and goodlie to look upon So that David for the Constitution of his bodie was of a sanguine constitution And then for the Valor of David he was a mightie man of Valor 2 Sam. 17. 10. And he was valiant whose heart â—as as the heart of a Lion This was the commendation of Hushay 2 Sam. 17. 10. concerning David And he was verie cheerful who made so manie Psalms and was so Musical as David 2 Sam. 22. 1. he is called the sweet singer of Israel and had such a sweet complexion was sanguine and a great deal of valor and the sweet singer of Israel And for Wisdom he was as an Angel of God as the woman of Tekoa spak to him And yet who ever in such anguish and distress for sin as David was this you shall find if you read his penitential Psalms I cannot mention all take but some few Psal 6. there he is in trouble of Spirit and then Psal 32. When I kept silence my bones waxed old through my roaring all the day long Mark David felt the weight of sin so upon his heart that his bones waxed old through his roaring all the day long he found not sin a light matter as many ordinary people do And Psal 38. there is notable expressions vers 2. Thy Arrows stick fast in me and thy hand presseth me sore there is no soundness in my flesh because of thy Anger nor rest in my bones because of my Sin Vers 3. and vers 4. My iniquities have gone over my head as an heavie burthen they are to heavy for me vers 5. My wounds stink and are corrupt because of my foolishness vers 6. I am troubled I am bowed down greatly I go mourning all the day long See what Sin cost David And I beseech you take this note along with you you that will make use of Davids Sin to incourage you and harden your hearts in sin you will say Why did not David commit Adultery Sin that was a man according to Gods own heart Yea but mark you that will make use of Davids sin make use of what David felt for sin you see David's sin cost him dear and made the arrowes of the Almightie stick fast in him and caused him to roar out in anguish and distress of Spirit all day long and he professes he watered his Couch with tears And that 51 Psal Restore to me the joyes of thy salvation that the bones that thou hast broken may rejoyce David 's bones were broken through the trouble of his Spirit that is the strength of his spirit not bones litterally as bones are the strength of the body so the strength of his spirit was overcome by the anguish and trouble of his soul for sin Thus it was with David that was such a sanguine such a pleasant and such a valiant man and such a wise man and yet he felt this trouble of Spirit trouble of Conscience for Sin You think slight and make a light matter of it Oh you have brave stout Spirits you will scorn to be so afraid What! afraid of every thing the Minister speaks I scorn to be such a fool you think you be Sermon proof and can hear all this dreadful evil of Sin opened without anie fear or trembling Well you that have so stout spirits know Davids spirit was as valiant as yours his heart was as valiant as a Lion and yet the weight of sin brok his heart and so it will yours too if God lay it aright upon your Spirits Oh! it is not timerousness that causeth this trouble of Conscience for let God come and lay Afflictions his afflicting hand on them they can bear that as nothing in comparison of sin I remember I have heard a storie of a Woman that had Nine Children and great pains with them all and yet having afterward trouble of Conscience Oh! saith she All the pains I have had with my Nine Children is nothing to that which I have felt in a little time in trouble of Conscience So certainly all pains are nothing in comparison of the pains of Spirit when Sin is settled by strong conviction upon your Souls So you have many that are troubled for sin that could bear outward affliction but can not bear that And you that speak of the valor of your Spirits that are so valiant that can bear trouble for sin so easily as you think and are so full of Courage when afflictions are upon you your hearts are down and are poor low spirits white liver'd and can bear nothing no cross and affliction this shews you have no true courage you have courage to resist Conscience and the motions of the holy Ghost and the Word but no true courage it may be you have impudent spirits And mark one example more One of the wisest men that ever lived upon the earth yet greatly troubled for sin all his days and this is the example of Heman such woful trouble of spirit had he on him for sin See Psal 88. reade the whole Psalm and you shal see the trouble of his spirit for sin especially the 7. vers Thy wrath lies harâ— upon me and thou hast afflicted me with all thy waves And the 14. vers Lord why castest thou off mâ— soul Why hidest thou thy face from me I am afflicted and ready to die mark from my youth up God was pleased to exercise him from a yong man it is a blessed thing when God begins with yong ones makes them knâ—w what sin means when they are yong as Heman did from my youth up While I suffer thy terrors I am distracted v 〈…〉 Thy feirce wrath goeth over me thy terrors even cut me off Well who was this Heman for this is not a Psalm of David you shall see in the Title it was a Psalm of Heman and you shal find that he was one of the wisest men that lived upon the Earth â— Kings 4. 31. there he speaks of Heman he was brought in in the Story among the most wise men that lived upon the Earth he is compared with Solomon it is said of him he was exceeding wise and of excellent wisdom More wise than the Children of the East Country for he was wiser than all men than Heman for he was one of the wisest of all though Solomon excelled him yet next him he was one of the wisest and how comes he to be thus wise it is like that was one means that caused him to be so wise he was afflicted and ready to die from his youth up he was troubled for sin all his daies What is the folly of yong people They go up and down and take liberty in wickedness and sin and never feel the weight of Sin but if God please to begin with them and make them to see the evil of sin rightly this is the way for them to come to have true wisdom if God train them up in trouble of conscience for sin it is the way to make them
submission unto him in thy Patience under his mighty hand thou hast behaved thy self stubbornly and stoutly and hast denyed to give God the glory of his Soveraignty Majesty Holiness Justice and Purity and this thou hast Chosen rather than to be content to lie under the Afflicting hand of God which way so ever it be taken it was a heavie Charge had it been true So for it to be alleadged against any Souls That they Chuse Iniquity rather than Affliction is a great and heavy Charge The Doctrinal truth which ariseth from the words thus opened is this That it is a very â—vâ— Choice for any soul under heaven to choose the least Sin rather then the greatest Affliction Better be under the greatest Affliction then be under the guilt or power of any Sin it is true that neither Sin nor Affliction is to be Chosen Affliction in it self is an Evil and Sin is an Evil but the object of the Will is good and choice is of the Will therfore neither barely considered as in themselves can be chosen but because of some Evils the less in comparison of the greater may come under a notion of good and so may be somtimes chosen the Will cannot chuse any thing but under the notion of good either real or in appearance and though Affliction be in it self an evil yet in regard of Sin it may come under the notion of good and that 's to be chosen rather than Sin Now this is the work I have to do to make out this Conclusion to you That any Affliction is to be chosen rather than any Sin that there is more evil in any Sin the least sin than in the greatest Affliction My principal business is To charge mens Consciences with the evil of their sin and shew to them how much evil there is in sin all men are a raid of afflictions and troubled at affliction but wher 's the man or woman that fears sin and â—â—yes from it as from a Serâ—ent and is troubled at sin more then any affliction That there is more vil in sin than in affliction in the General I suppose is granted of all none dare deny it but because they do not see how this is they have not convincing Arguments to bring this truth with power unto their Souls but I hope before I have done with this Point that I shal make it clear to every ones Conscience That there is more evil in sin than in affliction not only more evil in sin than in outward trouble in the world but more evil in sin than in al the miseries and torments of Hel it self Suppose that God should bring any of you to the very brink of that bottomless Gulf and open it to you and there you should see those damned Creatures lie sweltring under the wrath of the infinite God and there you should hear the dreadful and hideous cryes and shreeks of those that are under such soul amazing and soul-sinking torments through the wrath of the Almighty yet I say there is more evil in one sinful thought than there is in all these everlasting burnings and that is that which I shal endeavor to clear and prove to every mans Conscience that we shal not only see it an ill Choice that we chuse sin rather than affliction but if it come in competition to chuse sin rather than al the tortures and torments of Hell howsoever many of you admit of sin upon very easie terms yet the truth is That if it should come into competition whether we would endure al the torments that there are in Hell to all eternity rather than to commit one sin I say if our Spirits were as they should be we would rather be willing to endure al these torments than commit the least sin And Brethren do not think this is a high strain for that com to speak in the Name of God come not to speak Hyperbollically to raise Expressions higher than the things are in their reality no I come not for that end and I should take the Name of God in vain if I should do so therfore I dare not raise things beyond that which they are in reality in themselves Therfore know Whatsoever I shal say unto you in this thing that they are not Words or Expressions but I speak as in the name of God as I would take it upon mine own Conscience having to deal between God and you in this great work and in this place to deliver this truth That there is more evil in the least Sin than in al the miseries that possible a Creature is capable of either here or in Hel besides I hope if I shal make out this to you you wil then beleeve that sure you have not yet understood the sinfulness of Sin that yet the burthen of Sin hath not lain upon you to be felt as the burthen of sin Now then that I may fully convince you That there is more Evil in the least Sin than in any Affliction CHAP. II. The Servants of God have Chose the most dreadful Afflictions rather than the least Sin FIrst Those Servants of God that have been guided by the Wisdom of God to make their Choice they have rather chose the sorest and most dreadful Afflictions in this world than willingly to commit the least sin as now if you would but turn your thoughts to what you have read or heard of the Martyrs what hideous and grievous torments did they suffer the boyling of their bodies in scalding Lead laying of their naked backs upon hot Gridirons and â—ending and tearing their Members a pieces with Horses the pulling of their flesh off from their Bodies with Pinchers and others by red hot burning Tongs their enduring their flesh to be scorched with broyling of it first on the one side and afterward on the other side Yea weak Women have endured this To have their flesh harrowed with stones and sharp irons to have their bodies flayed and then thrown into rivers of cold ice and a thousand more whatsoever Hel and wicked men could devise they were content to endure al this and certainly could they have devised ten thousand times more exquisite torments then they did they would have been content to have endured that and whatsoever else rather than to act against their Consciences the least sin and they accounted this to be a good Choice when as they saw Sin against their Consciences on the one hand and al their torments on the other they did rather embrace these tortures then embrace that sin and for this their Choice they are renowned in the hearts of the Saints to al generations yea the holy Ghost doth witness That they have a good Report Heb. 11. Those that suffered sawing asunder and scourging and went up and down in Sheeps-skins and Goats skins in leather Breeches and Doublets and suffered the spoyling of their goods and of al that they had these had a good Report and the Holy Ghost commends them for
under Sin They can go to God and tell God their Afflictions and Challenge God with a holy boldness in Afflictions but who can go to God and Challenge God because he hath told a Lye or the like Doth this make them go with a holy boldness to God and Challenge Gods Promise because I have committed such and such a sin Secondly When Affliction doth come a gracious heart can kiss the rod and accept of the punishment of his sin but now a gracious heart can never be well pleased with his sin can never accept of sin though God punish one sin with another sometimes yet I say there cannot be a well pleasedness with sin and a kissing of that Thirdly A gracious heart may rejoyce in Affliction and have abundance of comfort in Afflictions account it all joy saith the Holy Ghost when you fall into trials and afflictions but now he can never rejoyce in sin no man can rejoyce in sin though God should turn sin to never so much good one cannot rejoyce in sin and have that comfort he may in affliction Fourthly A gracious heart may bless God for Afflictions bless God that ever he did Cast him into an afflicted estate but he can never bless God for putting him into a sinful estate though God do work good out of it Nay further That good a gracious heart hath sometimes by afflictions may incourage him to be more willing to go into affliction again when God calls him to it but if a gracious heart should get good occasionally by sin yet this good cannot incourage him to fall into sin again this were a desperate wickedness if he should Fifthly A gracious heart may desire of God that he would not take away Affliction till it be sanctified and that he would continue it till it be sanctified but no man may or ought to pray thus Lord continue me in this sin till I am humbled therefore you see there is abundance of difference between affliction and sin one hath a great deal of good annexed to it and the other hath none at all 5. Sin it is so evil that it is not capable of any good at all the air though it be dark yet it is capable of light that were a dismal darkness that were not capable of light to come to it and that which is bitter though never so bitter yet it is capable of receiving that which will sweeten it that which is never so venemous yet is capable of such things as will make it wholsom but sin is so dark that it is uncapable of light so bitter as there is no way to make it sweet so venemous as it is no way capable of any wholsomness now for the clearing of this consider these three Things 1. Put all the good in heaven and earth and in all the Creatures in heaven and earth together Suppose the quintiscence of all the good of all the Creatures of heaven and earth were put together and bring that to sin and ad it to it it would not make it good no sin would remain still as evil as before it was Now that must needs be poyson indeed that bring all the soveraign things in the world and put to it yet there would not be a deminishion of the least strength of that poyson and so it is with sin Therfore I beseech you Brethren observe it those men and women be mightily mistaken that think I have been a sinful creature indeed but now I wil amend and reforme and be better that by adding some good to their former sinful Lives it will make all good Oh! know that there is so much evil in sin that the addition of all the good of all the creatures in heaven and earth cannot make it less evil than before so that you must not only now think to live better ad good unto your former evil but you must take a course for the taking away of the former evil for the delivering you from the guilt and stain and filth of your former sin 2. Sin is not capable of good All those good ends that any men have in the Cōmission of sin yet do not make their sin the better that cannot make sin good because they have good ends as thus There may be Three good ends some may think they have in the Commission of sin 1 They may perhaps think that by Commission of some sin they may further some grace do good to others or glorifie God there may be such deceit in the heart as thus 1 They may think such a sin will help such a Grace and help against such a temptation and such a sin may help my humility and it is ordinary this temptation when in trouble of Conscience make away thy self and then thou wilt sin no more for so long as I live I shall sin against God therfore make away thy self and so cease to sin But know if thou lay violent hands upon thy self and think thou shalt have this good by it to sin no more yet thy sin is wicked and abominable though thou put this good end upon it though it were possible to in crease Grace never so much by the least sinful thought we must not commit this least sinful thought for never so good an end as to help forward such a Grace 2 A Second end may be to do good to others and I say if it were possible if a man might be a means to save the whole world if he would commit one sin if he could save the whole world from eternal Torments by the Commission of one sin you should suffer the whole world to perish rather than commit one sin there is so much evil in sin It is the expression of Augustine in a Tractate of his concerning an officious Lye a friend of his wrote to him to Answer this Question about telling of a Lye Whether he might not tell a Lye to do good to another man Many think What though I do tell a Lye so I do another good indeed if I may do hurt then I must not but if I may do good may I not tell a Lye well this Question was brought to Augustine and saith he Thou must not tell a Lye to save the whole world this was his Answer Suppose that the Soul of thy Father Mother or Child this is but a supposition or the like should lie upon it to be saved or damned if thou wilt commit one sin suppose such a temptation should come thou must not commit one sin though the soul of thy father or mother or all the world lay upon it now it is another manner of thing to commit a sin to gain a groat Oh now by a deceitful word I may have this gain if it were twenty shillings thou must not venture upon sin to save the world therefore not to gain six pence or a shilling Certainly these be the truths of God and for one to come and speak these things in a solemn manner in
had need take heed to our selves and think certainly there is more evil in my heart more opposition in my heart against God than I have been aware of What say you now Will you venture to commit sin for a groat or six pence if there be so much opposition against God in it Were it not better to be under any Affliction than under the guilt of Sin if there be in it such opposition to God This is the First general Head nothing is so opposite to God as Sin I say Sin is most opposite to God CHAP. VIII The workings of Sin is alwayes against God The Scripture calls it 1 Enmity 2 Walking contrary 3 Fighting 4 Resisting 5 Striving 6 Rising against God SEcondly As the nature of Sin is opposite to God so in the workings of Sin there is a continual working against God A sinful heart that is alwayes stirring and working is alwayes working againk God And therefore you shall observe these several Expressions the Holy Ghost hath concerning Sin 1 The holy Ghost calls it Enmity to God Rom. 8. 7. The wisdom of the flesh the best part the flesh hath is enmity against God 2 Yea The holy Ghost saith it is a walking contrary unto God Levit. 26. you shall have it there in many places If you walk contrary unto me 21. and 28. vers and divers others 3 It is a fighting against God Acts 5. 39. and Acts 23. 9. in these two places rejecting of the Gospel is called a fighting against God 4 And in Acts 7. 51. You do alwayes resist the holy Ghost there is a company of men naturally walk contrary resisting and fighting against God We see we had need take heed of opposing the Ministery of the Gospel for while you do that you fight against God You think you do but oppose such and such men but half a dozen in the parish that you oppose but certainly the opposing the Golpel is not a fighting against us men but against God you may turn it off with what names you will and put what pretences you wil upon it let me tell you They that strike upon the lanthorn offer violence to the Candle therein 5 Sin in Scripture is called striving against God Isa 45. 9. Wo unto him that striveth with his Maker Let the potsheard strive with the potsheards of the earth So far as Sin doth prevail in thy heart or in thy life so far thou art guilty of striving with thy Maker 6 A rising against God By Sin the Soul doth rise against God And for that you have an Expression in the 2. Micah 8. Even my people of late are risen up as an Enemy these be strange expressions enmity walking contrary striving fighting resisting rising against God and yet this is in Sin But that I may open it further I shall shew how sin doth fight strive and rise against God CHAP. IX How sin resist God 1 It 's a hating of God 2 It 's rebellion against God 3 It 's a despising of God FIrst Sin doth resist God in his Authority in his Soveraignty in his Dominion over the Creature the language of Sin is God shall not reign It is the setting of the Will of a base wretched Creature against the will of the infinite eternal glorious God And is there not evil in this though it may be thou doest not on purpose do so set thy will against God yet it is so in sin there is the setting of thy will against the will of the infinite eternal God resisting the Soveraignty and Majesty and Dominion of the infinite God Yea thou doest resist-God in his Law thou resisteth and opposeth God in that righteous Law of his which he gave thee to obey Quest But how is this in every Sin It may be in some great and notorious sins this may be but is this fighting against God striving and rising and walking contrary to him and so of the rest is this in every sin Answ For that I Answer 1 That every Sin comes from the same root and look what venom there is in any one sin for the nature of it it is in every sin though not for its degree 'T is true one sin may have a higher degree of evil in it than another but every sin is invenomed with the same evil That which is the venom of any one sin is the venom of all all comes from the same root As in a Tree there is more Sap in an Arm of the Tree than in a little Sprig but the Sprig hath the same Sap for kind that the Arm of the Tree hath and it al comes from the same root So though there be more venom in some gross crying sins than in some others yet there is no sin but hath the same Sap and the same venom for the kind that every sin hath that the worst sin hath 2 Yea Consider further That God doth not account sin only according to mans intentions in sinning what man intends but what the nature of the sin tends unto not what I do aim at in my sinning but what my sin doth aim at There is the end of the agent and the end of the act now t is true though the end of a Sinner be not alwaies to strive against God and fâ—ght with God yet the end of his Sin is so though not of the Sinner I beseech you observe how God may lay grievous Sins to their charge and that he doth not account of a mans Sins according to his intentions but according to that which is in the nature of his Sin as now you would think it a strange Sin to charge any man in the world with hating of God come to any man though the greatest Sinner in the world the most notorious villain and charge him thus Thou art a vile wretch thou hatest the living God he would revile you and be ready to to spit in your face and yet it is said He hates God In the 1 Rom. the Apostle in the catalogue of Sins when he would shew the state of all men by Nature for the first Seven Chapters of the Epistle to the Romans are to shew the nature of the Jews and Gentiles and among others he tels them there were those that were haters of God among other notorious Sins haters of God is one But I will shew it in a more plainer wav in the Second Commandement the veriest villain in the Nation would spit in vour face if you should say he hates God What say you to him that will seem devoute and worship God in a more glorious way then he hath appointed the Scripture saith he hates God See the Second Commandement Thou shalt not make unto thy self an graven image nor c. Thou shalt not bow down thy self to them nor worship them c. for I will visit the Sin of the Fathers upon the Children unto the third and fourth generation of them that HATE me Why is this set in the Second Commandement rather than
know not the Excellency of man they know not wherein the excellency of the Rational Creature consists and therefore they are not ashamed of that which brings them under the excellency of the Rational Creature Besides They know not Gods infinite Holiness therefore are not ashamed They be now among other sinners and they think though some seem to be Religious yet they think others are as bad as themselves in their hearts at least though not in Practice As Nero because he was bad he thought others were as bad as himself So a wicked man when he cannot see others break out in such great sins as he doth yet he thinks they are as bad some other way and have some other sins as great And because they live among them that are as bad as themselves and live in the same sins therefore they are not ashamed For as a Collier living among Colliers is not ashamed but if he lived among Princes and Noblemen he would be ashamed So wicked men in this world because they live in this world among sinners they conceive to be sinners like themselves they be not ashamed but when God shall come to open what sin means and what the Holiness of God means and they see themselves stand in the presence of the holy God then they will be ashamed But certainly sin is a greater-shame than Affliction none need be ashamed of Affliction any further-than it hath a Connexion to some great sin but sin in the greatest prosperity hath shame with it CHAP. XXXIX He that Sins wrongeth dispiseth and hateth his own Soul Use 1. Then see the malitiousness that is in Sin Use 2. To pitty those that go on in sinful wayes Use 3. Let Sin be dealt hardly with THus we have Discovered how Sin makes more against our good than Affliction doth Now there be divers things which follow hence as Consequences I spake of one or two before I will name them no more But only thus far Hence we see that sin makes more against our selves than any thing else Therefore it is the worst way for any to provide for themselves by giving way to live in any sinful course And for this I shall ad Two or Three Scriptures I spake not of before to shew how men go against themselves and those men that think to provide best for themselves the truth is in the wayes of sin they go most against themselves You have these Three notable Expressions for this in Scripture First That men by Sin wrong their own Souls Secondly That they Dispise their own Souls Thirdly They Hate their own Souls If I should Charge these Three things upon the most vile sinner at this present before the Lord Oh thou dost wrong thy own soul Thou dost despise thy own soul Thou hatest thy own soul he would be loth to yeild to it and yet the Scripture chargeth this upon sinners Prov. 8. 36. He that sins against me wrongs his own soul he doth not only wrong God that was in the first thing we opened but by sin he wrongs his own soul You will say somtimes I do no body wrong I thank God none can say I wrong them but thou wrongest thine own soul and certainly it is as great an evil to wrong thy own soul as to wrong the Body of another and a great deal more Nay further mark All they that hate me that is Wisdom and Instruction the Rule of Lise they love death It is a strange expression if any Minister should say thus to you you love death you would think it a rash speech from us the Holy Ghost saith so of al that hate Instruction if there be any Truth of God revealed against sin and thy heart rise against it thou lovest death thy own ruine and thy own destruction And what pitie is it for men and women to die who can pitie them that die eternally when as they love death if they love death they must have it So the Holy Ghost saith they wrong their souls and they love death and Prov. 15. 32. He that refuseth Instruction destiseth his own soul when you come and hear any Instruction against any sinful way and refuse it you despise your own souls as if your own souls were worth little Hence it is that men and women though they hear Sin tends to the death of their souls to their eternal ruine yet if they have but any temptation but to get a groat or sixpence they will venture upon it what is this but to despise thy soul that is to despise a thing to account it little worth though thy soul be worth a whol world There is none so poor in this place the meanest boy servant or girl but hath a soul more worth than Heaven and Earth but though the meanest here hath a soul more worth than the World yet we see it ordinarie that to get twopence or a groat they will venture the ruine of their souls Is not this to despise their souls as if they were not worth a groat or sixpence and they will lye or steal to get that which is less Nay not onlie so but they are haters of their own souls and this you have Prov. 29. 24. He that is partner with a Thief hates his own soul there is an instance in that one sin but it is true of everie sin for this must be taken as a rule to help you to understand the evil of sin Know what is said of any one sin is vertually true of all that evil which is in any one sin is vertually in any sin he hates his own soul that goes on in anie one sin therefore if you will provide for your own good you must abandon sin Object But it may be said Is that Lawful for a man to abstain from sin out of self respects for this I am upon I am shewing how sin is against our selves and therfore urge you to abandon and take heed of sin as it is against our selves then this Question ariseth What should we abstain from sin out of self respects what good is in this is that from grace To that I answer three things Answ 1. That at first when God doth begin to work upon the soul God doth usually move us from self most and these self grounds works most to take men and women off from the acts of their sin from outward acts at least and to stop them from the commission of sin and bring them to the means of grace self motives God makes use of at first but yet the work is not done till the soul goeth beyond these it is good for men and women to abstain from sin upon any grounds there is so much evil in sin that upon any grounds men and women abstaining from sin it is well but only except it be such a ground that the ground it self be a greater sin than the sin I abstain from But yet the work is not done Therefore 2. Know That though when grace is come
as out of measure sinful never till sin be seen and sorrowed for as the greatest evil wil Christ be seen and rejoyced in as the greatest good were we once throughly convinced of the infinite evil in sin as containing in it the Evil of all Evils nothing being an evil indeed properly but as it hath the bitter ingredient and cursed sting of sin in it how would sin be hated and shunned more than the most deadly poyson and feared more than the Devil more than Hell it self seing nothing hath made and founded Hell but sin nor made the Devil such a black feind but sin nay nothing is so much a Hell I mean a Torment as sin it self nothing binds the Creature in such chains of misery as when it is held in the cords of its own sin Prov. 5. 22. Men look upon sin through false Mediums and beleeve the reports and interpretations which the world and the flesh gives of sin and thus are cheated to their own destruction Could we but a little lay our Ears to Hell and hear the howlings and yellings of those damned spirits aggravating sin we should then have a true Comment upon the Subject in hand Afflictions in this world now and then awaken the conscience reviving the sight and sence of sin by some grievous pains but one half hour in Hell being separated from the comfortable presence of all good and blessedâ—… will make the evil of sin rightly understood Certainly there 's an evil in sin beyond what the largest Created Understanding is able to fadam sin being one of those things which can never be punished enough which appears in that all those unspeakable unsufferable torments inflicted upon the damned through all Eternity is but a continual paying this sad debt and giving satisfaction to Divine Justice for the wrong which sin hath done in regard Divine Justice shall not otherwise sufficiently in time have taken it's due out of the sinner Now the Judg of all the world who is the Standard of Justice it self neither can nor will do any wrong to his Creature in punishing it more than it's iniquity deserves Reader I shall say no more now but beseech the Lord to carry home these Truths by his Spirit into thy bosom that there may be a Divine Impression made upon thy heart in reading sutable to the Authors in preaching and that thou mayest out of love to Holiness so fear and hate sin now that thou mayest never suffer the vengeance of Eternal Fire the wages of sin hereafter Which is the unfeigned and earnest desire of Thy Souls Well-wisher in Christ Jesus John Yates THE CONTENTS CHAP. 1 That it 's a very Evil Choice To Choose Sin rather than Affliction Page 1 Chap. 2 The Servants of God have Chose the most dreadful Afflictions rather than the least Sin 5 Chap. 3 There is some good in affliction but none in sin First No good of Entitie Secondly No good of Causalitie Thirdly No good Principle from whence sin can come Fourthly No good anexed as is to afflictions viz. 1 Of Promise 2 Of Evidence 3 Of Blessing Also Five different workings of the hearts of the Saints under sin and under affliction Fifthly It 's not capable of any Good 1 Adde all the good to sin that all the Creatures in heaven and earth have yet it cannot make sin good 2 Good ends though 1 To help against temptation 2 To do good to others 3 To glorifie God cannot make sin good 4 God cannot make sin good Sixthly It 's not comparatively good 10 Chap. 4 Vses And Nine Consectories of excellent use viz. 1 Sin is not the work of God 2 Sins promises are all Delusions 3 Sin cannot be the Object of a rational Creature 4 Nothing that 's good should be ventured for sin 5 Nothing that 's good to be made serviceable to sin 6 The mistake of making sin the chiefest good 7 Time spent in sin lost 8 The wicked useless members 9 Sin needeth no debate whether to be done or not 23 Chap. 5 There is more Evil in the least sin than in the greatest affliction Opened in six Particulars being the General Scope of the whole Treatise 30 Chap. 6 Sin most opposite to God the chiefest Good Opened in Four Heads 1 Sin most opposite to Gods Nature 2 Sin opposite in its working against God 3 Sin wrongs God more than any thing else 4 Sin strikes at Gods Being 33 Chap. 7 Sin in it self opposite to God shewed in five things 1 Nothing directly contrary to God but sin 2 God would cease to be God if but one drop of sin in him 3 Sin so opposite to God that he cease to be God if He did but cause sin to be in another 4 He should cease to be God 〈◊〉 he did but approve it in others 5 Sin would cause God to cease to be if he did not hate sin as much as he doth 35 Chap. 8 The workings of sin is alwayes against God The Scripture cals it 1 Enmity 2 Walking contrary 3 Fighting 4 Resisting 5 Striving 6 Rising against God 41 Chap. 9 How sin resist God 1 It 's a hating of God 2 It 's rebellion against God 3 It 's a despising of God 42 Chap. 10 Sin is a striking against God 1 The sinner wisheth God were not so Holy c. 2 It seek the destruction of God Also sin is a wronging of God 50 Chap. 11 How sin wrong God 1 In his Attributes 2 Relation of Father Son and Holy Ghost 3 His Counsels 4 In the End for which God hath done all he hath done And First Sin wrong Gods Attributes 1 His All-sufficiency shewed in Two Particulars 2 It wrong his Omnipresence and Omnisciency 3 Sin wrong his Wisdom 4 Wrong his Holiness 5 Sin wrong-God in setting mans Will above Gods 6 Sin wrong Gods Dominion 7 Sin wrong Gods Justice 8 Sin wrong God in his Truth 57 Chap. 12. How sin wrongs God in his personal Relations 1 The Father 2 The Son 3 The Spirit 69 Chap. 13 Sin wrong the Counsels of God in setting that Order in the world that he hath set 72 Chap. 14. Sin wrong God in the End for which he hath made all things 75 Chap. 15 The First Corollary It appears by this That but few men know what they do when they sin against God 80 Chap. 16 The Second Corollary The necessity of our Mediators being God and Man 82 Chap. 17 The Third Corollary That but few are humbled as they should for sin 1 It will not be deep enough except it be for sin as it 's against God 2 It will not Sanctifie the Name of God 3 It will not be lasting 4 Else it will never make a devorce between sin and the soul 84 Chap. 18 The Fourth Corollary Admire the Patience of God in seeing so much sin in the world and yet bear it 92 Chap. 19 The Fifth Corollary Hence see a way to break your hearts for sin And also to keep you from
and earth This is a great Mystery Secondly It hath no good of Causallity that is Sin is so evil as it can bring forth no good Afflictions bring forth good Sin is such an evil as it cannot be made good not an instrument for good Afflictions are made instrumental for good Object No wil you say Cannot God bring good out of sin And doth not God bring good out of sin Answ To this I Answer True God brings good out of sin that is Occasionally but not Instrumentally He may take occasion to bring good out of sin committed but mark God never makes sin an instrument for good for an instrument comes under somwhat as an Efficiency for an instrument gives some power towards the Effect but thus God never useth sin God never made sin an instrument of any good that is that sin should have any power any influence into that good effect that God brings out of it as Afflictions have God doth not only take occasion by Afflictions to do his people good but he makes them Channels to convey the Mercies to their Souls And thus Afflictions have an instrumental efficacy in them to do men good Therefore saith the Holy Ghost in Heb. 12. He Chastens them for their profit that they might be partakers of his holiness The greatest good the Creature is capable of Affliction is made oftentimes the instrument to convey And in Isa 27. By this the iniquity of Jacob shal be purged That is by this as an instrument but sin is never thus Sin is never sanctified by God to do good to any Soul Afflictions are sanctified by God to do good therefore sin is a greater evil than affliction sin is so evil that it is not capable of any work of God to sanctifie it for good but no Afflictions are so evil but that they are capable of a work of God to sanctifie theâ—…r abundance of good This is the Second Thirdly Sin hath greater evil than Affliction in the rise of it there is no good principle whence sin comes but there are good principles from whence Afflictions arise as thus Whom he loves he chastens he chastens every Son whom he receives so that Chastisement hath a principle of Love but it cannot be said whom God Loves he suffers to fal into Sin that this can be a fruit of his Love it can never be said that it is a fruit of Gods love that such a man or woman commits sin but it may be said it is a fruit of Gods Love that such a man or woman is afflicted therefore there is more good in Afflictions than there is in Sin Nay observe this Many times God doth not afflict a man or woman because he doth not Love them but it can never be said God suffers not a man or woman to sin because he doth not love them I say There is many a man or woman goeth on in a prosperous Condition and they meet not with such Afflictions as others meet withal and the Reason is Because God hath not such a love to them as to other men but it cannot be said thus That there be such men that keep them selves from such sins that others do wallow in therfore they do it because God hath not such a love to them as to others it cannot be said so but it may be said such be not afflicted so much as others because God doth not love them as well as others It is a dreadful fruit of Gods hatred that he doth not afflict them but it is not a fruit of his hatred â—ot to let them fall into sin I remember a Speech an Ancient hath upon that place of Hosea I will not punish their Daughters when they commit Adultery Hos 4. 14. saith he Oh dismal wrath of God that God will not afflict them and punish them But now if this be so that want of afflictions may come from Gods wrath and the being put into affliction may come from Gods love certainly then there is not so much evil in affliction as is in sin for it can never be said so of sin Fourthly There is no good anexed to sin as is to affliction as thus 1 Not the good of promise 2 ly Not the good of Evidence 3 ly Not the good of Blessing anexed to Sin as is to Affliction 1. As now Afflictions hath abundance of Promises I wil be with you in the Fire and in the Water And by this shal the iniquity of Jacob be purged and I could spend the remainder of the Book to open the many great Promises God hath annexed to Afflictions but God hath not annexed any Promise of good to Sin when God afflicts then you may challenge Gods Promise Psal 119. 75. saith David In very faithfulness hast thou afflicted me O Lord this is but a fruit of thy Promise Afflictions and thou art faithful in Afflicting but sin hath no Promise annexed to it Yet it may be you wil say that all shal work together for the good of them that love God But this doth not go in way of a Promise this Scripture will not beat it though it be true God may occasionally work good to his people by Sin but this Scripture cannot bear it that there is any Promise for it in that place For First it is against the Scope of that Text for the Scope of that place is to uphold the hearts of Gods people in Afflictions For he saith All things but Sin is no thing and all things work together and so he speaks of that which hath an Efficacy in it that will together with God work for good but sin hath not any Efficacy to work on for God will not work by that That is one thing then Affliction hath the good of Promise annexed to it but so hath not Sin therefore there is some good in Affliction but none in Sin 2 ly Affliction hath the good of Evidence God makes our Afflictions signs of our Son ship and Adoption If you be not afflicted then are you Bastards and not Sons And Phil. 1. Be not troubled or terrified trouble of the Saints is an evidence of Salvation to them but a token of their perdition who are the terrifiers or troublers of them but a sign of your Salvation But it is not so of sin 3 ly Further There is a Blessing propounded to Afflictions Blessed be those that mourn and blessed be the man whom thou Chastisest and teachest in thy Law but there is no blessing allowed to Sin it is not capable of it there is not that good annexed to sin that is to affliction and therefore Affliction is to be Chosen rather than Sin And from hence see the different working of the hearts of the Saints under their Sin and under their Affliction That follows from this Head That there is some good annexed to Affliction that is not to Sin 1. First Hence it follows That the Saints can Cry to God with Liberty of Spirit under Affliction but they cannot
waies are that God in all thy life thou hast walked quite cross unto in all thy life I say it would have a great deal of power in it to humble the proudest heart in the world And this is the second particular of the operations of sins workings it is a going cross to God There are two more in this Branch how sin is opposite to God Sin wrongs God and sin is a striking at God But because the fourth is shorter than the third I shall begin with the fourth and make the third last I said before sin was continually working against God but now I say CHAP. X. Sin is a striking against God 1 The sinner wisheth God were not so Holy c. 2 It seek the destruction of God Also sin is a wronging of God THirdly Sin is a striking against God I told you sin was an opposing of God and all his waies but now I say Sin is a striking at God at the very life of God A man may fight with another and yet not seek to take away his life to destroy him but sin strikes at the very Being of God I remember an expression in the 24 of Levit. 16. speaking of the Blasphemer that blasphemed the Name of God the words are translated in the Latine He did strike through the Name of God Certainly Sin is a striking of God Indeed God is not a Body that we can strike through him with our hands but God is a Spirit and so the Spirits of men may by their sins strike through God Himself so strike at God observe it as for the maintenance of thy sin thou dost wish God might cease to be God this is horrible wickedness you wil say indeed What will you say to such a wickedness as this that it should enter into the heart of any Creature Oh that I might have my lust and rather than I will part with my lust I had rather God should cease to be God rather than I would leave my lust I had rather God should be no more this is horrible wickedness But what wil you say if I convince your consciences that this is in your bosoms that you have been guilty of this sin yea in some measure every sin may justly be charged with this that rather than the sin should not be committed thou wouldst rather have God to cease to be You will say Lord have mercy upon us though you have told us some other things hard and strict and yet they seem to be true but you shal never make me beleeve this all the men in the world shal never make me to beleeve this that I should be guilty of so much wickedness as to be set upon my lusts so as to desire rather God not to be God at all rather than I lose my lust I hope there is not such wickedness in me I beseech you hearken and I hope to convince you that there is so much wickedness in the heart of man that they be set upon their sins so that they had rather God were not God at all than they lose their lusts and to this end observe these two things 1. First Do you not think it in the nature of a sinner so far as sin prevails in his heart to come to this so far as sin prevails I say that he could wish God were not so holy as he is hated not sin so much as he doth that he were not so just and so strict and severe against sin as he is Is not this in every sinners heart in the world ' Certainly you deceive your selvs if you do not own this I say so far as sin prevails in your hearts could not you wish that God were not so holy to hate those sins you love and not so just to be so severe against sin as he is is not this in your hearts It is impossible for any Creature to love any thing and yet not wish that another did not hate it so much as he doth Well if there be this in thee that thou lovest such a sin that thou couldest wish God did not hate it so much as he doth that he were not so just holy and severe against sin as he is this is to wish in thy heart that God were no God at al that the Life of God and Being of God were gone so that thy heart in this sinful frame and disposition of it it is no other but to strike at the very Being of God For it is the work of the heart wishing that God were not God for if he did not as I told you hate sin as much as he doth he could not be a God at al. Now this is plain and there is scarce any one bosom but is guilty of this scarce any of you but may lay your hand upon your hearts and say This Breast of mine is guilty of this that when my heart is set upon any evil way I could wish that God were not so holy to hate this I had rather God should like of this I hear of Gods Justice but doth not my heart rise against Gods Justice and I could wish that God were not so just as he is Certainly there is this in some degree or other therfore charge your hearts with this and know That so far as you have been guilty of this you have struck at the Being of God and this horrible wickedness is charged upon you That your hearts have been set so far upon sin that you could wish God had not been God rather than you lose your sin You would think it a horrible wickedness for any man to be so far in lust with another woman as to wish his Wife dead that he might have his fill of lust with that woman this were a horrible wickedness and yet this is in your hearts to wish God had no Being so that you might have your sin especially those that be prophane ones they if they could have their wish would desire there were no God at al. The Scripture saith That the fool saith in his heart that there is no God at all That man or woman that could wish that there were no God at all so he might have his lust and to wish God were not so holy and did not hate sin so much as he doth so he might have his lust this is a horrible wickedness Oh that God would make thee fall down and think Oh the horrible wickedness and abomination of my heart that I should be set so far upon any base lust as to wish that God were not God rather than I not be satisfied with my lust and yet this is in sin I and in every sin so far as it prevails in thy heart Secondly It must needs be thus because it it is the nature of Contraries to seek the destruction of one another as it is the nature of fire to seek the destruction of water so of any thing contrary to another it is the Nature of it to seek the destruction of
Child of Cressus that was born dumb he seeing a Soldier readie to strike at his Father and kill him the affection to his Father brake the bars of his Tongue and he cried out Oh why will you kill the King Then he cried out thus though he never spake before but the stroke against his Father made him speak So thou man or woman shouldest have thy heart dead in other things and have no mind to speak yet when you see wretched men and women strike at God as they do as I have shewed in their sin if thou have any heart in the world any life in the world when thou seest this stroke at God now speak Oh that should burst all bars asunder Though thou beest never so meek in thy Familie and canst bear other things yet thou shouldest shew that thou canst not bear sin against God Oh I beseech you consider this and see how neer this comes to you How many if any thing be done in your Familie against you or among your neighbors that is against you you cannot bear it but you can bear that which is done against God and never be troubled at it As many a Master let the Servant neglect his work and displease him he cannot bear it but let his Servant be wicked and break the Sabbath denie God his time let his Servant perhaps swear or do such wickedness he goes away and saith it may be Why do you so or you should not do so or it may be takes no notice of it Certainlie that man knows neither God nor sin or hath little relation to God that takes so little notice of that done against God and yet that done against himself he cannot bear it Take this along with you If you have anie relation to God your hearts will be more troubled for the wrong done to God by your Children and Servants than when your selves are wronged by your Servants or Children Oh how manie men and women would go and wring their hands to their neighbors and friends Oh! never man or woman so miserable as I my own Child out of my bowels wrongs me and doth what hurt he can to me this is accounted matter of bitter lamentation But now why should not thy heart melt and lament when thou canst say Oh the Child out of my Loins and Bowels how doth he wrong the blessed God of all the world Oh that I should be so miserable to bear in my Bowels one an Enemie to the infinite blessed God! Oh that an Enemie to God should ever come out of my Loins My thinks this should move tender hearted Mothers to see that they should bring forth such that should go on in waies of enmitie against God himself Suppose one out of your Bowels should be a Traitor to the Parliament and do mischief to the State would not this trouble you that one out of your Bowels should be a Traitor to the Common-wealth this would be a grievous vexation Now is it not more if that thou hast a wicked Child one out of thy Bowels that strikes at God and is a Traitor to the God of Heaven these do more mischief than to destroy a whol Nation I say if a man should live to destroy to undo a whol Land for their outward estate there were not so much evil in it as in one sin against God You would say that were a Misereant that should be born to undo a whol Nation and wo to me that I should bear one that should live to do such mischief to undo a State Now if thou bear one that strikes against God and wrongs God in waies of sin this should trouble thee as much as the other therefore never be at quiet till thou see some work of grace till thou see the heart of thy Child called in I remember Augustine saith this of his Mother and I propound this for Mothers example he being verie wicked a while and his Mother godlie Oh it grieved her heart that she should have a Child go on in such wickedness against God and she praid and wept so that Augustine saith of her after God had enlightened his eyes to consider what she did for him saith he I perswade my self my Mother did as much labor and endure as much pain for my second Birth as ever for my first Birth this is his testimonie of her that by her prayers and tears for her Childs Salvation that was wicked he did verilie beleeve it cost her as much labor for the second Birth as for the first upon which when she comes and complains to Ambrose of her Child well saith he Be of good comfort surely a Son of so many prayers and tears can hardly perish and he did not indeed for he proved a worthie Instrument of Gods Glorie afterward in the Church Now is there anie Mother in this Congregation that can say I have labored as much and it hath cost me as much pain for the second Birth of my Child as ever it did for the first Certainlie did you know what sin were and how against God it would cost you a great deal of travail when you see your Children wicked and much prayer and cost that you might not have a Child an Enemie to God a Traitor to the Crown Scepter and Dignitie of Jesus Christ Oh Brethren doth it not pitie your souls to see that infinite blessed holy dreadful God so much wronged in the world as he is It should move us to pitie to see any Saint a man or a woman of an excellent gracious Spirit to see such a soul abused and wronged as Solomon saith there was a wise man in the City and not regarded though he delivered the Citie to see but one man of wisdom that hath but any excellencie in his Spirit to be wronged it should trouble any ingenious heart But then I reason thus if it would be and should be such a trouble to any ingenious heart to see any one man of a gracious Spirit wronged and abused then how should it trouble any ingenious any gracious heart in the world to see the infinite blessed glorious God to be wronged in the world by sin as I have alreadie shewed he is in everie sin when I discovered to you how sin is against God that I might possess your hearts with this Principle for I know no Principle of greater power through the strength of Christ to do good upon your Spirits than this CHAP. XXI A Seventh Corollarie If Sin hath done thus much against God then all that are now converted had need do much for God SEventhly Another is this If Sin have done so much against God and so much wronged God hence it follows That all those that have heretofore lived in a sinful way and God hath now been pleased to enlighten them and work upon their hearts had need now do much for God This follows cleerly thou didst heretofore live in waies of sin and what didst thou do in all this Nothing but
God and brings death to the soul wholly takes away this life and were it not for the Covenant of grace even one sin would take away this Image of God for sin did it in Adam and so would in the Regenerate if it were not for the Covenant of grace My Brethren Life is the most excellent of any thing as Augustine saith The life of a Fly is more excellent than the Sun it is his expression not mine because the Sun though an excellent Creature hath not life but a Fly though little yet it hath life though we know little of it yet it shews the excellency of God to make a living Creature but if the life of a Fly or a Beast be so excellent much more the life of Man Now then what is the life of God! now if that be evil which strikes at the natural life of the Body the life of Man we account those Diseases most grievous that are mortal as if a man have a Disease only painful this is not so much if they be painful if not mortal as those that be mortal If a Physitian come and tell one you must endure pain but be of good cheer your life is sure this comforts him but take a Disease that he feels no pain of it may be the sence of pain is gone but if the Physitian come and tell him Oh you be dangerously ill because your distemper is like to prove mortal we account that without pain that strikes at life more than that with a great deal of pain that doth not strike at life Skin for skin and all that a man hath will he give for his life Now that which strikes at the highest life even the life of God and makes the Creature appear so vile before God as certainly sin makes the Creature more vile than any dead Carrion that lies stinking in a ditch sin is more vile in Gods eyes than any dead Dog on the Dunghil is in your Eyes This is the third Particular How sin is most opposite to mans good more than affliction therefore a man were better bear the greatest affliction than commit the least sin because affliction never strikes at the life of God nay many live not the life of God so gloriously as they do in affliction many seem to have their hearts dead in times of prosperity but when afflictions come then they manifest a glorious life of God CHAP. XXVII Fourthly Sin is opposite to mans good because it is most opposite to the last end for which man was made A Fourth thing wherein the evil of sin consists as most opposite to mans good is this Because it lies most opposite to the last end for which man was made In that other passage I opened before I shewed how sin opposeth God in his own end therfore there was a great deal of evil in sin But now I must shew how sin opposeth Man in that end God made man for I am afraid some of these things are such that some cannot go along with me in them it is my endeavor to make things though spiritual and above our natural reach to make them as low as I can but if there be some that do not understand I hope others do and such I hope will make use of what I speak For certainly these things I speak of do more declare the evil of sin and will keep an ingenuous spirit more from sin than all the evils and torments of Hell It is more against mans last End Now we use to say the end and the good of a thing is the same That which is the last end is better than the thing it self therfore whatsoever strikes at the last end is the greatest evil of all That is the happiness of any Creature to enjoy its last end As thus The greatest good or the last end of a Plant or a Tree is to flourish and bear fruit and be sitted for the service of man this is its end And what is the evil of a Tree When it comes to flourish and when fruit hangs full upon it if it be blasted and never come to attain to its utmost end to be serviceable for that for which it was appointed that is the evil of it And we account it a great evil if we see this flourishing Tree when it is full of fruit if before it come to maturity it be blasted So look upon mans end and if that be blasted that is his great evil Now the end of man is this To live to the eternal praise of God in the everlasting injoyment of him God made the Children of men for this end That they might eternally live to his praise in the eternal injoyment of himself Now if man be blasted in this there is his great evil to blast man in this end for which he was made Now no Affliction doth it all the Afflictions in the world doth not hinder man from the attaining to his end But Sin comes and directly opposeth that end for which man was made and crosseth him in this Excelleney of his in living to the praise of the infinite eternal first-Being of al things Now before I could not shew you the evil of Sin but by shewing you the Excellency of the Image and Life of God So here I cannot shew the evil of Sin being opposite to mans last end but by shewing you the Excellency of mans last end Now the Excellency of mans last end I mean the good God hath made man for it appears in this 1 It is such a kind of Excellency as is worthy of all the good that there is in mans Nature or that mans Nature is capable of For the end and happiness of any thing must be that that must have as much excellency in it that all in the thing must tend to the making of him happy Mans nature is capable of the Image and life of God Now that which must be the happiness of such a Creature must be worthy of such an Excellency as the Image of God and the life of God in man therfore it must be a very high and glorious Excellency 2 That which is mans happiness and end is that which is worthy of al the wayes of God toward mankind Now I beseech you observe this thing The wayes of God towards the Children of Men in bringing them to his last end be the most glorious of all Gods wayes to any Creature God did never manifest so much glory in all the world nor never wil manifest so much glory to al eternity in any thing as he hath manifested in these waies of his to bring mankind to the attaining his last end for which he made him Now if God be so glorious in that way of his concerning his working in bringing man to his last end then certainly that end of man that happiness man was made for must be very glorious because it must have so much glory and excellency in it as must be worthy all the glorious wayes
pervers against their acquaintance neighbors family neerest friends we cannot imagine somtimes what is the reason Certainly this is one especial reason there is much guilt upon their consciences and spirits and this doth so disquiet and vex them that they fling out at God and his Word and every one they can have no quiet they be so vexed and gauled with that guilt upon their spirits there is a great deal of cause to suspect much guilt to be upon those that be so outragious and can bear nothing that have their hearts rise against the Word especially Brethren if you see any one that hath any light of Conscience and hath made profession heretofore if such an one shall frowardly flie out against the Word and those that be godlie you may conclude there is some woful guilt upon that mans spirit he is so froward and peevish and disquiet as he is And so we find it in Saul he was a man at first of a very quiet spirit and very moderate but after Saul being a man much enlightened and had forsaken God and had contracted abundance of guilt upon his soul he was a most froward perverse spirit as any we reade of in the Book of God then how froward was he with David and the Priests of God and so outragious as that he slaies them all a bloody man after he had contracted much guilt Do you see men so froward and outragious and bloodie Oh there is much guilt within upon their spirits great breaches between God and their souls and the guilt of sin within grates upon their hearts and that makes them so outragious as they are if guilt be upon the soul it takes away al the comfort of every thing that man or woman that hath an enlightened conscience and hath guilt upon them there 's little comfort such a one can take in any thing they enjoy No affliction in the world can take away the comfort of what we enjoy as guilt can do if you have afflictions one way you have comforts another if a man go abroad and meet with hard dealings he comes home and hath comfort it may be in his wife a comfortable yoke-fellow this rejoyceth him or may be he hath comfort in his Children or in such or such a friend But now let a man or a woman have guilt upon conscience abroad he hath no comfort at home he hath no comfort yea the more comfortable things he doth enjoy the more trouble there is in his spirit As thus Take a guiltie conscience and when he comes and looks upon a comfortable familie comfortable estate means coming in a sweet yoke-fellow good friends Oh but if I had not some guilt upon my soul I could rejoyce in these but that guilt that lies upon his conscience take away all the comfort of these and if he sees others that enjoy these Oh saith he this man may have comfort in a comfortable yoke-fellow children or friends and a good estate but he hath not guilt upon his spirit and that breach between his God and he as I have May be the world knows not where his â—hoo pincheth him and what sadens his spirit many men that have comforts about them though they cannot be said to enjoy them yet their hearts be troubled and disquieted and no bodie knows the matter Oh there is guilt upon their spirits they think within themselves Oh if it were with me as it is with such a one it would be well sure they have not that guilt I have if they had they could not but be disquieted as I am Again Guilt brings woful fear upon the Conscience no affliction can bring such fear upon the Conscience Though there should be never such troubles and fears and confusions in the world alas this is not so terrible and fearful as that fear the guiltie conscience hath Take a man or woman whose conscience is delivered from the guilt of sin such a one though Heaven and Earth should meet is not so much troubled Certainly Brethren in these great fears amongst us that you be skar'd at everything it is partly because you have not throughly made up your peace between God and your souls and some guilt lies upon your spirits and consciences and this indeed will make every thing terrible to you if that lie there Guilt upon the conscience makes God the thoughts of God seem terrible Now it is a greater evil for the creature not to be able to look upon God to have thoughts of God without being pierced with terror than to be under any affliction in the world sorrows fears and disgrace and persecutions are not so terrible as this that I am in such a condition that I cannot look up to God nor think upon God without having the thoughts of his Majesty to be terrible to me A guilty Conscience cannot endure to have a thought of God it is terrible to him and therefore he labors by going into company and sports and business in the world to take off the thoughts of God because the thoughts of God peirce his heart And so the presence of God is very terrible where guilt is upon the Conscience and the Conscience of such a one cannot endure to come into Gods presence nor into the Communion of Saints where Gods presence is And he cannot endure to pray the thoughts of that strike his heart to go alone to pray the presence of God when alone is extream terrible And this is a sader condition than to be under any affliction better be under any affliction than in such a case as that the presence of God is terrible the presence of God in Prayer and so the presence of God in his Word Oh the Word is terrible to such a one the Word of God speaks nothing but terror so long as guilt remains upon the Conscience This is worse than Affliction that that Word which is a treasure of sweetness and goodness and comfort to those that are gracious and godly should be filled with terror to the soul of one that is full of guilt Yea to such a one all the wayes of Gods Providence are full of terror if there be any Judgment of God abroad Oh the terror that this brings upon his foul Brethren Sin is committed quickly you have a temptation comes and you fall upon the Sin and act it the Sin the act of it is transient and quickly gone the guilt that sticks to you When a man or woman hath satisfied their Iust in a sinful way the guilt sticks behind may be the time is gone for the pleasure of it it was perhaps yesterday or such a night or time thou hadest the pleasure of it but now the sin is gone the pleasure of it but the guilt sticks and that abides upon thy Spirit to all eternity if thou look not to it Nay certainly it must stick upon the Spirit it is not in the power of any Creature in heaven or in earth to deliver
Sin is another manner of business than Melancholly or timerousness Use I. HEnce follows this plainly from all that have been spoken if sin be worse than any affliction and not to be chosen rather than Affliction Hence it follows Then that trouble of Conscience for Sin certainly is another manner of business than meerly Melancholly distemper it comes not from Melancholly nor foolish timerousness and the like There is another manner of business in trouble of Conscience for Sin then the world thinks for this is the First Use that followes from all that hath been delivered Me thinks all of you should yeild to the strength of this Consequence If you have heard or read what I have opened you that have heard al or read it it should take this effect in you all Well then by what I have heard now I come to understand what the meaning of trouble of Conscience for sin is I have heard heretofore of many men and women troubled for sin and I wondered what it meant I wondered what it was that troubled them many yong people may be heirs of great estates and excellent good friends of healthful bodies in good trades all well about them and yet mightily troubled for sin yea perhaps some that to the view of the world lived very civilly yet had in secret been guilty of some notorious profane course and yet when God shall but settle any one sin upon their hearts and trouble their Consciences for any one sin they could not bear the horror of their Conscience for this one sin Well this I have heard of the evil of sin tells me I have had mistaken thoughts about it I thought all was melancholliness and even madness and the Physitian must be sent for and merry company sent for because men and women have such poor and mean apprehensions of the evil of sin and therefore when any are troubled in Conscience for Sin Oh then get him into merry company get a pair of cards make them play a fit of Musick go to some business in the world put themselves upon business one thing or other drink down their trouble play down their trouble thus many have slight thoughts of trouble of Conscience And therefore when in their Children they cry out Oh! my Child will certainly run mad is grown mad many carnal men and women when their Children begin to think of sin they think verilie they begin to run mad I remember in the storie of Erancis Spira he saith thus because his friends thought it a kind of Frenzie and that it was not trouble of Conscience for sin Oh saith he to his friends I would to God it were Frenzie either feigned or real if it were feigned Frenzie then I could put it off when I pleased if it were a real Frenzie there were a great deal more hope of Gods mercy I should not apprehend Gods wrath as I do but it is otherwise with me Brethren those that have felt trouble of Conscience for sin upon whose hearts God hath setled but the guilt of any one sin what do you think of trouble of Conscience for sin they feel reallitie they find that there is reallie unto them that which is a greater burthen and grief and trouble than all the miseries of the world Dreadful expressions are many of them that Francis Spirâ—â— hath which is a most dreadful example of horror of Conscience for sin Oh! saith he I feel the very torments of hell within me and this afflicts my Conscience with intolleroble pain Oh! that some body would let out this tyred soul out of my body Oh! that I were in the place of the damned that I might be but free from FEARING any thing that is yet WORSE to come For though he did acknowledg there was greater torments in hell yet he professed he did desire to be in hell that he might be freed from the torture of his Spirit that was still in fear of worse that was to come And verily a most hidious story it is that shews the dreadfulness of a wounded and troubled Conscience for Sin Certainly if Sin be all that which you have heard or read well might the Holy Ghost say A wounded spirit who can bear A man may sustain his infirmities whatsoever his infirmities and troubles are in the world it is no great matter to sustain them but a wounded spirit who can bear for a wounded spirit seeth it hath to deal with the Infinite God the Glorious Eternal Deity and you must not tell such a one of Melancholliness and such grounds of trouble for such a one knows the Arrows of the Almighty stick in his heart and it is another manner of business than so I might here have enlarged my self and have spoken much to those that have such mean apprehensions of trouble of conscience for sin and have shewed the difference between melancholly and trouble of conscience for sin but I shall not at present only I shall wind up all now briefly and prosecute it further in the next Chapter Certainly it is not melancholliness it is another manner of business than melancholliness What think you of the Lord Christ himself in his Agony that sweat drops of water and blood which you see was the fruit of Sin was that melancholly certainly that was of the same nature that the troubled in conscience feel for sin The Angels that sinned against God the Devils themselves they are not capable of melancholiness they have no bodies and yet none have such horrors for sin as they have And so the souls of wicked men many times they have horrid apprehensions of the wrath of God for sin But certainly if the souls of wicked men and women go out of their bodies without pardon the very first instant the soul is departed from the body it hath other manner of horrid dreadful and dismal apprehensions of the wrath of God for sin then ever it had before I remember further Luther had such a Speech concerning trouble of Conscience for Sin in his Comment upon Genesis It is a harder matter to Comfort an Afflicted Conscience for Sin than to raise one from the Dead This was a Speech of Luther he saw what was in an Afflicted Conscience for sin Further Surely Melancholly 't is not no nor timerousness nor folly do but take an example or two and so I shall conclude â—hat of David you shall find in David that he was a man most free from melancholly for the temper of his body it was a most cheerful disposition and a warlike spirit and very wise And yet there is none in the Book of God more troubled in spirit â—or Sin than he was First I will shew you what manner of man David was and then what his troubles of Conscience were for sin Sure he was no melancholly man For First you shall find it in 1 Sam. 16 12. that he for his bodily Constitution was sanguine and not melanchollie he was of a ruddy and beautiful Countinance
fitted to their hearts and dispositions that he finds his own sin come to be discovered and the man is smitten as he in 1 Cor. 14. 25. the ignorant man that comes into the Church and hears there the Saints prophesie He is convinced and falls down and saith verily God is among them of a truth God is in them it is a remarkable Text what ever he thought before it may be he heard strange Stories of the Church of Christ of prophane Meetings That Gods People when they met together they blew out the Candles and committed Uncleanness and Wickedness As there be notorious lies reported abroad of such Sects in the world for certainly there is no such Sect in the world but such reports are raised meerly to make the Meettings of Gods Saints odious in the esteem of others As the Jesuite said Do you but Calnmniate strongly somewhat will stick though nothing be true Well what ever thoughts they had of the Assemblies of the people of God for it is like the Heathens had strange thoughts but when he came in and heard what was done he is Convinced and Judged and the secrets of his heart came to be discovered the text saith The man falls down and Worships God and reports God is among them So many people hear great Relations of such Men and such Preachers and Sermons and they go to hear what they can say and what they do and may be go with an intention to scorn as I have known some come and sit close to a Pilar and with an intention to jeer and scorn but before they have been gone God hath darted some truth into their Conscience and they have been struck with the word and gone away with terrors in their Conscience this cannot be melancholly As Paul when God converted him God comes and meets him with light from heaven and strikes him from his horse and he stands trembling and cries out Lord What wilt thou have me to do There is a great deal of difference between this and melancholly A Third Difference is this Melancholly is exceeding Confused they are exceeding Confused in their thoughts and the trouble of their Spirit And many times they have troubles and sinkings but they can give no account of it at all yea their troubles be beyond their ground the grounds that they be troubled about are very confused that they understand them not themselves but troubles of Conscience are a great deal more distinct and there the soul seeth ground for the trouble beyond the trouble As in Melancholly the trouble is beyond the ground of trouble so in affliction of Conscience the ground is beyond all trouble I am troubled indeed but I see cause to be troubled more and this is a great part of many mens trouble That they can be troubled no more A Fourth Difference is this The more melancholly there is in any man or woman the less able are they to bear any outward affliction that befals them but the more trouble of Conscience the more able shall they be to bear afflictions that befals them Those who feel the trouble of Sin heavie do account all other afflictions light but melancholly people do feel all Afflictions heavie they cannot bear the least cross their hearts are ready to sink upon any thing and the more melancholly increaseth the more weak are their spirits and the less able to bear any cross But now trouble of Conscience the more sin and the heavier the butthen of sin lies upon the Soul the more slight thoughts hath the soul of outward crosses Alas it may be he hears of some that have some grievous diseases in their bodies Oh saith he that is troubled in conscience Oh if it were no worse with me than so it were but a flea bite but it is another manner of matter if God would change my trouble I could easily bear that As Francis Spira hath this expression Oh! saith he were I but released and set free as before from trouble of spirit my thinks I could scorn all the threatnings of cruel Tyrants and with undaunted resolution bear all torments So that the height of this trouble makes the other less It was a good Speech of a reverend Divine of our times when he heard any impatient under afflictions he used to say thus Surely the Reason why Affliction is heavie upon you is because Sin is light Those that be impatient under Afflictions it is aâ—sign Sin is light because Afflictions are heavie troubles of Conscience would make all Afflictions light Melancholly wil not Fifthly A principal Difference above all that hath been named is this Melancholly doth mightily dull the spirit of any man or woman wheresoever it prevails it makes them heavie and dull and unapt But now trouble of Conscience for Sin it puts a mighty quickness in men it puts an activity another manner of activity and stirring in the spirit than ever was before You shall have many men and women sit dully under a Minister many years under the word and never act but when God comes to stir and awaken Conscience for Sin their Spirits be active and stirring then in another manner than they were before Whereas poor people overwhelm'd with melancholly they sit moping and heavie and dull and lumpish and no activity of spirit at all but trouble of Conscience for sin is as fire in his bones As Jeremiah said He would speak no more in the Name of the Lord but the word of God was as fire in his bones and made him active and stirring so trouble in Conscience makes them active and stirring now they can pray they could not pray before now they be active and working As Acts 9. When God troubled Paul the text saith Behold Paul Prayes Go saith the Lord to Annanias to Saul Behold he prayes as if Paul never prayed in all his life before Certainly you that cannot pray that never prayed but read a prayer or prayers your mothers taught you you cannot Pray but if ever God troubles your Consciences for sin then you will Pray as if you were in heaven Oh mighty Prayers then Oh for Christ Oh Pardon of Sin and Peace then there is another manner of acting and stirring of his spirit in Prayer than ever was before But melancholliness will not do it but makes a man heavie and dull in the very act of Prayer There is a notable example of the actings of Spirit in troubles that come from Sin whereas the other makes them dull 't is that in the Book of Ezra Chap. 9. vers 3. and 5. Verse 3. And when I heard this thing I rent my garment and my mantle and pluckt off the hair of my head and of my beard and sate down astonied This you will say made him dull mark what follows Verse 5. And at the evening sacrifice I arose up from my heaviness and having rent my garment and my mantle I fell upon my knees and I spread forth my hands unto the Lord my
should sin against and wound your own consciences therefore let them do what they will you cannot do what is required let masters rage and be angry and husbands be displeased you cannot yeeld your consciences will not suffer you Now that you may convince them that it is conscience and not stubbornness how shall this be known that it is consciousness and not stubbornness for we cannot see into your consciences I give you this Note to discover it to them be more pliable and yeilding in all other things and there to go beyond all other women or children or servants As now if there be a woman whose Conscience cannot yeild to some things and her husband is displeased because he beleeves it is stoutness now that her husband may beleeve it Conscience and not stoutness it concerns that woman to observe whatsoever gives content to her husband in everie thing else to be more yeilding and pliable and tractable and herein denying her own will to give content to her husband in other things and herebie he will be convinced sure she is not stout and stubborn in other things why because in this I find her more pliable and yeilding and willing than before So for Servants if you cannot yeild in that your Masters would have you strive to give him the more content in other things Children to your Parents in other things be more dutiful and one neighbor to another if neighbors would have you do that which is against your Conscience when you cannot do that yet in other things yeild to your own prejudice to convince them that in what you do not yeild it is meerlie out of Conscience and not stubbornness This is the Fourth Use I might here have gone further and if there be so much evil in Sin I would have labored with men and women to come to be sensible of all the evil of sin and to have stopped sinners in their sinful waies and courses and likewise to have drawn sinners to Christ and to have made men and women to prise Jesus Christ by whom all their sins may possibly come to be forgiven who is the onlie Ransom Propisiation for sin for this brethren is the ground of all I have said that we might be made to esteem Christ and prise Christ And in this regard though what I have said seems legal yet certainlie it is a fond unistake in people that think Christ is not preached except the word Christ be named But know all that hath been said about the Sinful ness of Sin hath been a Preaching of Christ for it hath been in way and order to bring Souls to Christ that I might cause Souls to flie to Christ and go to him that is the onlie Propisiation for Sin and the onlie Ransom for Souls And certainlie brethren if once these things I have delivered concerning the Evil of Sin come to be apprehended and the Soul made sensible of them Oh! how sweet and precious and dear will Christ be to such a Soul and the Name of that great God will be honored in such a Soul But I shall prosecute this in the following Discourse CHAP. LVI Use 5. If there be such Evil in Sin hence then is justified the dreadful things spoken in the Word against sinners THere is more Evil in Sin than in all Affliction That 's the Argument we have been long upon and have made some good entrance into the Application of it there hath been Four Uses made of this Point already that hath flowed naturally from the Evil of Sin There are yet divers more Uses which are of great Concernment wherefore we proceed to it Vse V. If there be such dreadful Evil in Sin Hence then the Word of God that speaks such dreadful things against sinners cannot but be justified of all those that know what sin is There are verie severe and fearful things revealed in the Word against Sin Now such as understand not what the Evil of Sin is are readie to think them verie hard For indeed it is onlie by the word we come to understand wherein the true Evil of Sin lies Paul to the Romans tels us That before the Law came he knew not Sin And had I Preached these Sermons concerning the Evil of Sin before the Athenians the wisest of Phylosophers they would have said as they did concerning Paul What new What strange Doctrine is this And so it is like it hath been unto all those who have no other rule to judge of things by than carnal Reason and Sence Those who are not acquainted with the mind of God revealed in his Word they perhaps have strange thoughts concerning all that hath been delivered and think I have been but an hyperboler al this while but certainly those that judg of things according to the word they see that there is a realitie in all that hath been delivered and they justifie the Word in all yea they justifie the severitie of the word against sin when they see it even against themselves for their own sins that 's a good sign when the heart of a man or woman doth not onlie justifie the word in general but when the word comes most powerfullie and sharplie against his own sins yet he lies under the power of the Word and saith It is good and holy and righteous the word of the I ord though it speaks bitter things against his own sins There are many men and women that have some seeming good affections and some tenderness of spirit and would seem to melt at a Sermon when some truths be delivered to them but when the severitie and strictness of Gods Justice in the word is presented before them their hearts flie off and they seem to be verie hard things We have a notable example for this in Luke 20. if you read in the storie before you shall find the people spoken of were much stirred with many things they heard of in the Word but in the 16. verse when Christ told them he would come and destroy those husband-men that had used the messengers so ill that were sent for fruit and the Kings only Son too He shalâ— come and destroy those Husbandmen and give the Vinyard unto others and when they heard it they said God forbid Oh God forbid that there should be so much severitie those people in this particular discovering a slightness of spirit that though they were people that seemed to have tender hearts and were much stirred and their hearts melted at some truths delivered well but yet when they heard of the severe Judgments against evil men Oh they had more compassion in them than God had said God forbid that things should be so hard What is not God a merciful God and we hear of nothing but severity that there should be such severitie in God utterly to destroy God forbid Thus people now a daies when they hear Arguments of Gods goodness and mercy their hearts be ready to melt and yeild and they be
you to Heaven there is use of Godliness to keep you away from Sin and Ungodliness and there is enough in that to countervail anie pleasure suppose you yong people abstain from some pleasure or joy that others have the truth is you have greater and better pleasures but suppose you had none but keeping of your souls from sin this meerlie were enough to countervail whatsoever you suffer in the waies of God There are manie converted when they were old and what would these give for to be delivered from the guilt of some sins committed when they were yong When they look back to their lives Oh this sin I committed in such a familie and when I was an Apprentise in such a place Oh that I were delivered from them Oh they lie upon my heart Oh that vanitie and wickedness Oh those oaths I swore in such a companie among yong men Oh those Sabbaths I brake Oh those lyes I told and the drunkennesse I was drawn to Oh I cannot look back to these but my thinks I could even tear my heart from my bellie to think what a heart I had to sin against God and multiplie Sin against Him Thus at the best when God awakens their hearts they would give ten thousand worlds to be delivered from the Sins of their Youth And therefore now you yong ones seeing there is such evil in Sin Oh prevent it You know how the Sins of Youth lay upon David Remember not against me the sins of my youth therefore now prevent those Sins that otherwise will lie so heavilie upon you as that you will be forced to crie out Oh remember not against me the Sins of my Youth Oh it is a happie thing to see yong ones good and it is the greatest hope that God will shew mercie to England in that God begins to draw yong ones on in the waies of Godliness so that we hope there will not be so manie Sins committed in the Age to come We have cried out of the Sins of yong ones and one Generation that hath followed another hath been but like the Kennel the lower and further it goeth the more filth it hath gathered and so the lower Generations have gone the more filthie they have been But we hope God intends to turn the course and to make Godliness as much honored as it hath been dishonored heretofore and that there should not be so much Sin in the next Generation Heretofore yong people when they had daies of Recreation what did they but multiplie Sin what abundance of wickedness was committed by Youth then and on Shrove-Tuesdaies abundance of wickedness committed by Youth then and so the Generation was filled with Sins of Youth But now God is pleased to stir up the hearts of yong ones that instead of multiplying of Sin they be got together on such daies to Fast and to Pray and make daies to attend upon the Word and so avoid Sin It is that certainlie that doth encourage the hearts of Gods People to pray to him and to seek him for mercie that God gives hearts to yong people that they multiplie not Sin as heretofore If there be anie here that have begun this Oh go on in that way and when others multiplie wickedness upon such daies get alone and attend upon the Word and recreate your Souls in the Word and holie conference true God gives libertie to recreate but let it he as it was wont to be with the Companies in London though they did recreate they would have their Sermons too So instead of horrible wickedness that was wont to be upon those daies as I suppose some of you can remember upon Shrove-Tuesdaies infinite wickednesses was committed in the Citie and thereabouts we hope instead of wickedness and joyning together in wickedness there will be joyning together in the Waies of God And thus doing you wil encourage us in the Waies of God and Peace and Mercie will be upon you CHAP. LXIII Use 13. If there be so much evil in sin Then it s a fearful thing for any to be instrumental to draw others to sin WEE are now to finish that Tractate about the greatness of the evil of Sin It hath been an Argument that hath much encreased in our hands like unto the bread the Loaves that Christ did break unto the People that in the verie breaking did multiplie and so hath this Argument done but we are now to put a period to it Manie Uses you know hath been made alreadie as Corollaries and Consequences from that great Doctrine of the evil of Sin that Sin is a greater evil than Affliction The last day the especial aim and intention of the Application was Therefore to drive Sinners to Jesus Christ seeing there is so much evil in Sin more than in all Affliction Oh what need have we who are such great Sinners of Jesus Christ that is the Propisiation for Sin I have only one Note to ad further on that and we shall proceed it is an Excellent Expression I find in Luther saith he There is a great deal of difference between the Consequencia Legis and Consequencia Evangelii There is a Consequence of the Law and that is this Thou hast sinned and therefore thou must be damned But the Consequence of the Gospel is this Thou hast sinned therefore go to Jesus Christ that is the Argument the Gospel uses from Sin But passing by all we have said concerning that Use we proceed to further Applications that are behind Four or Five Uses we are to speak of and then we shall have done with the Point I will be brief upon the first Two or Three and the Two last we shall stick most upon Vse XIII If there be such evil in Sin as you have heard Hence then it is a fearful thing for any one to be instrumental to draw others to sin All that hath been said in the opening of the evil of sin must needs speak very terribly unto all that ever have been any way instruments to draw others to sin in all their lives Now Oh that God would speak to every man and womans Conscience in this Congregation that are conscious to themselves that ever they have been any cause to draw others to sin Is there not one whose Conscience presently at the naming of this Use doth even tell you well now God speaks to me for certainlie there hath been some that I have drawn to sin that I have been a means to further sin in If any one of you have ever been a means by counsel or advise by approbation by perswasion by encouragement by abetting of any by joyning with any in anie sinful course to draw them to sin know that God speaks to you First God tells you this That if you had been born to do mischief you could not do a greater mischief than this is if you had been the means to undo men and women in their outward Estate it had been nothing so much but thou hast what in
woful condition to be presently put in that woful beggery and penury thou wert in before This would sink thy heart Know the commission of any one sin is a greater misery than if there should be such a change of thy Estate if God should give thee a heart to turn from thy sin perhaps thine affliction might be taken away for it 's a punishment for sin and as you know David saith I have been yong and now am old yet never saw I the Righteous forsaken and his seed begging their bread And truly that he hath said I verily beleeve most of you may say That in all your lives you never saw one that you had good evidence of to be truly godly and gracious to go up and down as our common beggers in that woful perplexity I do not say but godly righteous men may be in want and in need but for my part I never knew any godly and righteous but one way or other God stirred up some to Releive them Or if they have been forced to seek relief of some they have gone and made known their condition to others their neighbors and so they have commended them to others and those to others and so they are commended from one to another that either know them or by the recommendation of them that do know them and so are releived But to go in such an extravagant way from door to door a begging their bread I hardly think you can give example of any godly have been so And if God would but turn the heart of some poor wretched miserable Creature so that there might appear godlinesse in them God would provide for them It s true though there be not godlinesse we should not let them perish God forbid let them not want that which is absolutely necessary let them not starve yet the Scripture saith Let them that will not work not eat let not us do more than the Scripture commands to give liberty in such waies as increaseth sin and let not us nourish that which nourisheth sin but inquire after them that be godly and releive them And if poor people would depend upon God in his wayes he would provide for them And know if thy Afflictions should not be taken away if thy sin were gone thou wouldest be far more able to bear thy Affliction for a man that hath a sore shoulder cannot bear a burthen but if the sorenesse be gone he can bear it the better so thy Affliction would not be so heavy if thou wert godly as it is now nay it would be sanctified to thee and thon wouldest bear them the better I confesse this is hard to convince them that be ignorant of God the nature of grace but certainly there is a truth in these things therefore though it be rare for God to come in with his saving grace into the heart of such that be miserably afflicted though it is true their Affliction doth not hinder for were it not for their wickednesse they might be happy I would not make their Affliction greater than it is they might be happy were it not for their wickednesse but we see it so rare because their Education is such there is no good Principle in them and nothing to work upon in them being bred up in Atheism therefore it is very rare But because it is so rare so much the greater will Gods grace be if God have some of these poor Creatures in this Congregation at this present and speak to their hearts how much more rare would it be because it is not often seen what if God pass by great rich men Noble men Princes and shall look into thy Cottage and on thy miserable Estate and convert thy Soul and shew mercie to thee What! for God to set his heart upon thee and give the Blood of his Son for thee and to make thee an Heir with Jesus Christ give thee an Inheritance in the Kingdom of Glory and in Life to make thee come and reign with him Eternally Oh the infiniteness of Gods grace that ever God should set his heart upon such a poor Creature as thou art Therfore go away with these thoughts Oh wretched Creature how have I lived without God in the world and look't for nothing but a little bread and drink and thought my self happy if I could but get this and thus lived miserably here and I confess have thought my self a miserable wretch all this while but God hath told me this at this present there is a worse evil than all this the evil of sin I have been full of all my life and put both together how miserable are we and therefore the Lord be merciful to me if God strike thy heart know thy soul is as precious in Gods eyes as the richest man in the world as King or Prince the greatest Noble man 's in the Land is not more precious in Gods eyes than thine yea and the Ministers of the Gospel be sent by God to preach Jesus Christ to thee as well as to preach to the richest and greatest in the world Christ came to shed his blood for thee as wel as for the greatest in the world and the Kingdom of Heaven is opened as wide to thee as to the greatest and richest though 't is true thou canst not deliver thy self from outward affliction yet thou maist deliver thy Soul from Hell as well as the greatest in the world therefore be not miserable here and miserable hereafter but look after God and Christ and Eternal Life though thou beest not like to be great here yet who knows but that thou maiest be crowned with Glory Eternally hereafter there is fulness of Mercy in God Poor Creatures if they see a Coach come if they think a Gentleman be there or a Noble man how they run and cry out Oh good my Lord or your Worship and lift up their voyces for Alms If an ordinary man come they will desire relief and beseech them for a halfpenny or a farthing but if a rich and a great man pass by then they cry and lift up their voyces why because they think there is more to be had Oh know there is fulness of Riches and Grace in God to turn thy misery to Eternal felicity there is mercy enough in God to raise thee from thy low weak miserable estate to the height of glory and happiness And if God cause his Word to prevail with thy Soul thou maiest go away with the best dole that ever thou hadest in all thy life And thus much I thought to speak to those poor people that were both sinful miserable and afflicted CHAP. LXVII Use 17 Being of Reprehension to six sorts of people First It reprehends those that are more afraid of Affliction than Sin Secondly It reprehendeth those that are careful to keep themselves from sin but it 's meerly for fear of affliction For 1 This may be without change of Nature 2 Thy obedience is forced 3 Thou art not unbottomed
from thy self 4 Thou art not like to hold out Also two Answers to an Objection of those that think they avoid sin for fear of Hell 1. Thy Sensitive part may be most stirr'd by fear but yet thy rational part may be most carried against sin as sin 2. Those that avoid sin meerly for fear never come to love the Command that forbid the sin 3 They are willingly ignorant of many sins 4. Those that avoid sin and not out of fear even when they fear God will destroy them then they desire God may be glorified 5. Those that avoid sin out of fear do not see the excellency of Godliness so as to be inamored with it Thirdly It reprehends those that will sin to avoid affliction Fourthly It rebukes such as when they are under affliction they be more sensible of affliction than of sin Also there is five Discoveries whether mens affliction or sin trouble them Fifthly It reprehends those that get out of Affliction by sinful courses and yet think they do well Sixthly It reprehends those that after deliverance from affliction can bless themselves in their sins Use XVII COme we now to the last thing The last Use is this I wil but shew what might have been said and so wind up all There are six sorts of People that from this Point are reprehended You shall see all Naturally follow from the Point in hand that there is greater Evil in Sin than in Affliction First Such kind of people as be more afraid of Affliction than of sin There be many people very â—hy of Affliction and solicitous to prevent Affliction but not to prevent Sin Many reason thus I had need be a good Husband and lay up somwhat I know not what I may meet withal before I die I may want before I die many are penurious and covetous and will not enlarge themselves to good uses when God calls because they be afraid they and their Children may want before they die who knows what we may meet withal and thus they are careful to prevent Affliction But for Sin they do not lay up to prevent that whereas we should be very solicitous least we should be drawn into temptation and therefore we are taught to pray Lead us not into temptation as well as Forgive us our trespasses True God keeps me from such and such sins but what if God should leave me to temptation what a wretched Creature should I be if ever this corrupt heart of mine should prevail against me as I have cause to fear I find such wickedness boyling and bubling up and such pronenesse to such and such sin if the Lord be not infinitely merciful to me I shall break out to the dishonor of his Name scandal of Religion and wounding of my Conscience and this God knows causes the most solicitous care that I ever had least my heart should break out against God to the scandal of that holy Profession I have taken upon me Oh is it thus with you Oh this were a happy thing indeed As when men hear of one that is broke they wil inquire what is the reason he had such an Estate what is the reason he broke One may be saith he trusted Servants too much and that caused him to break Oh this will cause him to look so to it that he will never trust his Servants too much Another may be saith Because he lived above his means and this makes him that he will not live above his means And another He will have his Country House and his Servants riot at home when he is abroad And another He trusted too much and such like Reasons Now we will be wise to take heed of that which brings others to afflictions So it should be with us when we see any fall into sin Professors that made a shew of Religion and afterwards fall foully inquire now what is the matter this man broke he broke his Conscience what is the matter one that had such admirable gifts and made such a Profession Oh may be all the time he had a proud heart therefore I will keep my heart humble Oh he had Excellent Gifts and enlargements in Prayer but he had a slight vain Spirit Oh let me take heed of this root of bit ternesse in my Soul He is broke now but what is the matter Oh he began to be sluggish and cold in Closet work and such duties in his Family Oh let me take heed and keep up communion with God in secret in my Closet and in my Family He broke indeed but how Oh some secret sin he kept in his bosom there was some secret sin he let his heart hanker after and now God hath left him to it now by Gods grace I will look to my self I will by the grace of God take heed of secret sins Thus Brethren if we were sensible of the evil of Sin we would be thus careful to prevent the evil of sin as well as the evil of affliction And so many for their Children Oh they will be providing for their Children that they may live like men and have somwhat to take to but if you were apprehensive of the evil of sin you would provid for their Souls as well as their Bodies and therefore Oh let me put him in a good Family and there he may learn to prevent sin This is the First To reprove those that labor to prevent Affliction but not Sin Secondly It serves to reprove those that be careful to keep themselves from sin but 't is meerly for fear of affliction only upon that ground as if there were not evil enough in sin it self but all the evil were in affliction Certainly these men and women understand not this That there is more evil in Sin than in Affliction if thou didest understand and wert sensible of this Point I have treated upon thou wouldest find Arguments enough from sin it self to keep thee from sin though no affliction should follow Thou abstainest from sin what is the reason not because of any great evil thou seest in sin but because of affliction thy Conscience tells thee it will bring thee to trouble and into affliction and this keeps away sin 'T is true it is good for men and women to avoid sin upon any terms and this is one motive God propounds to avoid sin by but this is not all or the chief motive because of affliction and trouble Conscience tells thee God will be even with thee and the wrath of God pursues thee very few come so far to have such apprehensions of the evil consequences of sin and to avoid sin upon them grounds But you should labor not only to avoid sin from the evil consequences of sin but for the evil of sin it self for if thou avoid sin only from the evil consequences of sin Know 1 This may be without change of Nature a man or a woman may be in such an estate as they may not dare to commit some sin out of fear