thou hast if thou hast any thing Oh sinner thou art not fit to beg to beg mercy and pardon till thou hast just nothing of thy own which the naturall pride of thy heart will very hardly come off to 5. In the way of mens tribunalls of Justice and Courts of life and death If a Malefactor be condemned by the Law and he yet plead Though I am proved a thief or a murderer yet I have kept the rest of the Law I have broken no Law of the Nation that deserves death beside shall not this rather justify me then this crime condemn me No saith the Judge That 's nothing to us though thou hast kept the Law in other things thou must dye by the Law as a trangressour of it for this thou hast done why then saith the condemned person I must plead all mercy Just so it is at the tribunal of God comes a poor soul that is convinced he hath sinn'd oh but saith he in his heart I have kept the Law in many or most things will not that commend me to God will not God look upon my good more then my evil No saith God in his word thou hast broken the Law and thou art cursed therefore the Law can shew thee no mercy I can take no notice of any of thy pretended keeping of it in any other thing oh then must a poor sinner say then it must be all all of mercy if I am ever pardoned this may be enough to discover such a humiliation that follows confession that hath the promise of pardon and doth also further evidence the main point which is to set forth
in the road-way of hell in a peace that will end in woes and sorrows of any soul in the world Oh wait for Gods appearance and every little sin will be great a hell of sin within thee though outwardly civil and sober wait for the Spirit in the Word and go and pray for it 'T is one thing to know sin by the Letter of the Law which commands this and forbids that and another thing to know see feel sin and the infinite evil of it the exceeding sinfulness and pollution of it by the conviction of the Spirit so as to see it most in the fountain in thy nature and there loath and bewail it because it makes thee unclean and unholy and unlike God and unfit for God and holy communion with him which is the way and most certain evidence of the Spirits saving conviction of sin as distinguishing from that which a hypocrite may have and carries a soul to the fountain opened Zach. 13.1 that its iniquity may be thoroughly cleansed Use 6. If sinners that come to God for mercy pardon see their sin as great then it will also follow that great sinners may be pardoned saved You that are great sinners old sinners Oh hearken to this you are yet within the reach of grace and mercy and pardon if you will come to Jesus Christ for it the greatness of your sin is no barr to you but if you fail of pardon 't is because you will not come to Christ for it and accept it upon Gospel-terms you will not have pardon with a new heart and new life or you make a slight matter of pardon or you think 't will come of course or you are afraid to enter into a serious review and debate with your selves because your sins are so great they will terrifie you or take you off your pleasure and peace of your minds and joy in the world Away away with any of these pleas though thou hast sinned much greatly long with all thy might come to Jesus Christ those great sins are no more before his blood to wash them away then the least sin if any be little that ever was committed and pardoned Esay 1.18 Do not hence say securely Oh 't is well that great sinners may be pardoned I ever thought so what need so much ado Do not thus harden thy self and make such a cursed use of so blessed a truth but therefore come in lay down thy weapons with which thou hast been fighting against God Wilt thou hold up rebellion and yet cry pardon Is it equitable thou shouldst expect it No fall down at the feet of that God against whom thou hast so greatly sinned in the posture hath been shewed thee and then though sin hath abounded yet grace doth much more abound Rom. 5. last Great sinners have become great Saints 1 Cor. 6.11 Such were some of you who were they Idolaters Adulterers Revilers Sodomites c. and such like You that have been such like God may have as much glory in your pardon as he hath had dishonour by your sin only be not such a Devil to thy self as to turn thy back upon it and when thou hast thus long rebelled to tell God he must stay thy leasure for thy acceptance of his pardon thy sins are too sweet to leave as yet I tell thee soul and I have shew'd it that Gods pardons cost him dear and are precious and if thou deal thus they may be lockt up in Heaven from thy wretched soul to all eternity Who but a desperate wretch but would take mercy and grace from Heaven that may make him blessed for ever when God offers it by his dear Son let thy sins be never so great why wretched man or woman Hast thou not done God wrong enough already but must thou stay yet longer in thy cursed sin and wrong him yet more Hast not done enough already to damn a thousand souls but wouldst do more and make as sure of hell as thou canst I beseech thee sinner great sinner young or old do not put me off nay do not put the Lord off with a pardon in his hand a promise of grace ready to be sealed by the Holy-ghost if thou wilt now from thy soul readily say why then be it so Lord Jesus I come to thee If the tearms be leaving all this deceitful sin and to be made like unto thee be it so I accept of it tear my lusts from my heart I have served them long enough too long Oh now if there be any mercy in Heaven let me have it save me not in but from my sins Oh Lord for they are great great indeed I will saith the Lord and he speaks it in Ezek. 36.29 I will save you from all your uncleanesses 't is as much as if the Lord should have now spoken it from Heaven mark every tittle in such a promise Now thou cryest Oh will will the Lord save I will saith the Lord Oh but will he save me from such uncleannesses yea from uncleannesses what from All yea from All thy uncleannesses fall down and Adore and cry out Oh grace free rich infinite glorious grace admire Angels Saints sinners Behold one of Gods wonders A great sinner saved Use 7. And so seventhly it may serve to exhort blessed souls brought into a state of peace and pardon still to keep an eye upon the greatness of mercy If mercy were not great how could any sin be forgiven Thus this blessed man David is breathing forth Blessed is he whose iniquities are forgiven Oh bless the Lord Oh my soul who forgiveth all thine iniquities Oh how great is thy mercy towards me and thou hast delivered my soul from the lowest hell So should pardoned called redeemed souls see themselves call'd and taken out of hell it self out of a hell of abominations pollutions wrath under which they were fast held by the powers of darkness Say did ever such a soul get to Heaven shall I not be the wonder of Heaven and hell how I got to Heaven and escaped that wrath in which thousands that were better then I are now plunged there 's no other reason but because mercy is great greater then the greatness of sin with which I shall conclude the second Point namely When sinners come on to find pardon they see their sins great Obs 3. The great reason of Gods pardoning a sinner and the plea that a poor convinced sinner hath with God is that he will pardon for his own Names sake For thy Names sake Oh Lord pardon c. That is not for any worth that is in a poor creature not for my sake but for thy own glories sake thy mercies sake grace and mercy will be hereby glorified God gets himself a Name by the pardoning of a poor sinner that Name which he proclaims to Moses Exod. 34.6 The Lord merciful and gracious c. Now God hath given forth the ground of this plea in the New Covenant where his Name is
all do sin and transgresse this law of God therefore they are under the penalty and condemnation of it this argument the Apostle brings to prove the same thing verse 9. of this 3d. of the Rom. For we have before proved both Jews and Gentiles that they are all under sin and verse 12. They are all gone out of the way they are together become unprofitable there is none that doth good no not one Threfore seeing all do sin they are bound to answer the law as you use to phrase it and are subject to whatsoever the law pronounceth against the transgressours of it 3. All the partiall keping of the law will not deliver a soul from that penalty that belongs to the breach of the whole keep me all or none as to your deliverance from the curse saith the law But this I am further to prove when I speak to the next verse The impossibility of a sinners being accepted by his best keeping of the law Use 1. Are all men and women in the world young and old naturally under the law bound over to the most exact and rigorous fulfilling of it under a curse and are indeed under all the curses and threanings it pronounceth and bound to make God satisfaction in your own persons while you are under it oh let every poor sinner be convinced of it what a state is this for any poor soul to rest it self satisfied in who is the man or woman that is not a transgressour of it and therefore see to it and that before the execution of judgment come upon thee without remedy Sinner If thou wast condemned by the law and under a sentence of death how wouldst thou beg for a reprieve and beg all thy friends to interpose for thee what an amazing word would it be to thee Thou art condemned to dye Ah sinner t is the case of thy precious soul Thou art condemn'd to eternall death by the law of God the sentence is pronounced from the righteous Judge of Heaven Away sinner with all speed to a Mercy seat Acknowledge thy condemnation just by the law Go to the great and potent Advocate of heaven Jesus Christ the righteous put thy case into his hand tell him thou hast none else to make to and that thou hast heard he hath helped many a condemned sinner in the same case as thou art and that thou hast heard he hath layd down a price for such as thou art to redeem them from the curse of the Law follow him and if he speak but a word to the just and great God for thee the sentence of the Law is remitted a pardon of grace comes forth and at last the Holy Ghost shall be sent from the father and the Son to witnesse it and seal it in thy own conscience and that blessed word shall be thine Therefore there is now No condemnation c. who shall condemn me since Jesus Christ hath cleared me and hath made the Court of Heaven for me Go and ponder in thy soul every day and say Is' t nothing to be under a Curse condemned by a Law to be damned for ever shall I let my poor soul lye in such a case one hour longer specially when a way I hear is opened to me to get from under it Say what satifaction can I wretched creature make to the righteous God None but by suffering what infinite justice will lay upon me which is no lesse then infinite punishment Oh get in upon thy conscience what it is to be condemned by the great God to lye under guilt to have no plea or excuse by the law left thee which I will labour to prove to thy conscience and then further urge thee which is the import of the next point Observ 2. A transgressour of the law as he hath nothing to boast in so he hath nothing to excuse himself for his sin or from the righteous judgment of God due unto him which is drawn from these words That every mouth may be stopped c. This the Apostle intimates Rom. 2.1 Therefore thou art inexcusable ô man c. speaking to the Jew who went about to free himself And the judgment of God is according to truth against them which do such things verse 2. Reason 1. A poor sinner hath nothing to excuse himself for sinning against the law of God because the law is good and righteous Rom. 7.12 Therefore the law is holy and the Commandement holy just and good saith Paul when he was under such a conviction of sinning against it as we are pressing So 1 Tim. 1.8 But we know that the Law is good c. T is a law that containes glory to the Creatour and all good and blessednesse as in its self to the creature A law that 's full of all wisdome and blessednesse takes care for the good blessing peace order of the whole Creation that man might not sin against his maker nor in the least harme nor think to do so his fellow creature so that its proper end is goodnesse preservation to all Now what excuse for a creature most concern'd in the good of it for sinning against such a law what hath a creature to say for himself how inexcusable is he before God Angels and men 2. God writ this holy and blessed law in the heart of Adam as he was a publique person whereby he and in him all mankind had power to keep it therefore the sinner hath no excuse before God He gave man a power though he did not lay a necessity upon his will but left him to the liberty of it but man corrupted himself Gen. 6.12 whereby he disabled himself from keeping the law Now if a man disable himself it can be no rationall excuse for neglecting the duty so that his mouth is stopped as to any plea or excuse before the Lord. 3. Though man had blurred and defaced the fair and originall Copy of this holy and good law written in his heart yet God gave it forth again by Moses in Legible Characters one end wherefore was to leave all mankind without excuse thereof this strikes off all plea for the sinner specially to such to whom it is revealed 4. There is a remnant of this law yet in the heart of Adam which though not sufficient to enable him to an exact performance of it yet enough to leave him without excuse so Paul Rom. 2.15 to prove this point we are now upon speaking of the Gentiles Which shew the workes of the Law written in their hearts their conscience also bearing witnesse and their thoughts the mean while accusing or else excusing one another There is enough of the law remaining in every mans heart to accuse him when he doth evil and excuse him so far as he doth right though man by habituall sinning doth much stifle it so that this also helps to aggravate his sin and to leave him without all plea or excuse 5. There is that to be known of God in the creatures that
transgression of the law and shew what the sense of guilt is which few there are that have in a saving way Observ 3. Every soul in the world is guilty before God of the transgression of the Law And all the world may become guilty before God This hath been proved where we have shew'd that All have sinned and come short of the glory of God This guilt is threefold which is set home upon every sinners heart when convinc'd of sin by the spirit 1. The guilt of Adams sin which stands charg'd upon every sinner in the world while under the law Rom. 5.18 2. The guilt of the corruption of our natures sinne in the fountain as I have shewed which is likewise upon every Son or Daughter of Adam they are all corrupt Psal 14.1 wherein lies the exceeding sinfulfulnesse of sin 3. The guilt of actuall rebellion against God sinne brought forth and acted in the outward man against God Now under this threefold guilt is every sinner in the world while under the law the effect of which if not reconciled is punishment sutable to the guilt which is Thou shall surely dye And The wages of sinne is death eternall death Rom. 6. last Use 1. This may therefore inform and convince that every sin brings guilt upon the soul and so deserves death and everlasting wrath from God you that make light of sin to lye to profane the name of the Lord be in worldly discourses on the Lords day in any way of sin whatsoever weigh this in thy conscience There 's not the least sin but makes thee guilty before the tribunall of God God the law Angels Conscience are all witnesses against thee where 's the soul that will think to avoid this charge shall I prove every soul of you guilty and that before God If this were proved by the power of the word in the conscience I know what and I shall shew it you will be the effect of it lay your consciences to the Word and if thou art found guilty before the Lord this day go home with the sense of it upon thy soul and do as a guilty sinner should do 1. Consider first as to what concerns God immediately The Law requires Thou shouldst have no other Gods but him Exod. 20. Which Jesus Christ interprets is to love the Lord thy God with all thy heart and with all thy soul now Hath God had thy whole heart and soul darest thou say so Hath not the world had more of thy heart then God Dost not thou love the world and the things of it Do not thy affections thoughts desires of thy heart even day and night go after it yea you cannot but grant that 't is so Then God and Angels are witnesse that thou art guilty of the damnable sin of Idolatry And such a one shall not as such enter into the kingdome of God Eph. 5.5 Know by that Scripture A covetous heart may send thee to Hell as well as any sin in the world No Covetous man who is an Idolater shall enter into the kingdome of God read over the place every day and tremble at it Here 's guilt already enough to damn thee 2. Thou hast worshipped God superstitiously and idolatrously after the traditions and commandments of men you that are elderly people are all guilty here in a grievous manner in the time of your ignorance when superstitious Ceremonies were practised and the Common-prayer-Book worship was upheld when you polluted the Ordinances of Jesus Christ coming to Sacraments with sins upon your souls from which sins you are not converted and changed to this day which the Apostle calls eating and drinking damnation or judgment under which guilt you still lye and would heap up more of this guilt were not some more tender of your souls then your selves Here 's guilt to purpose who is free from it and how many unhumbled under it to this day Art thou not now ready to cry out Oh hold hold you need go no further my conscience is smitten oh guilt great guilt lyes upon me Oh that 't were the cry of many souls before the Lord how might it end in mercy that shall be for ever 3. But yet further to pursue thy conscience for that 's the nature of guilt doth not the Lord require in his law that thou shouldst not take his Name in vain Exod. 20.7 Now sinner stave off this guilt if thou canst How oft hast thou abused and profaned this great and dreadfull Name the Lord thy God by swearing or in thy by-words crying oh Lord oh God for Gods sake for Christs sake upon every foolish vain occasion with no more reverence of his Name then the most Common name in the world And some of you have as many dayes as you have lived since your childhood bin frequently guilty of this great evil which thou hast made a small matter of which if ever God pardon it it will appear to be odious guilt from the height of thy heart-Atheism How oft hast thou heard the word and thy heart bin after the world and thine eyes gazing up and down that t is easie to discern thou regardest not what is spoken from God to thee and the same in prayer how oft hast thou babled ore the Lords prayer like a charme with no reverence of Gods Majesty upon thy soul in thy bed it may be in a drowsie manner or if otherwise not understanding the words thou speakest much lesse thy heart affected with them or it may be saying over the Creed and the Commandements or some Service-book prayers as abundance do grievously profaning Gods Name and offering lip labour which his soul abhorreth yea know what hath bin often proved that thy prayers and all thy worship and good deeds as thou callest them are an abomination to the Lord while thou art in thy sin an unconverted and unholy person yea the way of thy worship in which thou placest thy greatest confidence hath bin the highest aggravation of thy sin in offering up to God that which his soul hateth Esay 1.11 12 13 14 15. When you make many prayers saith the Lord I will not hear you c. And as to the sanctifying the Sabbath which thou shouldest make a holy rest unto God thou hast made it a meer fleshly rest consuming the day upon thy lusts in vanity idlenesse carnall and worldly discourses in families in the streets to the high dishonour of the Name of God and hardening of thy heart against the truths of God rendring thereby the preaching of the Gospel wholly unprofitable to thy soul A carriage farr unlike a man that hath the grace of God upon him and a most invincible argument to thy conscience that thou makest not God his word ordinances sabbaths a holy delight and knowest not the excellency and sweetnesse of Communion with him Say sinner and lay thy conscience to this conviction is hearing and that with love praying praising meditating conferring of holy things the very heaven of thy
soul and so longest for such exercises as the joy and strength of thy heart Nothing lesse Thy own conscience being Judge but hear drowsily and negligently it may be despisingly revile the preacher speak evil of the word out of thy grosse ignorance and hatred to be reformed speak vainly carnally worldly with such as are like thy self Here 's guilt enough to send thee to a thousand Hells if God smite not thy heart for it and thou turn not unto him for pardon and a better heart to be given to thee Adde to all this an unthankfull and unholy use of Gods good Creatures it may be thou hast bin betrayed by the devil thy own ready heart to some secret sins which thou thinkest enough if thou canst hide from man not considering the judgment of God that hangs over thee But if not so yet a heart full of uncleannesse envy wrath malice which our Lord Jesus Christ in his opening the law in its spirituality Mat. 5.21.22 27 28. convinceth to be murder and adultery which it may be thou hast never considered of so thou hast not bin an actuall adulterer or murderer In a word There 's not a vain thought in thy heart the first rising of it but brings thee under the guilt of condemnation of the law and as thou art under the law as if a transgressour in thought word and deed of the whole Law This may seem strange to thee but see it proved James 2.10 For whosoever shall keep the whole law and yet offend in one point is guilty of all But it hath bin proved that thou art guilty of the breach of every Commandement of God from thy youth up But see further sinner that some word of God or other may hit thee this law could not condemn thee wouldst thou have bin convinced of guilt and made in to grace by Jesus Christ but thou art under the guilt of Gospel Contempt Come sinner saith Jesus Christ and see what I can and will do for thee I le save thee from this condemning Law I le take away the curse I le remove all thy guilt blot out all the charge that is against thee I le put a righteousnesse upon thee I le bestow my spirit upon thee I le give thee a heart to love God and his law and in the inward man to delight to walk in it and then take thee to Heaven and fill thee with glory for ever All this Heaven of mercy and free grace thou hast sleighted and sinned against and brought thy self under greater condemnation than by the law And yet by the way Jesus Christ will do as much for thee still as I have spoken of and more though thou hast thus sinned against law and gospel if thou wilt come a poor undone guilty soul unto him which is that I aime at in thus pressing upon thee And were the sense of guilt indeed upon thy soul thou wouldst seriously hearken to me Therefore yet futher bear with me Take home this guilt to thy conscience And say Oh guilty guilty of all that hath bin this day charged from the righteous God upon me Oh may the Lord find thee out this day and lay-in the fresh sense of the guilt of sins even of such thou hast long since committed Do not justifie nor excuse thy self any longer for that 's the naturall way of thy heart as thou hast bin shewed Never did guilty prisoner at the barre find more shifts more subtle pleas then the proud and shamelesse heart of a sinner will do till God himself pronounce guilt in the conscience and then the guilt of one sin laid-in brings in the guilt of all other and they sometimes come in like waves and billowes upon thy soul oh let the sense of thy lying swearing profaning the Sabbath slighting the word refusing Jesus Christ out of thy secret hatred of holinesse reproaching the people of God because in their practise they condemne thee or thy being guilty of the blood of the Lord Jesus 1 Cor. 11.27 a crying sin indeed Oh let this any all seize upon thee and fly not from it but go and lye low before the great God in it judging charging condemning thy self and say God and his word hath found me out this day and I go home with an arrow of God in my conscience I am the man or woman that am found the guiltyest soul in the Congregation how to be delivered and saved from it that 's my businesse now Blessed be the advice and counsell now which formerly I despised of any good man that speakes in the name of the Lord unto me and will shew me There is yet hope for so wretched a Creature as I am Particularly these are the effects of the sense of the guilt of sin wrought by the holy Ghost upon the conscience of a poor soul in order to his salvation 1. Fear of wrath to come more or lesse possesseth the heart Can a man be guilty and not fear if truly sensible of it This was upon Adam after he had sinned and heard Gods voice which struck him with sense of guilt Gen. 3.10 I heard thy voice and was afraid so when guilt came upon Belshazzar his thoughts troubled him Dan. 5.6 Felix trembled Acts 24.25 The Jaylour came trembling Acts 16.29 The fear of wrath the fear of a mis-carrying soul the fear of eternity seizeth upon the spirit of a poor creature and then t is an infinite weighty matter with a poor soul to be saved 2. Shame is another effect of guilt brought in upon the conscience so Adam likewise was ashamed and hid himself because he was naked Gen. 3. What fruit had you in those things whereof ye are now ashamed Rom. 6.21 So Ezek. 16. last That thou mayest remember and be confounded and never open thy mouth any more because of thy shame when I am pacified towards thee for all that thou hast done sayth the Lord See also Ezek. 43.10 11. Oh how is a sensibly guilty soul ashamed before God Angels men of such wayes and carriages in which he impudently before delighted himself and lyes down in his shame and confusion of face even covering his face before God and ashamed to look up unto him 3. The soul walkes up and down with a burthened spirit those creature-comforts delights contentments which before would still the spirit now will not sense of guilt eates out the heart of them the soul must now have something else than wind and vanity for so are Creatures become to such a poor soul It may be the deceitfull heart carryes a poor creature to this thing and that but finds no satisfaction there the burthen stills remaines the arrow that God hath shot sticks fast till Jesus Christ pluck it forth and heales all with his blood and spirit 4. Guilty souls make out for deliverance sue to heaven are enquiring how the law may be satisfied how guilt may be removed how atonement may be had how bondage taken off in a
heart we should come to an issue in the point Mark that word Gal. 3.12 Cursed is every one that continueth not in all things which are written in the law to do them I think I opened this place lately but mark it well The law requires of every one and therefore of thee who ever thou art a continuance without intermission of doing not only purposing and endeavouring All things not keeping nine and breaking one Commandement not keeping it outwardly and breaking it in thy thoughts of sin but in All things or Cursed without remedy by the law The law can give you no remedy see Rom. 10.5 For Moses describeth the righteousnesse of the law The man that doth these things shall live by them If he doth all the things of the law not purposeth them onely but doth them he shall live by them but not otherwise but shall dye and that for ever by the law now mark you The same law can't at once justifie and condemn blesse and curse quit and judge save and condemn if it therefore condemn in the least it cannot quit by all that ever a soul hath done or may do towards fulfilling it I instanced before If a man that lives under the law of England all the laws of it and he be found a transgressour of one law that is to be punished with death it will not be a good plea for him that he never brake any other law that deserves death no saith the Judge you must dye for this so as I have shew'd the law pronounceth death to the breach of any one Commandement any part of one as well as to the breach of the whole Therefore he that pleads as the Pharisee did and was never the more accepted that he is no murderer no blasphemer no thief no adulterer t is all one if thou hast ever had an unholy thought in thy heart as thou hast had thousands as thou art under the law thou art condemned If this indeed had bin the tenour of the law as it was a Covenant between God and the first Adam that if thou and thy posterity shall endeavour to keep the law as well as you can though you fail in some part yet you shall be accepted then this had bin a good plea before God that you have so endeavour'd to keep it but t is not so the Covenant doth not run so but as hath bin shewd it runs thus Here 's a holy and righteous law saith God the matter of the Covenant between us If you break it in any one least part of it and but once you are condemn'd and all your other righteousnesse shall not be imputed to you This saith bin proved from severall Scriptures and I think t is the hardest thing in the world to be spiritually and practically convinced of it such is the exactnesse of the Law that it admits of no bartering of no termes whatsoever it still cryes fullfill me to the utmost or dye 3. The third Reason which strikes off all hope of acceptance with God by keeping the Law as well as you can is taken from the sinfulnesse of those very duties and workes which you place such acceptance in There is an infinite sinfulnesse in every such duty though the matter of the duty be good yet the manner of performing it by any naturall man is wholly sinfull yea there 's a mixture of sin in the most holy performances of any regenerate soul in the world which he is sensible of but I am dealing with the naturall man as to his opinion of his good keeping the law I say there 's nothing but sin in their performances the principle they proceed from is wholly sinfull viz. a corrupted polluted heart and nature Can a corrupt tree bring forth good fruit Mat. 7.18 Can a corrupt fountain send forth sweet waters Jam. 3.11 No more can a corrupt defiled heart bring forth any duty or work but what is loathsome to God full of all impurity This a naturall man is not able to see nor consider of till convinc'd by the holy Ghost and therefore 't is that he rests onely in performing the matter and bulk of duties to God and his neighbour but with what heart and the unholinesse of it he weights not Upon this account it is that the Scriptures speak at such a rate of naturall men that they are an abomination to the Lord Prov. 15.8 that his soul hates them he cannot away with them they are iniquity they are a trouble to him Isay 1. And that he casts them back as dung upon their faces Mal. 2.3 Therefore if there be more then sin enough in that best keeping of the Law towards God or man to damn a soul for ever Certainly a soul shall be never the better nor at all accepted for such a keeping of it That which in it self hath sin nothing but sin in the manner of it cannot be a means to quit a soul from other sin by which he hath brought guilt upon himself Let this be well considered and Nothing but a Christ would be your cry to purpose indeed 4. The fourth reason or convincement of this truth that the best endeavour to keep the law will not give you more acceptance with God nor take away any guilt from off the soul is because such duties and keeping the Law are but of the outward man which is farre from reaching the Compasse of the law the law is spirituall Rom. 7.14 that is it reacheth to the inward parts to the motions of the heart as hath bin before hinted and not onely to the outward man therefore our blessed Lord seeing the Jews insisting so much that they were outwardly blamelesse spends a large discourse Mat. 5.6 7. to beat them off their confidence in being outwardly righteous and proves a man a murderer by the Law for one wrathfull thought in his heart Mat. 5.21 22. Upon this conviction you have him as oft as he spake to the Jews that we may see the weight of this doctrine see Luke 16.19 15. And the Pharisees also who were covetous heard all these things and they derided him And he said unto them ye are they which justifie your selves before men but God knoweth your hearts for that which is highly esteemed amongst men is abomination in the sight of God Jesus Christ was convincing the wickednesse of a covetous heart the Jews who were carnall and formall made a sleight matter of this seeing they were outwardly blamelesse and wronged no body Aye but saith Christ God knoweth your hearts and his eye is most upon them and though you are outwardly righteous before men and this is a matter highly esteemed of among men that you are righteous and blamelesse yet t is an abomination to God see how severe the Lord is in pressing of this it being the great let of his Ministery and of the Jews stumbling at the Gospel as it is with us Mat. 23. his last Sermon I conceive he preacht to them verse
could be a disciple and part with nothing lose or venture nothing he would rest as he was and hope his being an honest sober man and well thought of would bring him to Heaven and so for ought appears cheated his soul to Hell The case of Paul hath bin often shew'd you he was as many of you think your selves blamelesse Phil. 3.6 lived in no known sin outwardly against the law frequented the publick worship made conscience of his dealings was zealous of the traditions and customes of his Fathers in the matters of God and yet do you not hear him crying out of it all as losse verse 7. 8. He thought it was his gain before that it would have gained him Heaven but now t is all losse his keeping the Church his outward blamelessenesse stands him not in the least stead but cryes out t is All All losse for Jesus Christ the same Paul that before boasted and thought very well of himself and was in much peace and persecuted all beyond his formall profession now cryes out Away with this fig-leave righteousnesse of mine own 't is as dung I tread it under my feet for Iesus Christ he that thought himself so blamelesse before now cryes out I am the Cheif of sinners 1 Tim. 1.15 And I am carnall sold under sinne Wretched man that I am who shall deliver me from the body of this death A marvellous Change indeed and such that is made upon every soul that is really brought off from the righteousness of the law to that which is of Iesus Christ Now to bring what hath bin spoken to this point to a more particular Application Use 1. If it be so that the best endeavour of any mortall creature to keep the law of God as well as they can will not give them acceptance with God Then you that have so imagin'd and thereby spoken peace to your selves namely that you hope if you keep the Church as you use to speak and harme no body and do any body any good you can live not in grosse sins be well thought of by your neighbours you shall do well enough for Heaven and you must hope well Ah poor creature thou errest not knowing the way of the Lord nor of thy own heart how art thou befooling thy self and deceiving thy own soul No sinner in so ready a way to Hell as thou if thou continue thus and let not go thy hold and get a new bottome for thy naked soul which I am to shew thee Consider man or woman young or old whoever thou art thou hast bin proved guilty of the breach of the whole law of God thou hast bin shewed of the exactnesse of the justice of God and the spirituality of the law how it reacheth the inmost motions of thy heart thou hast been shewed the tenour of it as it was given forth as a Covenant that the law will not admit of the least breach though but in thought but it condemns as if the whole law were transgressed even every soul that is under it here is the rigour of it And thou hast bin shewd that the law admits not of endeavours nor of the will for the deed if thou wert once in Christ indeed it would be so but not as now thou art thou hast bin shew'd that there 's sin enough in every one of thy best performances to damn thee for ever that thy righteousnesse reacheth but the outward man within didst thou see it thou art full of iniquity that what ever thou hast done cannot make God the least satisfaction as thou flatterest thy self for the least sin All thy obedience and duties cannot give life to thy soul but still leave thee as a dead tree dead in thy sin that by this vain confidence thou doest utterly make void the death of Jesus Christ as to any vertue or effect to thy own soul soul here is thy very case plainly set forth A thousand thousand sins to damn thee and that righteousnesse obedience good thou hopest thou hast done towards God and man not in the least able to rescue thee cover thee deliver thee from the guilt of one of the least of these sins nor save thee from wrath to come but leave thy soul as sinfull guilty naked wretched condemned as if thou hadst bin nothing else but sinning all thy dayes Oh wretched condition that the devill and thy own heart have flattered thee in Oh let this serve to convince unbottome legall professours who have spoken peace to themselves in being as good as they can and obeying the law as well as they can so hope God pardons where they fail Oh you are ignorant of the righteousnesse of God Rom. 10.3 Either what righteousnesse God requires in the law as to be justified by it or what is the righteousnesse of the Gospel which is of Jesus Christ by faith Oh you who like that young man have bin righteous from your youth up brought up religiously look to this whether you make not this your confidence but though under some kind of sorrowings for sin and walking exactly yet never emptyed of your selves and renouncing your selves and all that was of you and come poor and nothing to Jesus Christ to be found in Him who have not trembled as much at being found in your own righteousnesse which is of the Law as at living in the greatest sinne whatsoever You who have taken up from grosser sins of your life your youth and now think you are safe and bottome your hope upon your new outward obedience but have not the experience of your closing with Jesus Christ for righteousnesse in which alone you could stand before God nor rooted into Jesus Christ in the carrying on of your new obedience which I am also further to open Alas poor soul thou art yet to seek for a bottome for thy peace and for heaven as much as the greatest sinner in the world and if you go no further you will certainly perish for ever I beseech you souls Admit of this conviction into your consciences Saith the first Covenant of the law A whole law kept or nothing Saith the Gospel-Covenant which you are now to look after A whole Christ closed with or nothing Mind it most seriously you that stand upon your termes and will not endure any thing that may shake you and disturb your peace There 's more danger of your righteousness then your sin your sin it maybe you would sin leave because it may damn you if continued in but your righteousnesse your confidence in it you would not leave because you hope that shall save you and pacifie God for you and this will be your ruine if you stick here But first to strike off some Objections that the heart of such a legall professour doth put forth Object 1. But you will object Why do I speak thus would I beat people off a good conversation Is not a blameblesse conversation and honest walking a good signe and ground for ones hope
shewed you may be under the Law condemned for one transgression and what can you be more then be condemned Neither doth all this as in it self any more prepare you for Jesus Christ And therefore let all the Convictions Arguments Demonstrations we have produced from the clear Light of the Word of the Lord at last prevail with you that you who thus satisfie your selves because you are baptized believe the Scriptures frequent the service of God are just and sober therefore it is well with you and you will trouble your selves no further in the matter of your salvation that the estate of your soules is as unsafe and desperate how secure soever as the profoundest Drunkard in the Countrey Therefore let this Conviction have force upon your Conscience that you must come anew to Jesus Christ as a mere sinner having nothing to commend you to him Say from the Light of the Word Though I have thus satisfied my self pleas'd my self in these Duties and outward Priviledges yet there 's no difference between me and the vilest sinner in order to my acceptance with Jesus Christ Nay if this Conviction take upon thee thou wilt say to the glory of God and thy own confusion If there be any difference 't is that thou art the greatest sinner having mocked the Lord rested in out-side service dealt hypocritically with the jealous God offered him abominable sacrifice and therefore fit to be abhorred of the Lord for ever Oh! that this might be the posture of thy Soul and so thou mayest come and lye prostrate at the feet of Jesus Christ crying Oh! no more no more a righteous person but a sinner a guilty sinner a condemned sinner a poor blind naked sinner nothing else but a sinner Away with all my former confidences tear them from my heart Lord. Now Lord Jesus I cast my self upon thee Oh! let me creep unto thy blessed feet Oh! I come to thee not because I am righteous for I would abhor my self for ever in the thought of it but as a poor perishing sinner the worst of sinners an hypocritical sinner Oh! that I could take hold of thy righteousness to cover my naked Soul I expect it onely upon the account of thy Free-Grace Oh Lord I come unto thee do not do not reject me And thus have I been endeavouring to lay the sinner before Jesus Christ in such a posture having proved him under the Law excuseless in his transgressing of it guilty before God under an impossibility of reaching to an acceptance with God by the best keeping of the Law laboured to beat him off such props and confidences that the Heart naturally cleaves to and stript him of all naked as Adam when he had sinned before the Lord as nothing else but a sinner which is that I have driven at I now come to speak of the way of a poor Souls justification and acceptance with God by Jesus Christ as the Lord shall assist to the capacity of the weakest ROM 3.24 Being justified freely by his grace through the Redemption that is in Jesus Christ I Am now come to open the Gospel-righteousness wherein a poor sinner finds acceptance with God which in ver 21. of this 3d of the Romans is said to be now manifested that is more fully manifested by the Revelation of Jesus Christ in the Gospel being witnessed before by the Law and the Prophets Even the righteousness of God which is by the Faith of Jesus Christ unto all and upon all them that believe ver 22. called the righteousness of God namely that whereby God doth onely justifie and accept of a sinner wrought forth by the obedience of Jesus Christ and made over and imputed to a poor Soul that doth embrace it by Faith whether Jew or Gentile outwardly righteous or profane all that ever come to God must come this way and stand before him in this righteousness or perish for ever which I shall begin to open from ver 24 25. 1. Being justified freely by his grace through the Redemption that is in Jesus Christ 2. Whom God hath set forth to be a propitiation through Faith in his bloud c. We have endeavoured in the former Discourse to go along with the Apostle in proving that by all the Deeds of the Law all the best Obedience that a sinner can reach unto he cannot be justified before God neither in part nor in whole that your good deeds will not procure pardon nor poise down your sins but all by the Law equally under condemnation Of what importance then is it for poor condemned soules to be well acquainted with and really and practically invested in that way of justification that God in infinite wisdome mercy and love hath set forth in the Gospel which is that I now design The Apostles arguing is thus If all fall short of righteousness and acceptance with God by their own obedience If all have sinned and come short of the glory of God then are all and that equally condemned If so condemned then acceptance with God and justification and remission of sinnes must come in another way The Rise and Fountain of which must necessarily be Gods free mercy and grace If made righteous it must be in the righteousness of another wrought forth by another Justice must be satisfied by another a price paid to God for a sinners redemption by another which is Jesus Christ blessed for ever From the words then I shall first lay down this plain Observation viz. Observ Gods free mercy and grace is the first Fountain of any sinners salvation or 'T is upon the account of ' Gods free grace that any sinner is saved Thus runs the current of the whole Gospel the main design of the Gospel being to glorifie the riches of Gods free grace by Jesus Christ Among many other Scriptures the Apostle doth most convincingly discourse in Rom. 5. from the 15th to the end letting the free grace of God unto justification in opposition to a sinners condemnation But not as the offence so also is the free gift for if through the offence of one many be dead much more the grace of God and the gift by grace which is by one man Jesus Christ hath abounded unto many To the same import run the rest of the verses The free gift of many unto justification much more they which receive abundance of grace and the gift of righteousness shall reign in life by one Jesus Christ All of grace and of free-gift abundance of grace from first to last That as sin reigned unto death so might grace reign through righteousness unto eternal life by Jesus Christ our Lord vers last So the Apostle in that Epistle to the Ephesians wherein the Doctrine of grace is blessedly given forth drives all the spiritual blessings in heavenly things in Christ mentioned Chap. 1.3 c. to this blessed Fountain Chap. 2.4 c. But God who is rich in mercy for his great love wherewith he loved us even when we were
dead in sins hath quickned us together with Christ for by grace ye are saved so ver 7. That in the Ages to come he might shew the exceeding riches of his grace and ver 8. For by grace ye are saved it is the gift of God Therefore the invitation of the Gospel to sinners runs upon this score Ho Every one that thirsteth come to the Waters of Life Isa 55.1 And Whosoever will let him come to the Water of Life freely Revel 22.17 I might illustrate this in all the particulars of a sinners salvation God's fore-ordaining and choosing any to salvation 't was to the praise of the glory of his grace Eph. 1.5 6. The gift of his Eternal Son Jesus Christ from free love and grace John 3.16 The New Covenant and all the Promises of it freely given out for his own Names sake Ezek. 36. Effectuall Calling from free grace 2 Tim. 1.9 The gift of Faith actual Justification Tit. 3.7 Sanctification Perseverance Eternal Life and Glory all flowing from the same Fountain of Free-grace Some Reasons of the Design of the Blessed God in this may be gathered from the Scriptures The Free-grace of God is the Fountain of all in any sinners salvation 1. Because There is nothing in the Creature that may move God to save him Nothing at all All we know or do could not move God to mercy Deut. 7.7 8. The Lord did not set his love upon you because you were more in number then any people but because he freely loved you c. Not for your sake do I do this c. Ezek. 36.32 2. As God saw nothing in him so the sinner is able to bring nothing to God to draw out mercy of his own Therefore saith the Lord Isa 55.1 let him come without his price As the sinner lost all his good so he can procure none a new to bring to God that may in the least move the heart of God to give out more to him 3. If it were not all of grace then the Creature would have occasion of boasting but the Lord in infinite wisdome so laid the Project of a sinners Salvation that no Creature should have the least ground of boasting So the Apostle having given out the Doctrine of grace in this Scripture we are upon draws this conclusion ver 27. Where is boasting then It is excluded c. So in the 1 of Cor. 1.29 the Holy Ghost lays down this as the main scope of God in the Gospel That No Flesh should glory in his presence Therefore Salvation is all of grace of Free-grace 4. If it were not so The glory of God would not be so great in the Salvation of a sinner 'T is now so laid that all might be to the praise of the glory of his grace Ephes 1.6 It being the highest piece of glory that the Wise and Blessed God did ever design unto himself that his free rich abundant infinite grace might be made known in the Salvation of a Sinner That he might make known the riches of his glory on the Vessels of Mercy which he had afore prepared unto glory Rom. 9.23 Vse 1. If Gods Free-grace be the Fountain of all in a poor sinners Salvation then let it establish our judgments in this Doctrine Therefore God had no respect to any fore-sight of Faith or Works in the Creature God had no respect to the freenesse of his Will for he knew he had none God had no respect to any conditions to be wrought in us but all he did and doth was from absolute Independing-grace Nothing moved him but his own Free-grace The same Free-grace that pardons gives and workes all in us All from the same Fountain 2. If all be of Free-grace then there is no meritorious-procuring Cause in us that moves the Lord to mercy Now the contrary is naturally rooted in our hearts poor Soules are most apt to conceive that if they can grieve for their sins repent and reform this will sure move God to mercy and pardon A most dangerous snare from which a Soul after much conviction is hardly wrought off Now though God in the way of a Sinners Salvation hath promised to give Repentance Act. 5.31 and a Spirit of mourning for sinne yet a poor Soul must take heed that he make not this a procuring cause of Pardon Many a Soul sticks here before emptyed of himself even of his very repenting and so come for grace and mercy upon the account of the Free-promise onely How many a Sinner might have been saved if he would have been saved freely 3. If God hath so laid the Design to save a Sinner freely then how great how just is the Condemnation of guilty sinners that will not hasten in unto it how could the Lord have laid it more freely then he hath Oh that any sinner for ever condemned to Hell without it should withstand it Why sinner Shall the Blessed God that might have much glory in condemning thee to all Eternity be willing to save thee freely and wilt thou not come and bow unto him accept of it All the contempt of God in all his Holy Commands is not like this to turn the back upon Free-Mercy Free-Salvation This will be the Worm that never dyes to any of your Soules that shall not come into and rightly accept of Gospel-salvation that you might have been saved freely have had grace remission of sins Jesus Christ the Spirit Eternal Life freely and yet turned your backs upon it But you may demand How is it that any sinner doth so What is it that causeth any Soul to forego Free-grace and mercy when held out unto him that we may beware of such hinderances I will therefore shew you such Hinderances that keep Soules from accepting of Gods free grace in Jesus Christ when held out unto them 1. Wilful Obstinacy Joh. 5.40 Ye will not come unto me that you might have life Ye will not such is the stubbornness rebellion of the heart of a sinner that he will not as we speak because he will not to such a height hath sinne raised the heart of the rebellious children of men for every natural man till made sensible of unbelief thinks he hath Power of himself though he hath not but his Rebellion lyes in his Will I would have gathered you and ye would not Mat. 23. last 2. A sinner doth not accept of Free-grace because he stands upon his self-justification as we use to speak he will not be perswaded he hath so much need of all Free-grace as the Gospel discovers as hath been shewed at large though he hath sinned yet also he hath obeyed and so he puts one against the other his obedience against his sin and so hopes to get that mercy he hath need of And upon this ground more sinners even that profess the Name of God do miss of Heaven then any other in the World 'T is not so easie a matter to submit to Gods Free-grace alone as many do imagine Upon
terms that God proposeth Why should'st thou not be willing to be made holy Why should not the Lord rather rule thee then sin and the Devil What more beautiful and glorious then the Image of God Oh accept of holiness with mercy through the Lord Jesus Christ Come unto him for both be willing to be set apart for God a Vessel purged and sanctified for his use and thou shalt behold the face of God shining upon thee and whatever is laid up in Christ in Promises in Heaven and glory shall be thine You who have thought to make your selves holy and then come to Christ to be justified be convinced of your great errour and now come as sinners to Jesus Christ to be justified and sanctified in him and see all grace laid up in Jesus Christ for such as come unto him Say Oh blessed Lord Jesus I cannot fit my self for thee If thou canst not accept me as a poor undone helpless sinner coming unto thee I never expect a blessing from thee And you who have sleighted this free and rich and glorious grace see what you have done and be abased for it see how you cast back mercy upon the face of God who would freely be reconciled with you pass by all the grievous injuries you have done him enter into a Covenant with you bestow his Christ upon you fit you for communion with himself here and for ever and all this you have sleighted and yet must unavoidably be for ever damned without it Sinner who can plead for thee when thou shalt go on to despise neglect sleight such grace To Hell without pitty of God Angels or Men when freest mercy and grace shall be sleighted I do therefore stand this day in the Name of Jesus Christ to acquaint you that he will save you freely if you will come unto him be your sins what they will so you come not as righteous but as sinners to him so you take his Righteousness to cover you and his Spirit of grace to unite you to him and make you holy and will give up your selves unto him All which he will help if you will come and cry to him yea if you cannot come he will draw you if you are unwilling he will make you willing if you have no heart he will give you heart What more Wretched man or woman that shall stand off one moment longer Is not Hell too good for thee if thou shalt now turn thy back upon such grace Let me have your Answers this day Let me know that sinner that will go home resolved to be as careless as he formerly hath been as well-opinioned of himself as much resolved against Holiness as thoughtless of being damned if he with-stand the Lord in his Free-grace one day more Oh! Will not your hearts stirre dead stupid soules Shall God's Free-grace his Christ go a begging this day and will not a sinner come up to his terms Old sinners that are going into the grave and Hell too will not you accept of Free-grace of Christ the Spirit this day that are upon the brink of the grave and everlasting burnings and have many a thousand sin yet unpardoned Is all this nothing to you but rest in a blind hope of mercy without coming to Jesus Christ without care of being made holy and fit for Heaven Oh you have been fast asleep in sin deceived by your own hearts abused by the Devil fourty fifty sixty years Is' t not time for you to bethink your selves to go and cry to the Blessed God Oh! grace pardon Christ Heaven upon any terms My righteousness I have trusted in are poor Cobwebs my Confidences vain Oh! for a drop of free-mercy and grace from that Ocean that is in God and 't were better then all I have done for Heaven yet Oh Lord Now now I come to thee Is there free-mercy and grace for one that hath sleighted it Yea though thou hast gone on frowardly in thy own heart yet he can heal thee Isa 57.17 18. And you that are younger 't is a desperate thing now in times of Gospel-Light when it glares upon your faces to shut your eyes to go on in the way of your own hearts to sleight Gospel-grace to harden your selves and cry Hereafter hereafter Alas thou knowest not what shall be on the morrow the Thread of thy Life is quickly cut with a stroke from God Beside to go on long from year to year against the loud and frequent Call of Jesus Christ against Convictions that thou shouldest do otherwise is the way to be given up to utter hardness and the Lord to move upon thy heart no more There 's a day of grace to every Soul which if he suffer to set and go down upon him he is irrecoverably lost for ever Look to it you younger men and maidens that have yet no work upon you that are the same you were under the means you have lived that have not the Spirit of grace and mourning upon you when others are praying and wrastling with the Lord and taking the Kingdom of Heaven by violence Oh up and be stirring the day of grace hath shined long upon you Hold out no longer Come come come you careless Sons and Daughters and the way is open to you the door of Free-grace is open Christs Arms are open you may be saved and blessed for ever if you come in now you are invited I can take no excuse Come or say I am resolved for Hell and to venture the utmost in the condition I am in Oh bold and fearless Atheist What shall I say to thee if that be thy Resolution But I cannot be so answered Say you sinners as if I should name you Are you for Heaven or Hell for Free-grace or your own patcht-up Righteousness for Carnal ease or any Pains for Heaven for your Lusts or for Holiness for Jesus Christ or the Devil Let thy Heart answer in good earnest this day Now shall I at last have this Answer Hold I am resolved for the Free-grace of God for the Lord Jesus Christ If all the sinners in the Congregation yea in the World should turn their backs upon him The Word of the Lord hath overcome Oh Lord Jesus may I come such a Wretch as I come Yea saith the Lord Jesus Rev. 22.17 Whosoever will let him come Grace is as free as ever it was Say then Oh Lord I come draw me and I will come Into the Arms of Free-grace I throw my self my Righteousness is an abominable thing Ah! a Christ upon any tearms Oh let let me creep unto thy Blessed Feet let me have the Lowest-Room in thy Heart Take what way thou wilt to purge me so I may but get well unto thee Now Lord as much Holiness as thou wilt let thy precious bloud wash me all over Well! go thus and acquaint the Lord Jesus with it from day to day Wait he will speak to thee love to hear more from him and of him in his Gospel and
thou biddest fair for Heaven yea there will presently be joy in Heaven for thee In a word I protest against you in the Name and Authority of God and the Lord Iesus Christ who hath sent me if you shall withstand the grace of God in Jesus Christ freely most freely offered you I shall be a Witness against you and if any sinners in the World shall be certainly damned you are they who neglect this great Salvation 'T is come to this I would saith Jesus Christ and ye will not What a do to have a sinner that 's sinking to Hell to come to the Lord Jesus Christ to be freely saved What should a guilty sinner do but come to a free Saviour to be saved and accept of his tearms which are so blessed with a thousand hearts if he had them Now say how am I straitned till I get to him I would go and weep my heart out to him had I a heart to do it Now I leave what hath been spoken to the good pleasure of God and the work of his Power who is able to send away every Soul trembling and resigning up themselvs to him Onely a word to any poor humbled doubting soul that thinks infinitely well of all this but saith in his heart All this grace is too good for me I have sinned against it and sleighted it I fear whether ever I may be accepted Oh remember and consider that Grace were not Grace if 't were no free God can save a sinner freely that 's enough to stay thee yea though thou hast sleighted grace as where is the Saint but did so before effectually called yea God will save a sinner freely that will come by Jesus Christ unto him He will What would'st have more Do not stand reasoning thus but If thou art a sinner undone without him cast off from thy own Confidences go to him in the Name of God and believe him upon his own word say I take thee Blessed Lord upon thy own word Thou sayest Whosoever will let him come and Lord therefore I come I durst not come were I not invited freely and if I must be saved freely if ever then thou art to bestow all work all begin and perfect all Oh blessed Lord I come unto thee for it go and do thus and thou shalt be comforted and rejoyce in his Salvation I might also here press blessed Souls who have been drawn to Jesus Christ and overcome by Free-grace to do it to live in the admiration of that grace and to be low and poor and empty in your selves in the abundant sense of it all your days Let your enjoyments and attainments be what they will be it known unto you that by grace ye are saved and you had and have as much need of it as any sinner in the World God's Design in saving you was to glorifie Grace and it must be your Design also here and for ever Having thus opened in some measure the grace of God to be the Fountain of a sinner's Salvation I shall now proceed to discover the way of the conveyance of this grace which is by Jesus Christ being justified freely by his grace through the Redemption that is in Jesus Christ though God resolved to bestow grace upon such as shall be saved freely yet in a way of his own most wise and blessed Designing by his Eternal Son Jesus Christ to whom this Dispensation of Grace was committed which I shall further open in this Doctrine Namely Doct. All that Grace and Mercy which GOD gives out freely to sinners is conveyed to them by his Eternal Son Jesus Christ I might be abundant in the proof of this See in that 5th of the Rom. v. 17.21 Much more they which receive abundance of Grace and of the gift of Righteousness shall reign in life by one Jesus Christ And vers 21. That as sinne hath reigned unto death even so might Grace reign through Righteousness unto Eternal Life by Jesus Christ our Lord All the grace that should reign unto Life is given out by one Jesus Christ. The Law was given by Moses but Grace and Truth came by Jesus Christ Joh. 1.17 All the Treasures of Grace were laid up in him and therefore he saith of himself Matth. 11.27 All things are delivered unto me of my Father and none can come unto the Father but by me which he makes as the great Argument why sinners should come unto him vers 28. Now so far as the Lord hath revealed the wise and holy Counsels of his heart in his Word unto us let us inquire into the Reasons why he took such a way to give all his grace to the children of men Reason 1. The first is this That as mankind lost all in the Fall of the first Adam as he was a publique person representing all that came of him so it was the wisdome of God in the recovery of lost-man to bring forth another person that should be fully stockt with grace and righteousness as a publique person to represent all the Elect unto the Father upon which account Jesus Christ is called the Second Adam 1 Cor. 15. And the Apostle sets the first Adam in his offence unto Death and the grace and Righteousness of Iesus Christ as the second Adam one against the other Rom. 5.15 16 c. For as by one mans disobedience many were made sinners so by the obedience of one shall many be made righteous And so the Apostle sets the Life Grace Righteousnesse of Iesus Christ as the Second Adam against the Death Condemnation Disobedience of the first man that sinned in the 7 last Verses of that Chapter And herein the Wisdome of the Father is most excellently set forth and the ground of Consolation to Believers laid upon a most sure Foundation That whatsoever they lost in the First Adam they recover with much more abundance in Iesus Christ for so the Apostle hath that much more in the Scripture mentioned three or four times that Saints may see how abundantly compleat they are in Christ Reas 2. All grace is conveyed by Iesus Christ because there needed a person to stand between GOD and Sinners as a Mediatour to work forth Reconciliation between them Now who was meet but the Lord Iesus Christ to undertake this He being the Eternal Son of God equal with God was near unto God A mere Creature was infinitely unfit for such an undertaking And he being also the Son of man cloathed in the nature of man he thus partaking of the nature of God who was to be appeased and of the Nature of Man who was to be reconciled he became a most meet Undertaker of so glorious a Work Whence he hath that blessed Title given him of Mediatour Jesus the Mediatour of a New Covenant Heb. 12.24 There is one God and one Mediatour between God and Man the Man Christ Iesus 1 Tim. 2.5 3. God resolved that his blessed Son Iesus Christ should have the honour in this blessed Transaction to
to be better this will not do if it be no more or such as have heald your selves and have not bin healed by coming to the Lord Iesus Christ by a more exact way of some outward duties know it and be convinc'd that the core will break out again and you are yet to seek for a well grounded peace and are none of the Gospel New-Creatures Now another degree of mistakes of the New-Creature doth arise from the taking of Common grace which a Hypocrite may reach to for truth of renewing sanctifying grace And know that every Hypocrite doth not know himself to be such but a Hypocrite is one that appeares to himself and others to be what he is not He takes himself to be a good Christian a believer a new Creature and is not so The ground of some of these great mistakes I shall mention As first A poor Creature thinks himself safe because what he doth he thinks he doth it all with a good heart No one so confident of the goodnesse of his heart as a Hypocrite because he knowes not his own heart in that great Reformation in Iosiahs time Ieremiah speakes of Chap. 3.10 that Iudah turned to the Lord but feignedly not with the whole heart yet the people thought otherwise of themselves as t is likely when they entred into a Covenant with God with good Iosiah This is it that most poor sinfull Creatures do bolster up themselves with in their ignorance and security that they do all to God and men with good hearts whereas a renewed soul doubts of the goodnesse of his heart and hath matter of humbling for it in every duty 2. Another mistake of poor souls is as to the Gospel New-Creature from a misprision of sins of infirmities for such as are indeed reigning damning sins As to instance to lye for advantage to swear petty Oaths sometimes by faith and troth by the masse to mention Gods name frequently as a by-word crying Oh Lord Oh God slightly vainly or sometimes to drink to excesse or the like evils 'T is common to hear wretched souls when convinc'd of them to excuse the matter Why 't is their infirmity whereas it proceeds from a heart wholly unregenerate and under the power and reign of sin Infirmities of the Children of God are not allowed by them but humbled for mourned for every day watch'd against the root of them they endeavour to mortifie through the Spirit which the common professour that calls all his sins his infirmities doth not Oh! Souls there 's a vast difference between the infirmities of such as are indeed New-Creatures and between the reigning sins of naturall men sin reigns in its peace power habit in the heart no subduing crucifying purging which a New-Creature doth and hath 3. This mistake of the New-Creature doth arise from a misconceiving of the reluctancy of a naturall conscience before or in the committing of sin taking it for the conflict that is in a truely regenerate Soul between the Regenerate and the carnall part which mistake usually is bottomed upon a misunderstanding of that place of Paul Rom. 7.15 For that which I do I allow not c. Hence say many unregenerate gracelesse persons Why though they do break out into such and such hings and omit such and such duties yet they do not allow themselves in it that is their conscience is not wholly seared and so make some resistance and this they take to be saving grace A grosse and most dangerous mistake Now take such a person and he hath not a delight in the Law of God in the inward man as Paul had vers 22. doth not cry out as inwardly burthen'd wretched man that I am who shall deliver me from the body of this death No such daily complaints and groanings under the weight of it No tying God through Jesus Christ for deliverance from it No serving the Law of God with a renewed inward man No walking after the Spirit as Paul professeth to do so that unlesse it be so with you that no-allowance in the conscience and yet do it it comes to nothing and an Hypocrite may and doth as much till given up to a seared conscience past feeling 4. From a mistake of faith taking that for sound and saving which is common to a Reprobate such as James describes in his Epistle speaking of men who say they have faith and have not really A faith that believes that God is the Scriptures the dying and rising of Jesus Christ and all other Gospell truths as it pretends yea that he believes on Jesus Christ and hopes to be saved by him as well as the holiest and upon this they have a kind of peace I have spoken before of Justifying faith only a word as to the New-Creature know therefore That faith which hath convinc'd the soul of its own weaknesse and so brought it to Jesus Christ for life that doth not teach a soul to deny it self that doth not purifie the heart that doth not live upon Jesus Christ and so created into him is not the faith of the New-Creature but a common dead putrifying faith that suffers the soul to putrifie in sin and works not to the cleansing of it 5. To instance in some other graces as namely repentance which souls do take to be onely a wishing the sin had not bin committed with a little fear and sorrow after it and this they think to be true repentance which when true is accompanyed with loathing of the sin and our selves and our corrupt natures brokennesse of heart for it and from it and turning to God by Jesus Christ and eyes the honour patience holinesse love of God in its sorrowing more then his wrath and hath for its effects carefulnesse indignation against it self vehement desire after more holinesse by Jesus Christ 2 Cor. 7.11 6. A false and carnall hope of Heaven mistaken for a gracious saving hope deceives the soul in this matter many poor souls yea it may be feared the most think they shall go to Heaven because they hope so and think they ought to hope Now a saving hope of pardon and Heaven is rightly bottom'd namely upon the riches of Gods grace Titus 3.7 Upon the righteousnesse of Jesus Christ Gal. 5.5 Upon some speciall promise of God Upon experience of God Rom. 5. And purifies the soul 1 John 3.3 as I may have occasion more at large to speak Oh! this false and carnall cursed hope that is not thus bottom'd serves onely to shut up the heart against the power of the word and a saving closing with Jesus Christ till a soul is dasht in this hope it will never get a better 7. A form of knowledge specially if encreas'd under the Ministery of the word may much deceive a soul in this great and weighty concernment so Paul speaks of the Jews Rom. 2.20 having a form of knowledge and of the truth of the Law Many have a Catechisticall form of knowledge they can describe what faith and
the great Comprehensive Duties but there is not any one thing more mistaken then what this good conscience is Too many Preachers presse this carnally and carnall people go away with it that they have Faith yea they never doubt it and for a good conscience they discharge it I have spoken of Faith already but now that which such poor seduced souls take to be a good Conscience is onely to wrong no body to be just to all not to purloyn others goods to take and keep nothing but their own they take it to be chiefly conversant about the duties of the second table concerning their Neighbour A little to rectifie this soul-damning mistake 1. A Scripture-Conscience is an enlightened conscience which before was shut up in darknesse Eph. 1.18 The light of the word of God is set up in the conscience whereby it discovers those truths in their power and worth which before it was dark unto 2. A good conscience is a conscience searcht by the power of the word convinc'd to be under sin and guilt and pollution whereby trouble doth arise in it God laying in the weight of guilt the damnableness of sinne the pollution of it upon the Conscience so that the soul cries out What shall I do How shall God be pacified and the soul saved 3. And hence it is an awakened Conscience which before was asleep Awake thou that sleepest Eph. 5. The voice of the Spirit doth awaken that Conscience that before was asleep in sinful security 4. A good Conscience is convinced that all the keepings of the Law and keeping a Conscience to men cannot justifie the soul before God cannot commend it to God which a Second-Table-Conscience imagines it will and so is in peace Paul kept a Conscience as to many things Act. 23.1 I have lived in all good Conscience before God untill this day meaning I conceive from his youth up when he was a Pharisee but when his Conscience was convinced and awakened and came to see Jesus Christ he saw that all his keeping a Conscience as to many Sins and Duties could not in the least commend him to God 5. A good Conscience is sprinkled with the bloud of Jesus Christ Heb. 10.22 Let us draw near with a true heart in full assurance of Faith having our hearts sprinkled from an evil Conscience How much more shall the blood of Christ who through the Eternal Spirit offered himself to God purge your Conscience from dead works to serve the living God Heb. 9.14 So that this is the efficacy of the bloud of Jesus Christ upon the Conscience of a Believer it pacifies it in the sense of the forgiveness of sins towards God so as it can draw near to God and it purgeth it from dead works sin and pollution to serve God acceptably This is a good Conscience indeed 6. A good Conscience respects all the Precepts of God as well of Holiness to God as Goodness to men which the Conscience we have been speaking of doth not Such a one makes not conscience of this great and absolute Precept Be ye holy 1 Pet. 1. It makes not conscience of purging the heart of secret mourning to God of the purity of Gods Worship It makes no Conscience of lesser sins as we have shew'd not of all sin as Herod heard the Word gladly but made no conscience of persecuting John to death when he stood in the way of his Lusts Now I say a good Conscience respects precepts of Holiness secret as well as publique Duties inward as well as outward sins lesser sins as well as greater 7. A Scripture-good Conscience is much taken up about godly sincerity So Paul 2 Cor. 1.12 For our rejoycing is this the testimony of our Consciences that with simplicity and godly sincerity not with fleshly Wisdome but with the grace of God we have had our Conversation in the World c. Thus a soul that walks with a good Conscience towards God labours to a prove it self in all things with a godly sincerity to do all as unto God Lastly a good Conscience labours to keep it self pure and undefiled it is accompanied with a pure heart 1 Tim. 1.5 Now the end of the Commandement is love out of a pure heart and of a good Conscience and of Faith unfeigned A soul that would keep the Conscience good would keep it pure and the whole inward man pure as a Temple unto God Vse Now see how many ingredients go to make up a good Conscience in a Scripture-sense and what a great mistake is in this weighty matter and how far abundance of people that make conscience of their dealings with men conclude thence they have a Scripture-good-conscience to God when they are not savingly enlightned their Conscience never searcht by the power of the Word and throughly awakened out of a natural condition never humbled for resting in themselves and their Duties not having their Conscience sprinkled with the bloud of Jesus Christ and purged thereby not having a tender respect to all the Precepts of God not to walk before him in godly sincerity nor with a pure heart You then that are short of these things you are wholly to seek in that which you so much pretend to and speak peace to your selves in the having or keeping a good Conscience you have as yet no part in this matter 2. What hath been spoken of a good Conscience may be for instruction and direction to the Called Ones of Christ how to preserve the Conscience good and peaceable and so to live and dye in the peace and comfort of it through Jesus Christ our Lord. Get it sprinkled with the bloud of Jesus Christ every day and under the searchings of the Word and awake unto God and pure and undefiled respecting all the Holy Precepts of God as binding to your Conscience so will the Conscience be tender and peaceable and God will witness in your Consciences your acceptance with him in his Son Jesus Christ I would give out further some Notes of Tryal Whether you rest in false common grace or not as to what we have already spoken in so weighty a matter 1. By your never-suspecting the truth of your grace but taking all upon trust never doubting but you have Faith and do repent and so of all the rest That soul that never suspected his grace may well fear that his pretended grace is no more then what a Hypocrite may reach unto The poor called Children of God are exceedingly jealous their Faith is not sound that they are short in every grace because of the woful mixtures that they find more Unbelief then Faith more hardness of heart then softness more pride then humiliation and so of all Now that soul that goes away with an unsuspected confidence of every grace sure flatters himself and his way will be found to be deceitful 2. That soul that draws back his Conscience from the searching power of the Word when it gives out ways of tryal of sincerity and
truth of grace and puts it off as if not concerned in it this may well bespeak a false heart A gracious heart would bring the Work over and over to the Touchstone of the Word delivers up it self unto it yea is much with God to search him in point of a firm Work upon his Spirit as to any prevailing iniquity in his heart as David Psal 139. When he was before the Lord appealing to him and opening his heart to him speaks thus ver 1. Oh Lord thou hast searched me c. thou hast And yet ver 23 24. begs of God yet further to search him Search me O God and know my heart try me and know my thoughts and see if there be any wicked way in me and lead me into the way everlasting 3. False grace is discovered by its easie acting When you can easily believe easily repent easily be humble and so of all others Certainly 't is all naught There is great contradiction within and from the Tempter as to act grace begun in a soul yea a daily supply from Jesus Christ must be to act any grace livelily which the common pretending easie Believers are not sensible of It cannot be but every act of grace must find more or less resistance from flesh and bloud which is so vigorously opposite to the nature and acting of real grace in the soul 4. Such as are never humbled for the spirituall wickednesses of their hearts I call them so in opposition to the more gross and fleshly wickednesses now these are hypocrisie selfishness spiritual pride vain-glory unbelief many that have had trouble for some gross sins will withstand some gross corruptions through common grace never come to be abased for these depths of the heart which are more hardly discerned I may well enough call that soul as yet a Hypocrite that is never humbled for the Hypocrisie of his heart for selfishness and the rest 5. Common-grace measures the soul chiefly by Negatives what it is not rather then what really it is as the Pharisee Luke 18. I am not as other men are pleaseth himself rather in what he is not then what he is I am not thus and thus as abundance of debaucht persons are but whether he be called of God emptyed of his own righteousness sanctified in Christ Jesus and a new Creature in him he puts off the Examination of 6. Common grace doth at best respect a mans self in all it does and not the glory of God which it sees not let others be as wicked as they will it is not much to such a soul let every one look to himself such a soul doth not avoid sin as sin but onely for fear it should damn him whereas the proper nature of grace is to respect God his holinesse name and glory Thus have I laid down some plain discoveries of the pretended New-Creature that which I have styled a Legall New-Creature I shall now proceed a little further to make discovery of a more seeming Gospel New-Creature yet but seeming That which hath the nearest resemblance of the New-Creature is when from some common enlightnings of the Gospel of grace and some overly tastings of the good word the affections being something stirrd therewith there is some affection expressed to the Gospel and some outward reformation upon it and a profession above the common formall rate taken up joyned also with common gifts of praying or prophesying knowledge c. Now all this may make so great a blaze and flourish that it shall be hardly discerned by such a professour himself or others that are spirituall That all this may be 't is clear from severall Scriptures Heb. 6.4 5. where mention is made of inlightning tasting gifts of the Holy Ghost and yet such to fall away and never to renew themselves again and to be nigh unto cursing verse 8. And verse 9. Beloved we are perswaded better things of you and things that accompany salvation c. Implying that these things may be but do not alwayes accompany salvation So the Apostle Peter 2 Pet. 2.20 speaks of such who had escaped the pollutions of the world through the knowledge of Jesus Christ and yet again entangled therein and overcome and their latter end worse then the beginning They shall escape many grosse pollutions and that through a kind of knowledge of Jesus Christ and yet be again overcome and return wholly to them So Math. 12.45 Our Lord Jesus speaks of the house swept and garnished the unclean Spirit cast out for a time some outward reformation a damp upon the lusts of the heart and knowledge and common gifts and yet the unclean spirit returning again Examples might be produced of such professours in the Gospell as that of Judas an eminent professour a forward follower of Christ suffered some persecution and gifted and yet proves a Reprobate Simon Magus baptized by Philip renounced his sorceries took upon him a forward profession of Christ accompanyed Philip and yet his heart not right in the sight of God Act. 8.13 21. It may be more then feared This age to the high scandall of Sinners and Saints hath produced many such that have bin much taken with the glorious grace of the Gospel their consciences something awakened for Heaven the affections stird have attained to flourishing gifts and yet returned to their first nothing turn'd blasphemers and professed Atheists And no doubt there is such a Majesty excellency sweetnesse in the Gospel of Jesus Christ that may for a time much affect a carnall heart and may be received with joy Mat. 13.20 The very History of Jesus Christ dying for sinners may much affect that he will freely save sinners the glory he hath provided for his own these and the like things may much take the affections for a time make a soul ashamed of grosse pollutions and yet no New-Creature all this while And of such as these it is that Christ doth Prophesie of Math. 25. who shall have Lamps Light and Profession go along with the wise Virgins wise and truly gracious professours not be discovered many of them till the Lords appearing and yet kept out of the Kingdome of Heaven Now of all others these have the most resemblance of a reall New-Creature and yet fall short and perish for ever I should prevent my self should I at large discover wherein such professours are short onely a word or two 1. Such souls are never emptyed of themselves and humble so come poor and nothing to Jesus Christ though hapdly they may be able to speak of it as many souls have a forme of Gospel-knowledge and can say we are nothing and yet never had the saving experience of it upon their own hearts 2. Such souls have no true brokenness of heart for sin they much slight it yea say many t is Legall brokennesse for sin is a low dispensation as they will style it without which in some measure no saving repentance which is as necessary to salvation as
of Carnal Worldlings are said to pant after the dust of the Earth Amos 2.7 that is it the carnal mans heart thirsts after but a Soul in Christ breathes upward the Treasures of Heaven it pants after and will never be at rest till satisfied with them 2. This may serve to distinguish formal praying from that which is of the Spirit in the Children of God There 's no such thing as the breathing panting crying longing of the Soul after God and Holiness and Communion with him in formal saying of prayers the thing done quiets the Conscience but for God himself the Soul thirsts not for Therefore you that pray in forms in secret and content your selves in saying and repeating such a form of words sure you have little or no breathing for Jesus Christ in such Duties the Heart is not exercised in longings and pantings for God ye Souls that pray out of forms upon terrors and no more upon the Conscience but you thirst not breathe nor after God himself you may be short of the life of God in you 3. This may also encourage weak Souls that have but broken words to express themselves to God yet your very Souls do breathe and pant after the Lord verily the life of Christ is in you if it be indeed so with you and God will hear those breathings in you Lam. 3.56 Hide not thine Ear at my breathings The blessed God will not hide his Ear from the breathings of his poor Children Onely let crying-panting Souls take heed that this breath be not stopt nor intermitted 't is a most dangerous thing to intermit the breath of Prayer that it grows weaker and fainter it will be a sign unto you and a sad one too that the New-Creature is rather decaying then increasing in you Be not contented with no more praying then will just as we say hold Life and Soul together that 's to live at a very low rate but just to live if that As breathing takes in the Air revives enlargeth the Natural Spirits renders the whole man lively and lightsome and vigorous so doth this constant Spiritual breathing with God and after God it enlargeth the Heart revives the Soul keeps freshness and vigour of Spirit in the way of God when God comes in with a full gale upon the soul how sweetly is it refreshed how doth faintness weariness indisposition go off and the Spirit of a poor Creature is chearful with God and blessedly delights it self in him Oh delight to be every where in every way where God breathes upon the hearts of his people and where they breathe after him And let new living Souls take heed by the way how their Hearts do pant after the Earth and World and the Contentments of it this will as much damp Spiritual Life and breath in the Soul as any evil whatsoever Lay your hearts to the fulness and sweetnesses of the Lord Iesus Christ and breathe strongly for them and those things will be but wind and vanity 4. But I must proceed I come now to speak of the next Discovery of the New-Creature and that is it hath new senses That you may see how fully it answers the frame of man as a Living-Creature and what a New Creation this is As the New-Creature hath a new Nature a new inward life and hath a new breathing so it hath new Spiritual Senses So the Apostle Heb. 5.14 speaks of the Exercise of Spiritual Senses And as the Natural Life is exercised and preserved by Senses so is also this new Spirituall Life of the New Creature which I shall mention particularly First There is a New Ear given to this New Creature This Jesus Christ hath frequently promised that he would open the Deaf Ear So Job 36.10 He openeth also their Ear to Discipline and commandeth that they return from iniquity The hearing Ear and the seeing Eye the Lord hath made even both of them Prov. 20.12 By this opening the Ear is meant the opening of the Heart as 't is said of Lydia Act. 16. Whose heart the Lord opened The heart is shut up naturally and naturally cannot hear the voice of the Spirit till the Lord himself open it A natural man hears no more then the voice of a man and the Letter of the Word but when this New Creature is formed he is enabled to hear the voice of Jesus Christ himself the voice of the Spirit Joh. 10.27 My sheep hear my voice A Soul can then say This the Lord speaks to me in special This is the voice of Christ that calls me to come to him and that Soul comes Jesus Christ speaks with a convincing particular powerful Word and the Heart being opened to receive it obeys it as his voice And so in every Ordinance 't is the Voice of the Spirit of Christ the New-Creature waits for He that hath an Ear to hear let him hear what the Spirit saith unto the Churches Rev. 3. last Secondly The New Creature hath a new seeing eye The eyes of the Understanding opened to see into the blessed and hidden mysteries of the Gospel of Jesus Christ saith the Apostle of the Natural man Eye hath not seen 1 Cor. 2.9 And seeing they see not Math. 13.13 But Christ speaking of called Disciples saith Blessed are your eyes for they see c. They have a new sight of God in Jesus Christ which sight doth abase them and also draw them to Jesus Christ The Vail being in part taken away they can look into the things of God which they saw not before the Scriptures begin to be unveiled and they see beyond the Letter of them into the Life and Spirituality of them And thus the Lord Jesus promised of old specially as to new Testament-days I will bring the blind by a way that they knew not I will lead them in paths that they have not known I will make darknesse light before them and crooked things straight c. Isa 42.16 Thirdly There is a new power of Tasting given to the Soul as another Spiritual Sense which before the Soul had not to purpose A new and blessed tasting of the good Word of Life Thy Word is sweeter then the Honey-Combe Psal 19. How sweet are thy words unto my mouth Psal 119.103 If so be ye have tasted that the Lord is gracious 1 Pet. 2.2 there 's a new taste of the bitterness of sin The heart knows its own bitterness saith the Wise-man A tasting of the special free and precious love of Christ A tasting of the goodness of God in mercies And thus there is a savoury spirit given to the New Creature whereby he doth delightfully savour the things of Jesus Christ and can speak savourily of them to others Fourthly Adde to this a new Smelling to which the Spouse of Christ often alludes in Solomon's Song Because of the savour of thy good Cintments Chap. 1.3 speaking of Jesus Christ who is as a new and precious Perfume to the Soul Who is this that cometh out of the
talked with us by the way 4. Good Souls do not onely profit themselves in receiving good but they profit others one of the best wayes that we do good in profiting weak Saints or sinners how hath a word spoken from a savory person humbly and wisely dropt in upon the soul of a sinner which hath bin its first awakning And so upon a poor weak tempted Child of God how seasonably hath God ordered a word for a poor soul from conference with another Vse If a New-Creature in Christ hath a new tongue as well as a new heart Then let it be for conviction of sinners whose tongues as well as hearts are exercised in vanity altogether in profane or vain or carnall or worldly discourses This shewes there is no good treasure in the heart The Apostle James followes this conviction very closely and makes it the Character of a carnall pretending Believer of false and dead faith Jam. 1.26 If any man among you seem to be religious and bridleth not his tongue but deceiveth his own heart this mans religion is vain T is but a seeming to be religious a vain Religion where the tongue hath a carnall Liberty And he calleth the Tongue A world of iniquity set on fire of Hell James 3.6 an unruly evil full of deadly poyson verse 8. The evils of the tongue that be-speake a sinner unregenerate are these and they are frequent among this generation 1. Speaking evil of the spirit of God and wayes of God and people of God Oh! such say they have the Spirit that they be Holy and they are so strict that they will not do such and such things as others do This is a degree of Blasphemy and borders upon the brink of the unpardonable sin These are styled by the Apostle Revilers 1 Cor. 5.11 6 11. and they as such shall not enter into the kingdom of Heaven The giving out of the Spirit upon plain meaning-people in the measure it now is is a new thing but not therefore to be despised and reviled Every Town ad Family almost doth abound with this wickednesse and dreadfull provocation and 't is the saddest signe upon the generality of people whatsoever onely 't is to be hoped they do it through Ignorance as Paul did 1 Tim. 1.13 and God as he hath done may humble and convert many of them to the praise of his grace onely let sinners that have bin frequently shew'd the desperate wickednesse of such speeches of scoffing at the spirit and holinesse and call it Hypocrisie tremble least God give them up when they sin against conviction and the clear light of the word in this matter Had I time to reason a little in the power of the Lord with such souls why Consider seriously and in good earnest Can you be so sottish and so wilfully blinded that have heard or read the Scriptures to imagine that you are God's and Christ's and have not the Spirit and are not made Holy nor crying to God that you may be Holy He that hath not the Spirit of Christ is none of his And without holinesse you shall not see the Lord How dare you then in the Atheism and devilish wickednesse of your hearts scoffe at the very Name of the Spirit and Holinesse The lowest place in Hell will be yours that have bin so often admonished of this unlesse God smite you to the Earth for it True Converts have the saddest humiliation for this sin as they have bin more or lesse guilty of it 2. Or you that are not so desperately carryed forth in this open ungodlinesse of speaking evil of what you know not But yet make little Conscience of lying for your profit or in excusing a matter so you may do it covertly and count it a veniall small sin or you that when provoked swear profanely and desperately tearing the Name of the great and dreadfull God wreaking your anger and wrath upon the Name of God and the blood of Christ your Tongues are set on fire on Hell and the Spirit of disobedience the devil worketh in you not a drop of the grace of God in you 3. Or you who have your petty Oathes by your Faith by your Lady and by Creatures Or make mention of the Name of God and Lord in your Ordinary discourse vainly and as a by-word crying Oh Lord upon every slight occasion and for Gods-sake and Christs sake do this and this in poor triviall matters verily there is noting of New-Creature upon you And yet these great profanesses you call your infirmities and 't is your infirmity to swear when angry and provoked and you say you forget your selves when you mention the Name of the Lord God sleightly or through ignorance plead for it that you may do so I tell you souls they are your reigning damning sins who are frequent in them And in carnal prayerless families as most are how oft in a day may these ungodly speeches be heard by men women and children If the fear of God were upon you or any work of grace you durst not do it nor indeed could do Therefore do but observe your selves a day and see how often you are here guilty and tremble before God and go and humble your selves at his feet that you may find mercy and have another heart and mouth given to you Pray and cry and waite for the good treasure of the word of grace in your hearts and 't will be otherwise with you 4. Yea you who are engaged in worldly discourses on the Sabbath day in your families at your doores in the Streets in idle and vain jesting you are not of God born again by his spirit you take no delight in the word of God the meditation of your heart is not in it you speak little of it because you savour it not Tremble you worldlings who shew it this way at that word 1 John 4.5 They are of the world therefore speak they of the world and the world heareth them If ye are of the world you are not as yet of Jesus Christ the power love of this present World ruleth in you and that may damn you for ever Know sinners you that make little conscience of vain profane words though you pretend to make some conscience of your word of promise to men for your credits sake and so think you have grace all which a Turk will do that by your words you shall be judged And of idle words you shall give an account at the day of judgment and by thy words thou shalt be condemned Math. 12.36 37. Such words as we have opened to be damning sins And therefore do not put off this guilt far from you in saying 't is your infirmity and so make light of it but know 't is guilt which will send you to Hell if the Lord humble you not and change you 'T is a certain Rule a profane heart and a profane mouth a carnal heart a carnal tongue a worldly heart a worldly yea Sabbath-days tongue
Therefore you are not New Creatures in the least and therefore begin with the heart that the heart may be smitten of God for this sin and changed and seasoned with the word and grace of Christ upon you and it will be better with you and you will have a tongue to speak well of the Spirit and the things of God and his People and to speak for God and reverently of his Name and delight your selves in it 2. Let this be a word to such as through grace are become New Creatures in Christ that you would shew it in this Discovery in a new tongue that you give not your selves that liberty of vain carnal much less profane Discourse as formerly as indeed you will not if you be New Creatures Men's Converse doth either lye among such as are wholly carnal and worldly or such as savour that which is good As to the former as in all our carriage so specially in our words there is great caution to be had 1. Not to mix our selves with them unnecessarily unless we find we have strength enough through a dependency on the Lord to avoid their snares and do it with a purpose of heart to do them good by reproving or counselling them Many a good soul hath been sadly worsted by mixing unnecessarily with vain profane or frothy company 2. If Providence cast thee amongst them sometimes it may be the wisdome of a Child of God to keep silence as David Psal 39.1 I said I will take heed to my ways that I sin not with my tongue I will keep my mouth with a bridle when the Wicked is before me I say it may be sometimes best for a Child of God to do so there 's a secret conviction goes forth by the silence of a servant of God oftentimes and to leave them as soon as we can so it be not done scornfully but humbly and civilly I do not mean a total silence but a wariness When you are cast among carnal persons as to your Callings necessarily Take heed of giving your selves a full liberty multiplying of words unnecessarily but be reserved and watchful That by any thing you say or indeed any other carriage the person you converse with be more hardned in his carnal course or be offended more against the wayes of godliness which indeed a Child of God should most heedfully consider in all his ways Oh 't is a blessed and gracious design rather to better then worst all we converse with 3. If you have a heart as you are to look up to God for a heart to reprove what may be reprovable as often it may be your duty or to commend the ways of God unto them to render them acceptable and precious and comfortable or any good word of the Lord to mention to them or of an eternal condition let this be done 1. Seasonably 't is a great matter for a servant of God to speak fitly to wind off another from a carnal Discourse into good things to insinuate them discreetly here is much wisdome and 't is to be askt of God 2. With Meekness Not sharply nor rashly nor proudly nor censoriously but with a meek and gentle spirit shewing all meekness to all men 2 Titus 2. That they may perceive you do it not to censure them nor with vain ostentation but that it proceeds from an honest heart and unfeigned love to them This is to be done when we find mens spirits in the most serious capacity and we having endeavoured to sweeten them and to get some room and respect in their Affections 3. That it be done savourily and feelingly not sleightly that it may appear what we give out to them is upon our own hearts and what we do really feel and enjoy which carries much convincement with it 2. If Providence cast you among God's people as this indeed should be our choice 't is not well to part from each other without something of God his Word Grace Goodness Providence People their own Hearts Temptations Comforts according to what is upon their Hearts or what they conceive may be of best use to those we speak to considering their condition or temptations or fallings short or in what if stronger Christians we may our selves be helped and encouraged And not to give way to indisposition or temptation or fear we shall speak as Hypocrites which is sometimes a snare but to have a ready mind chearful delight to do it Not but the people of God may in due season speak of their Callings and of Affairs and Occurrences in the World yea and sometimes that which may beget chearfulness so we watch our hearts in it and take heed of an uncomely inordinateness in it But do you tremble at obscene words wrathful words to be suddainly provokt to speak passionately at taunting jeering words reproaching others or censorious of others vain-glorious words of which much might be spoken to every particular 3. As this may humble the people or God for the sins of the Tongue their vanity and unprofitableness so let it stir them up to look up for grace suitable in this so weighty a matter That our Lips may be as a Well of Life and may savour of what is holy and good in God's sight Some Directions yet as to this Duty 1. Get in much good Treasure in the Heart As our Saviour speaks Mat. 12. The more good Treasure of the Word of Grace of Experiences of sweetness of comfort the more ready we shall be to give forth and also receive in from others 2. Do not follow your fancy in speaking what it still dictates but your judgment Many good men too too much follow a working fancy though there may be a sober chearful Exercise of it in season but we are too apt to run forth to excess The Devill will kindle Squibs upon the Fancy which we must rather quench then feed and bring forth 3. Keep some good thing upon the Heart Some good word you daily take in as was directed as to your Thoughts some comfortable Experience of God the sense of what you received in an Ordinance that you may discourse of the Word last heard Psal 45.1 My heart is enditing of a good matter my Tongue is the Pen of a ready Writer Oh blessed when 't is so with gracious Soules I muse on the works of thy hands Psal 143.5 My meditation of God shall be sweet Psal 104. 4. Pray a good frame of heart and keep it so Pray till the heart be made tender savoury quickned enlarged with the sense of God's Majesty Holiness and Goodness upon your Spirits and then watch to keep them so a savoury Heart and a savoury Mouth 5. Be not provoked by the vain and frothy Language of others though they may be good men to comply with it We are too apt to take encouragement to that which may be evil because 't is the liberty another good man takes which is often a snare 6. Keep the fear of the Lord upon