easie to forbear cursing and swearing and blaspheming the Name of God these may suit well with a torpid idle person but to call on the Name of God to pray fervently to pray without ceasing to lift up to the Soul in prayer to pour out the heart to stir up ones self to wrastle with God to seek him with all the heart with the whole heart this will require some pains and labour and this makes him forbear it Again it 's no great pains for a man to keep himself from hearing lascivious vain backbiting or flattering or evil Language a man may but forbear coming into such company or depart from them when he understandeth them about such wickedness but for a man to hear the Word of God with reverence as the Word of God with meekness as willing to be govern'd by it with Faith as believing all the Promises and Threatnings of it to be of unquestionable certainty and with a resolution to practise it as knowing we shall be judged by it at the day of Christ this will cost some head and heart work which the sleepy Drone is unwilling to come to Again the right performance of Duties in regard of the manner requires much more pains than in regard of the matter therefore they who take upon them a Form deny the power of Godliness and who are not guilty of external are yet of internal Omissions How many pray or mumble over a few words Morning and Evening to God and are pleased with it as if therefore all were well and think God pleased too who never trouble themselves with minding that reverence humility uprightness sense of want Faith in Christ importunity of desires which God expects in every prevalent Prayer and the reason is because the former is so easie and the latter so laborious Besides for a man to examine his own heart frequently and impartially and to call himself to a strict account what he hath been and done in the World and what is like to become of him and to befal him for ever for him to take the Looking-Glass of the Law of God and therein to behold his Heart and Life and having compared his practices with the Divine Precepts which are exceeding broad to accuse and judge and condemn and loath and abhor himself for him to lay himself low before the Lord and to acknowledge and confess with shame and anger and grief his filthiness and wickedness and to beg Pardon Grace as earnestly as one that believes if his requests be denied his poor Soul is damned for ever Friend Friend this is hard and painful work and the idle man will not meddle Once more he that will be positively holy must watch himself in all his ways must watch for opportunities of Service to God he must catch at them and improve them when he hath them put into his hand he must stand always upon his guard to defend himself against his enemies and be as a Sparrow upon the house-top to look about and consider where he may pick up any spiritual food for his Soul he must design and study and contrive how he may spend his time and parts and strength and estate to the best advantage of his Lord and Master and think nothing too much no pains no labour no not his blood for his Lord's Honour and will a sluggard that lieth with his hands in his bosom do this or any part of this Ah Friend the sleepy World dream of Happiness upon easie terms as if they could walk to Heaven in a pleasant Meadow or be carried to Heaven in a Down-bed but it must not be it cannot be Difficilia quae pulchra Canst thou obtain any thing that is excellent unless thou art diligent Doth the Tradesman get an Estate who is not industrious to look after his Customers his Books and whatsoever concerns his Calling Can he who sits still in his Chimney-corner and neither minds buying in nor selling out nor takes care how things are order'd in his Shop ever exspect to be rich Reader if ever thou wilt make any thing of it there is a necessity of shaking off this slothfulness I must tell thee an idle person is the Devils Cushion his own burden unlike and loathsome to God and a wem in the Body Politick where he lives To cure this Reader I must say to thee as the Apostle to the Ephesians Awake thou that sleepest arise from the dead Ephes 5.14 Friend thy work is not to be done sleeping God-work Soul-work Eternity-work is not to be done sleeping Labouring wrastling fighting striving running are not to be done sleeping Joh. 6.27 Gen. 32.24 Matth. 6.13 1 Cor. 9. Dost thou think to attain everlasting Pleasures and not to take pains Doth God value his blissful Mansions at so low a rate as to throw them away upon those who slight them and judge them unworthy their utmost endeavours Is the price of Heaven fallen since the Redeemers being in the World then it was Seek first the Kingdom of God and the Righteousness thereof Matth. 6.33 And strive to enter in at the strait Gate Matth. 7.33 And labour for the meat that endureth to everlasting life Matth. 6.27 And is it now laze and loyter and be blessed for ever Though God doth not exspect from thee a natural price for his Son that is impossible for Men or Angels to give yet he doth exspect that pactional price which he hath set down in his Word as the condition of those that shall have a part in him Reader dost thou know what pains the Merchant takes for corruptible Treasures how he ventures his life in a wooden-bottom and a tempestuous Ocean and is every moment in danger of death how he sails from Haven to Haven disposing and exchanging Commodities trading and trafficking with persons of divers Countries and Languages and all to get a little wealth and if worldly Pearls cannot be had without pains dost thou think the Pearl of great and inestimable price the Lord Jesus Christ and the fruits of his precious blood may be had for nothing I tell thee as God valued his Son at so high a rate as to accept of his temporary sufferings as fuller satisfaction to his Justice on the behalf of millions of Souls than if they had fryed millions of millions of millions of years in Hell so God will make thee value and prize him if ever thou partake any benefit by him And if thou once comest to know his worth and to esteem him accordingly thou wilt think no toil no sweat nay no blood too good or too much for him Friend ponder the work of positive Godliness and then judge whether diligence be not requisite Closet-Duties as praying reading self-examining and Family-Duties must daily be performed and that with life and vigor and all the Soul and all the strength Thy earthly Calling must be followed with heavenly affections and whilst thy Occupation is amongst men thy Conversation must be with God In all Companies and
the presence of the Lord. The difference between the Godly and the Wicked at that day will be vast 1. In regard of their station Then shall he separate them one from another as a Shepheard divideth his Sheep from the Goats And he shall set the Sheep at his right hand in token of honour and favour and the Goats on his left as a sign of shame and contempt Matth. 25. 32 33. Those who are now uppermost will then be undermost The filth of the World will then appear to be God's Jewels and the darlings of the World will then appear to be the Children of the Devil The Righteous shall have dominion over them in the morning Psal 49. In the night of this world the Wicked sit in high Places and have dominion over the Godly but in the morning of the World the Godly shall sit at the right hand of Christ and have dominion over the Wicked 2. In regard of the Sentence And indeed herein is the principal difference God and the Devil Light and Darkness Heaven and Hell are not more contrary than the doom of the Godly and Wicked at the great day 1. His Voice to the Wicked is Depart from me And those words will wound to purpose Ah whither do they go that go from Christ His Voice to the Godly Come Come No Honey to the Tast no Musick to the Ears no Cordial to the Heart was ever so sweet as this word of Christ His Voice in the Gospel when he called out Come unto me all ye that labour and are heavy laden and I will give you rest was sweet and refreshing to them but that was but as water to this Wine Come O come and welcome into my Arms and embraces When they who had long'd for his coming and look'd for his coming Titus 2.13 and loved dearly his coming 2 Tim. 4.8 and sigh'd and sob'd so often for his coming Why are his Chariots so long a coming why tarry the wheels of his Chariot Make haste my Beloved and be thou like the Hart and Roe upon the Mountain of Spices And pray'd so earnestly for his coming The Spirit and the Bride say Come Rev 22.17 Come Lord Jesus come quickly vers 20. For these to see him coming in the Clouds with all his train of Angels and to hear him calling to them Come to me O who can imagine the joy that will fill their hearts If when they saw him coming with the prospective of Faith they rejoyced with joy unspeakable how will they rejoyce when they shall see him coming with the eye of sense and hear him call to them to come to him 2. His Voice to the Wicked will be Depart from me ye cursed Be gone as a cursed Brood and my curse shall follow you where-ever you go His Voice to the Godly will be Come ye blessed of my Father O come dear Souls whom my Father blessed in his eternal Choice to bless whom he sent me into the world as a token of whose blessing he hath provided an everlasting Inheritance for you Come ye blessed in your Souls blessed in your Bodies blessed in your Names blessed in your Conditions and thrice blessed in your eternal possessions 3. His Voice to the Wicked will be Depart from me ye cursed into everlasting fire Be gone from me to extremity of Torments Fire and eternity of Torments Everlasting fire His Voice to the Godly will be Come ye blessed of my Father inherit the Kingdom Ye have been Heirs a long while under Age and Kings in the lower World in disguise the time is now come for you to enjoy your Inheritance O come ye blessed Ones and inherit the Kingdom as Kings thereof Enjoy your full Glory 2 Cor. 7.17 Perfect Pleasure Psal 18. ult And vast Dominion 1 Cor. 6.3 And Rev. 2.26 27. And he that overcometh and keepeth my words unto the end to him will I give power over the Nations and he shall Rule them with a Rod of Iron c. I and enjoy this Kingdom for ever Inherit the Kingdom Inheritances are for ever The Lord knoweth the days of the Vpright and their Inheritance shall be for ever Psal 37.18 4. His Voice to the Wicked will be Depart ye cursed into everlasting fire prepared for the Devil and his Angels Be gone to that place of Torments which infinite Wisdom and Wrath contrived and infinite Power and Justice provideth for the Devil and his cursed Crew Depart from me and be their Partners and Companions in Torments for ever His Voice to the Godly will be Come ye blessed of my Father inherit the Kingdom prepared for you from the foundation of the World Come take possession of a Crown to which your Heads were destin'd before ye were born O come and partake of those Pleasures and Joys of that Glory and Dignity to which infinite Love elected you and which infinite Wisdom and Goodness and Grace hath prepared for you O how vast will the difference be at that day between the Servants of God and the Servants of Sin when those shall weep and howl and wail and gnash their teeth for envy and vexation and shall call to the Rocks to fall upon them and the Mountains to cover them from the Wrath of the Lamb the Servants of God shall sing and rejoyce and lift up their Heads with joy because the day of their Redemption is come Rev. 6.16 Luke 21.28 And when these things begin to come to pass then look up and lift up your Heads for your Redemption draweth nigh CHAP. VIII An use of Trial with the marks of those that shall be banished Christs presence Secondly THis Doctrine may be useful by way of Exhortation and that two ways 1. To try whether thou Reader art one of them that art like to be banished the presence of Christ It 's a woful doom as thou hast heard at large therefore examine thy self whether it shall be thy part and portion or no To help thee herein that thou mayst not deceive and delude thy own Soul I shall give thee out of the Word of Truth the Characters of them to whom Christ will say Depart from me 1. The evil Liver and prophane Person shall be banished Christs presence The black Sinner shall not stand before the white Throne Then shall he say unto them Depart from me ye Workers of Iniquity I know you not Matth. 7.23 Luk. 13.27 Those who lived in the breach of his Commands must not live in the enjoyment of his company The Workers of Iniquity must associate with the wicked One not with the holy One. Heaven can by no means admit the unholy Into it can in no wise enter any thing that defileth neither whatsoever worketh abomination Rev. 21. ult Scandalous Sinners proclaim to the World That the Devil not Christ is their Master and that Hell where the Devil is with his Angels not Heaven where Christ is with his Angels shall be their eternal home They who never liked or loved his presence on
the wicked Neighbours of these men will confess the truth thereof and their Consciences will force them to consent thereto Again there is hardly a Muck-worm whose Motto is To have and to hold to heap and to hoard up who will as soon part with his blood as any thing considerable to the poor but all his Neighbours good and bad observe him speak of him and generally condemn him for his earthly-mindedness So that when Christ at the Great Day shall accuse him they will be forced to attest the truth of that Accusation and when Christ at that day shall condemn him they cannot but agree to the Sentence Psal 52.6 7. The Righteous also shall see and fear and shall laugh at him Lo this is the man that made not God his strength but trusted in the abundance of his riches and strengthned himself in his wickedness 2. Because these acts of Charity are signes of Faith and Love to which Graces Heaven is promised James 1.12 James 2.5 Joh. 3.16 17 ult Christ who knoweth the Heart understandeth â—â—om what inward root our outward â—ruit springeth and therefore Faith and Love which are the Fountain of true Charity James 2.15 16 17. being inward and secret he mentions what is more open and known as a sign and testimony of that faith in him and love to him which are invisible and unknown to the World Faith is a Grace seated in the heart With the heart man believeth unto righteousness where by heart I suppose is understood the Vnderstanding and Will for Faith in habitu is in each and in exercitio an act of both And the heart is called an hidden man 1 Pet. 3. But it discovers it self to the Believer by love For when once the Soul applieth Christ for Pardon and Life and begins to hope for those great and good things which Christ hath purchased for him and promised to him this Faith kindleth an holy flame of Love in the affections to Christ and hereby the Soul understands that he is a true Believer beloved of God for our Love is but the reverberation of God's Love back again to himself 1 Joh. 4.19 And then Faith discovers it self to others by these fruits and effects of love to God i. e. feeding the Hungry and cloathing the Naked St. Paul tells us That Faith works by love as its Tool or Instrument Gal. 5.6 Love to God produceth love to his Saints and love to the Saints will draw out the hand and heart and purse to relieve them in their wants 1 Joh. 3.17 Love is costly and expensive thinks nothing too much or too good for it s Beloved Mary's Box of Oyntment is very precious but not too precious for her Lord. Life is worth all the World yet laid down for a Christian at the command of Love 1 Joh. 3.16 Hereby perceive we the love of God because he laid down his life for us 3. Because practical godliness of which Charity is a part will be that by which men shall be tried at the Great Day our Lord Jesus doth hereby declare That it is not the Profession but the practice of Religion that will be enquired into by the Judge of quick and dead It is not saying Be thou fed and be thou cloathed without giving wherewith to be fed and cloathed But it is feeding the Hungry and cloathing the Naked that shall be rewarded Good words may please our selves but good works only please God and profit our own Souls Not every one that saith Lord Lord shall enter into the Kingdom of Heaven but he that doth the will of my Father which is in Heaven It 's the doing not the talking Christian that hath the promise of Heaven Matth. 7. It 's the practical not the verbal Christian that hath a right to Heaven through the precious blood of Christ and the gracious promise of God Rev. 22.14 Blessed are they that do his Commandments that they may have right to the Tree of Life and may enter in through the gates into the City It is the real not the nominal Christian that is prepared for heaven None are fit to do the will of God in heaven but those who have been accustomed to do the Will of God on Earth There is a making meet for the Inheritance of the Saints in light Col. 1.12 A young man by the School is made meet for the University and a Christian by practical Holiness is fitted for eternal Happiness Our Redeemer would hereby declare That all shews and shadows of Godliness all gaudy Professions and curious flourishes of Religion if void of good Works though as Gloworms they shine somewhat in the dark night of this World yet in the long day of eternity they will all vanish and disappear God will not then examine who hath been the greatest Talker of his Will but the greatest Walker in his Way nor who hath been the best Speaker but who hath been the best Doer For whoso looketh into the perfect Law of Liberty and continueth therein he being not a forgetful Hearer but a doer of the Work this man shall be blessed in his deed Jam. 1.25 Hearing the Word without doing the Work it commands brings no blessing The life and substance of Religion consists in practising what is good and not in praising what is good It consists in Scripture-Duties not in Scripture Phrases 4. Because Christ would hereby publish to the World the great respect he hath for Charity therefore he tells us He will take special notice of his Saints Charity at that day Charity whether in relieving the Oppressed or comforting the Sorrowful or counselling the Doubtful or supporting the Feeble or feeding the Hungry or visiting the Sick or cloathing the Naked is highly esteemed of Christ To what Duty hath he annexed more or larger Promises Matth. 5.7 Psal 18.25 Eccles 11.1 2. Psal 41.1 Psal 112.1 Isa 58.12 He speaks of it as if very much of Religion did consist in it and almost all of it Pure Religion and undefiled before God and the Father is to visit the Fatherless and the Afflicted James 1. ult He slights our most severe Duties those which are most irksome to the flesh if this be wanting Psal 58.7 8 9 10. He limits his own Mercy to the merciful 2 Sam. 22.25 James 2.13 He is himself a merciful High Priest Heb. 5. He had compassion on the ignorant and those that were out of the way Heb. 5.2 On those that had nothing to eat Matth. 15.32 On those that were scattered as sheep without a Shepheard Matth. 9.36 Therefore he cannot but value exceedingly and love tenderly those that are like him That which lieth so near his heart must needs be enquired after as much if not more than any thing else And there is scarce any thing that speaks our respect of persons or things more than our enquiry after them Joseph loved his Father Jacob dearly I suppose far above all his Kindred and therefore he first enquires after him â—…s your
Justice notwithstanding his will to sin for ever and his choice of eternal death and all the other reasons that are usually brought for the eternity of their pains he should not stay long in that prison of Hell but quickly be released But because a poor finite Creature hath not a back strong enough to bear an infinite blow therefore he must be always suffering The notoriety and malignity of sin proceeds from the dignity of the Person against whom it s committed as I have largely shewn else-where Because the Authority of an infinite God is dispised the Law of an infinite God disobeyed the Love of an infinite God undervalued and the Image of an infinite God defaced by sin therefore there is an infinite demerit in sin In a Treatise called The Incomparableness of God And because man cannot give satisfaction infinite in value therefore he must give that satisfaction which is infinite in time or rather in its eternity Psal 49.7 8. Psal 51.4 Job 7.20 And considering that God was resolved to have full satisfaction for sin I conceive Christ himself could not have satisfied for the sins of any if he could not have offered a Sacrifice of infinite merit to answer the infinite demerit of sin But herein the Wisdom and Goodness of God did superabound in providing an Antidote stronger than the Poyson for whereas sin is infinite only Objective as committed against an infinite God The Sacrifie of Christ is infinite both Objective and Subjective as offer'd up to an infinite Majesty and offer'd by one that was an infinite Majesty whose Person being infinite rendred his Sacrifice of such boundless value and merit CHAP. XIV How little cause to envy Sinners and how careful we should be to avoid their eternal misery Vse 1. WE may learn hence what little cause any have to envy Sinners their fat and sweet in this World Alas for their poor short pleasures of sin they must have extream and eternal torments Who would grudge them their portion or eat of their Dainties or buy their Bargains that is not mad and quite bereaft of his wits Prov. 23.17 18. My Son envy not Sinners for surely there is an end I and a sad end for poor Sinners An end of Woe and Wrath and Death and Misery without any end or ease Ah what sad Objects are they of Pity who laugh a minute and must weep for ever who for a little gigling mirth and poor drossy pleasures must fry eternally in Hell flames among Devils and damned Spirits Ex. Reader Believe and consider this misery of the Wicked and be restless till thou art secured against it Ponder it well to be among Devils those stinging Serpents roaring Lions frightful Monsters would make thy hair stand an end and thy heart to ake but to be amongst them in extremity of Torments in fire in fire kindled by the infinite wrath of God and in universality of Torments to have all kind of Judgments and Plagues inflicted on thee I and on every part of thy Body and all the powers of thy Soul and to suffer all this for ever ever ever Canst thou bear the company of Lions and Bears and Wolves and Adders and Serpents the deformed Monsters here for ever How then wilt thou bear the Company of Devils hideous monstrous frightful Hell-hounds for ever Thou canst not bear the pain of our fire for one day no not for one quarter of an hour how then wilt thou bear the pain of Hell fire for ever Ah who can dwell in everlasting burnings who can endure abiding flames The Patient in a violent fit of the Stone or Colick or Gout supports himself with this Cordial This will not last long The Woman in labour in the extremity of her pains hath this to revive her All this through the kindness of God will soon be over The Primitive Christians comforted themselves under their dreadful Sufferings from their Persecutors with this Our light Afflictions are but for a moment They are black Clouds but will soon pass over and vanish away But Reader if once thou art turn'd into Hell into those unconceivable intollerable flames amongst those frightful Devils thou canst have nothing to bear up thy Spirit not the least hope of any cessation or intermission or remission of thy pains Ah how will dispair like a dagger stab thee to the heart what a cutting corosive will it be to think I am here amongst horrid hideous hellish Devils who have been my Tempters and are now my Tormentors banished the blissful presence of God and Jesus Christ suffering those torments and pains and misery to which all the fires and racks on Earth are but as the rasing of skin to Nebuchadnezzars fiery Furnace Ah what Tongue can tell what this poor Body suffereth in every part of it Ah what Understanding can apprehend the anguish and remorse of this Soul its cutting Reflections on what it hath been and done and its killing praevision of what it must undergo and I must endure all this for ever Though my pains are so extream in their intention yet if they were short in their duration I had some ground of comfort nay if they were to last no more millions of years than there are Stars in Heaven and drops of water in the Ocean I should have some crevis of light some hope to bear up my heart But alas alas I am here in the midst of this cursed Crew under these extream ineffable pains and must be here for ever The wrath upon me is abiding wrath Joh. 3. ult It is wrath to come and ever will be wrath to come After Ages and Generations and millions of them I and millions of millions of them my pain would not be a moment the nearer a period My night of darkness and horrour will be along night indeed the Clock will never strike the time will never pass the morn will never dawn and the Sun will never rise O what shall I do thousands and thousands of thousands millions and millions of millions of millions signifie not a moment to my wretched and cursed eternity Ah such company such misery and that for ever ever ever Reader doth not thy Soul tremble to think of this which will be the portion probably of most in the Christian World and wilt thou give thy self a moments rest in a state liable and obnoxious to it For the sake of thy precious Soul if thou hast any true self-love Break off thy sins by Repentance and thine Iniquities by accepting of thy Redeemer Hell hath not yet shut its mouth upon thee nor is the gate of Mercy yet shut against thee O bless the Divine Patience and know the things that concern thine own peace Thy life is short and uncertain when once death seiseth thee thou art immediately fixed there can be no change no alteration of thy state Tears Prayers Groans Sighs Sobs will work nothing prevail nothing with the Judge to alter his Sentence or thy Condition Now is the accepted
hew to purpose Hos 6.5 God heweth them by his Prophets and slays them by the word of his mouth It cuts to the heart Act. 4.54 Act. 5.33 And hath dreadful effects on them Isa 6.9 10. And he said go and tell this people Hear ye indeed but understand not see ye indeed but perceive not Make the hearts of this people fat and make their Ears heavy and shut their Eyes lest they see with their Eyes and hear with their Ears and understand with their Hearts and convert and be healed And this hewing them down is also by death The Ax of death fells the Tree for the fire of Hell The rotten Tree or the barren Tree is not good for fruit therefore for the fire He is hewn down and cast into the fire Abscission is the way to perdition to eternal burning This is the Catastrophe of the barren Trees Tragedy 3. The certainty of it Both Christ and the Baptist speak of the punishment in the present Tense not the Future Is hewn down and cast into the fire not shall be hewn down c. The fruitless person shall as certainly be in Hell as if he were there already therefore promises and threatnings though future are delivered to us as present As to us a Son is born Isa 9.6 Isa 21.9 Babylon is fallen 4. The universality of the Persons Every Tree that bringeth not forth good fruit Every man what ever his Profession may be or his Hopes are or his Priviledges have been if he bring not forth good fruit he is hewn down and cast into the fire The Doctrine being thus proved by Scripture I shall proceed to the Explication of it in several particulars 1. I shall speak to the nature of them and shew what sins of Omission are 2. To the danger of them 3. To the Reasons why they are so damnable CHAP. XIX The nature of sins of Omission in general First COncerning the first i. e. the nature of them I shall speak to one more generally and two more particularly 1. By the several distinctions of these Sins 2. By their agreement with and difference from sins of Omission 1. More generally a sin of Omission is a neglect of some Duty commanded us in the Word of God In every Command there is a Precept and a Prohibition A Precept enjoyning and a Prohibition forbidding A Precept enjoyning some Duty and a Prohibition forbidding the contrary The neglect of doing what the Precept enjoyns is a sin of Omission and the doing what the Precept forbids is a sin of commission The truth is in every Commission there is an Omission as in every deadly Disease somewhat of a Feavor For in every Commission as in Drunkenness or Oppression or Uncleanness there is a neglect or omission of the Duty commanded as Temperance Charity and Chastity But those we most properly call sins of Omission which are extrinsicate from sins of Commission as not praying not reading the Word not believing not feeding the hungry c. But to speak strictly there is no sin but sins of Omission for all sin consists in privation of due rectitude or deficiency and coming short of the rule Though the Commands are generally deliver'd by way of negation partly because of the proneness of men to commit those sins that are forbidden and God would by his Negative command curb and keep them in Thou shalt not c. thou shalt not c. partly because Negative Commands bind more strongly than the Affirmative The Affirmative obligant semper but not ad semper but the Negative bind semper ad semper as the School-men speak The Affirmative bind us always i. e. there is no time wherein it can be said that they are of no force but not to all times I am always bound to pray but I am not bound to pray at all times I am bound always to speak truth but I am not bound to speak all truth at all times But Negative Commands bind always and at all times as Thou shalt not kill Thou shalt not commit Adultery These bind every moment of a mans life I mean every moment of his life these sins are to be forborn they are at no time lawful Though I say the Commands are deliver'd Negative for the most part viz. eight of them yet we must understand that all the Negative Commands of God include their Affirmative as Thou shalt have no other gods before me this includes thou shalt have me for thy God thou shalt know me love me fear me trust me and worship me as thy God And when God saith Thou shalt not make to thy self any graven Image c. this includes thou shalt Worship me according to my Will revealed in my Word When God saith Thou shalt not take the Name of the Lord thy God in vain this includes thou shalt use reverently all my Names Titles Attributes Ordinances Word and Works VVhen God saith Thou shalt not kill this includes thou shalt use all lawful means for the preservation of thine own and thy Neighbours life When God saith Thou shalt not commit Adultery this includes thou shalt by all just ways maintain thine own and thy Neighbours Chastity in thought word and deed When God saith Thou shalt not steal this includes thou shalt be true faithful and just in all thy Contracts and Dealings with others restore what is ill gotten be diligent in thy Calling and endeavour the furtherance of thy own and thy Neighbours estate by all just ways When God saith Thou shalt not bear false witness against thy Neighbour this includes thou shalt to thy power promote truth in thy self and others maintain thine own and thy Neighbours good Name When God saith Thou shalt not covet c. this includes thou shall be fully satisfied with thine own Condition and desire and delight in thy Neighbours prosperity Thus the Negative Commands of God include their Affirmative so that to depart from the evil forbidden is not to keep these Laws unless also we practise the Duties commanded The neglect of any of them is a sin of Omission CHAP. XX. Three distinctions about sins of Omission 2. I Shall speak more particularly and explain these sins 1. By these distinctions 2. By their agreement with and difference from sins of Commission First These sins of Omission are to be distinguished in regard of substance manner or measure 1. When a duty is omitted in regard of the matter of it as when men pray not give not to the Poor hear not the VVord c. these omit the substance of the Duty Of such as those God complains There is none that looketh after God Rom. 3.11 And again They will will not hear the Law of the Lord Isa 30.9 And he that turneth away his Ears from the cry of the poor he also shall cry himself but shall not be heard Prov. 21.13 These are most deeply guilty before God They shew their utter contempt of him and openly manifest it to others when they omit
to relieve the Poor to pray in their Families or to attend publick praying and preaching hereby they are scandalous and offensive They grieve the godly Rivers of tears run down mine eyes because the wicked forsake thy Laws Psal 119. and they harden the wicked VVhen ungodly men see others neglect all Religion they are encouraged in their Atheism and Irreligion and presuming others are wise and that themselves shall fare as well as others As it was said of those Ezek. 13.21 so it may be said of these They strengthen the hands of the wicked Again these are guilty in all respects they who offend in the matter of a Command by neglecting the Duty it self in the substance thereof offend in the manner and measure also but they who offend in the manner and measure may not offend in the matter 2. VVhen the omission is in regard of the manner of the duties performance As when men do pray but they pray not uprightly with the heart Jer. 12.2 Thou art nigh their mouths but far from their reins Nor earnestly with their whole heart and with all their heart and all the powers of their Souls as the Precept is Jer. 29.13 and that Prayer to which the Promise is annexed James 5.16 But pray as if they pray'd not formally and customarily and carelesly scarce hearing themselves and no wonder then if God hear them not they pray not reverently with the aw of God upon their Spirits but are rash in their words and irreverent in their hearts Eccles 5.1 2. So when men give Alms but do not give chearfully with a free willing ready heart For God loves a chearful giver 2 Cor. 9.17 Nor seasonably when it may do most good Prov. 3.18 Say not to thy Neighbour Go and come again to morrow when thou hast it by thee So when men hear the Word but hear not awfully in the fear of God as in the presence of God Acts 10.33 We are all here present before God to hear all things commanded thee of God Neither hear believingly giving their assent to what they hear and applying it to their own Souls The Word preached did not profit them not being mixed with faith in them that heard it Heb. 4.2 These and such like though they are not guilty of omission in regard of the matter of a Duty yet they are guilty of omission in regard of the manner of it though they do the thing commanded yet they do it not as it is commanded and so are guilty of the breach of a positive Law and Command 3. When the omission is in regard of the measure of the Duty As when a man gives Alms but not answerable to his Estate though God hath filled his Belly with hidden treasures and waters of a full Cup are wrung out to him and he is able to give pounds to poor indigent Families he puts them off with a few pence or at most shillings this is an omission in regard of the measure God expects charitable Contributions from men answerable to his Bounty to them 1 Cor. 16.2 Vpon the first day of the week let every one of you lay by him in store as God hath prospered him that there be no gatherings when I come According to the measure of the Divine Mercy to us such should be the measure of our Charity to others According to the seed thrown into the Earth is the Crop return'd by the good ground Therefore to make scanty Returns when we have large Receipts is a sin of omission So when men pray but not with that frequency which they might and ought The Command is To pray contiuually to pray without ceasing to pray evermore Which must include at lest frequent i. e. daily prayer each Morning and Evening but some men pray but it 's only at certain seasons now and then by fits and starts Some pray only upon the Lords-Days as if they had liberty all the working-days to be Atheists and neglect the owning of the great God Others pray only under some Affliction and as Patients to their Physitian never go to God but when they cannot tell what to do without him So the Jews In their Affliction they will seek me early Hos 5.15 When he smote them then they sought him but their heart was not right with him neither were they stedfast in his Covenant Psal 78.34 37. Unevenness of Pulse argues a distemper'd Body so doth unevenness in Duties a distemper'd Soul In their trouble they will pour out a prayer When troubles are on them they will make bold to trouble God and call him up for their help God expects frequency of Application to him every day and greater frequency of those that have more time and fewer Obstacles and Impediments than others Now the putting God off with Applications to him and Acknowledgments of him once a week instead of every day and much under Affliction instead of doing it in all conditions and at all seasons or putting him off with Morning-Prayer only instead of Morning and Evening-Prayer or with Family-Prayer only when we should also pray in our Closets daily these are sins of Omission in regard of the measure of the Duty Secondly These sins of omission are either partial or total Total omissions are when men wholly neglect the Duties commanded as when they altogether cast off Praying and Hearing and giving Alms and examining their own hearts Psal 14.3 4. They are all gone aside there is none that doth good They call not upon God A man may read the Word Atheist in the fore-heads of these men They carry about them where-ever they go the sign and mark of Condemnation They please themselves possibly that they do not abound in scandalous sins of Commission not considering that they may be guilty of self-murther as well by starving or not feeding their Souls as by stabbing or poisoning their Souls 2. Partial Omissions are when men do sometimes perform the Duties commanded but not with that constancy which they ought Job 15.4 Thou castest off fear and restrainest prayer before God i. e. Thou imprisonest Prayer and dost not afford it the liberty it formerly had It was wont to appear every day openly but now it is kept in and shews it self but seldom Thirdly Sins of omission are distinguished into external or internal omissions 1. External Omissions are a neglect of the outside as I may call it of the Command 2. Internal Omissions are the neglect of the inside of the Command We must know that in every Command there is an Extra and an Intra an Out-side and an Inside somewhat that concerns the Hands Conversation somewhat that concerns the Heart and Affections As for example In the Fourth Command of sanctifying the Sabbath there God commands us to spend the whole time of his day except so much as the works of Necessity and Mercy call for in religious Exercises and the Duties of his own worship as Praying Reading Hearing Singing c. Now the bare performance
neglecting to pâ—â—â—â—…d to attend on Prophesying and such Sins of Omission we withdraw fewel from it and thereby put it out When the Israelites would not hear the Voice of God they are said to grieve his holy Spirit Psal 95. And when they believed not his Word the Wonders that he wrought they are said to vex his holy Spirit Isa 63.10 with Numb 14.11 Numb 20.12 Then they rebelled and vexed his holy Spirit Not to obey God is to disobey him Not to be loyal to him is to be rebellious now hereby they vexed his holy Spirit Now how great a Sin and how dangerous is it to grieve the Spirit of God the size or measure of Sin is to be taken from the Majesty slighted disobeyed and offended by it The Spirit is God an infinite boundless Being whom these Sins of Omission grieve and vex Again how dangerous is it to grieve and drive the Spirit from us It 's the Spirit that must enable us to our Duties Rom. 8.26 Direct us in our walkings Psal 143.10 Comfort us in our Sorrows Joh. 14.16 Isa 65.1 2 3. It is the Spirit that is the Spirit of Grace and Holiness Zach. 12.10 〈◊〉 1.4 and must work them in our hearts if ever we be gracious and holy 1 Pet. 1.2 It is the Spirit must strengthen us with might in our inward man to keep the Commandments of God Ephes 3.16 Ezez 36.27 It is the Spirit that is the earnest of our Inheritance the First-fruits of our eternal blessed Harvest and that must seal us up unto the day of Redemption Ephes 1.13 14. Rom. 8. Ephes 4.30 How great a Sin and how dangerous therefore is it to grieve this Spirit and by Sins of Omission to incense him to with-draw from us without whom we are unable unto any good and indeed exposed to all evil 2. The danger of these Sins will appear by their offensiveness to God Since our Felicity depends on the Favour of God and our Misery on his Anger Hell it self being but his wrath ever to come 1 Thess 1. ult those Sins which are highly provoking to God must be very dangerous If in his Favour be Life Psal 30.5 and his Wrath be worse than Death Psal 90.11 I had need to beware how I provoke him to jealousie Now the not believing God which is a sin of Omission is called the Provocation Psal 95.8 9. Harden not your hearts as in the Provocation as in the day of temptation in the Wilderness When your Fathers tempted me proved me and saw my Works This Provocation was their not believing his Word for all the Wonders he had wrought for them They said Can God furnish a Table in the Wilderness Behold he smote the Rock that waters gushed out Can he give Bread also Can he provide Flesh for his people Therefore the Lord heard this and was wroth So a fire was kindled against Jacob and anger also came up against Israel because they believed not in God and trusted not in his Salvation Psal 78.19 to 23. It will appear how provoking sins of Omission are to God by these three particulars 1. By his frequent Reprehensions and complaints of men for them He blames men for not sacrificing Mal. 3.18 for not mourning 1 Cor. 5. And sharply reproves for not receiving Correction Jer. 2.30 In vain have I smitten your Children they received no Correction For not grieving when smitten Jer. 5.3 For not seeking God Isa 9.13 Nay observe what special notice he takes of and how sadly he aggravates their Omissions Jer. 3.7 I said after she had done all these things i. e. gone up upon every high Mountain and upon every green Tree Turn thou unto me but she turned not Here he complains of Israels Omission in not turning to him but mark how he accents Judahs Omission who knew what Israel had done and how God had put her away vers 8. Yet her treacherous Sister Judah feared not the dreadful doom of Israel struck no aw into the heart of Judah And vers 10. And yet for all this that Israel hath committed and been severely punished for her treacherous Sister Judah hath not turned unto me with the whole heart but feignedly saith the Lord. Here was an Omission internal or in the manner of her Conversation it was not sincere but with dissimulation 2. By his severe Comminations and Threatnings denounced against those that are guilty of Omissions He curseth those that deny him their help in a day of Battel and that come not forth to help the Lord against the mighty Judg. 5.23 He curseth those that are not diligent about his Work Jer. 48.10 And believe it his Curse is effectual not like the discharge of a piece with powder only which doth no execution Those whom he curseth are cursed indeed His curse like Lightning blasteth and withereth where-ever it cometh I cursed his habitation saith Eliphaz not as a private Malediction of his own Spirit but as a pious Praediction of Gods Spirit Now mark what followeth upon God's cursing the wicked mans Habitation Job 5.2 3 4. His house is by this breath of God tumbling to the ground presently His Children that should be the honour and support of it are far from safety vers 3. they are crushed in the Gate and there is none to deliver them vers 4. Whose harvest the hungry eateth up and taketh out of the thorns and the Robber swalloweth up his substance His Estate which is a second thing requisite to the outward glory of a Family that is seised on and snatched from him So God threatneth multitudes with his wrath which is so terrible so intollerable that none can stand before it Psal 147.8 that Mountains are moved Rocks are rent in pieces the Foundations of the Earth tremble at it yea that God's own people are ready to be distracted at it Psal 88.3 4 5. for a Sin of Omission For not calling on his Name Jer. 10. ult God threatneth to cut a man off from his people which includes either a cutting off from the society of Gods people here and hereafter as Gen. 17.14 or of being cut off out of the Land of the living by the Sword of the Magistrate Exod. 30.33 or both as some think for a meer omission But a man that is clean and is not in a journey and forbeareth to keep the Passover even the same Soul shall be cut off from his people Numb 9.13 3. It appears that Sins of Omission are highly provoking to God by the execution of his Judgments on them that are guilty of them His Works as well as his Word speak his great indignation against these sins Saul lost his Kindgom for not killing Agag and the best of the Flock Because thou hast rejected the Word of the Lord the Lord hath also rejected thee from being King saith Samuel to him 1 Sam. 15.23 26 28. Ahab omitted to kill Benhadad and lost his life for it 1 King 20.42 Because thou hast let go a man out of thy
vitia quam cum virtute Rather seemingly free from Vice than really filled with Virtue Or at best as was reported of Cato That he was homo virtuti simillimus A man that looked like a virtuous person How many civil men presume their persons holy because they are not so filthy as those who rake in Ditches and Kennels and defile themselves daily with scandalous Abominations and they presume their states to be good and themselves in the way to Heaven because they are no Drunkards no Swearers no Adulterers no Theeves no Murderers when for all this they shall be cast to Hell because they are no Believers no Penitents no obedient Subjects to the King of Saints Because they know not God and obey not the Gospel 2 Thess 1.7 8. Such men are farther distant from good than from evil Ceasing from evil is not enough it 's but one step Heaven-ward doing of good must accompany it or it will be of small moment I confess when I behold a civil man who is harmless in his Carriage unblamable in regard of scandal in his publick Conversation and courteous in his Behaviour to all I cannot but respect him and am ready to wish as Athanasius that all the World of Atheists and prophane Wretches would turn Hypocrites that all scandalous Sinners would turn Civilians and come so far towards Holiness but yet I must say that this is scarce half way to Christianity He is not half a Saint who is but a negative Saint The forbearance of gross Corruptions is the easiest and least part of Religion and therefore will not speak any man in a state of Salvation The Tree that is barren and without good fruit is for the fire as well as the Tree that brings forth evil fruit For men to think to excuse themselves that they do no hurt wrong neither Man Woman or Child and are not as the Pharisee said as the Publicans who generally were Oppressors is but a vain foolish thing The idle Servant might have said Lord I did no harm with my Talent I did not lay it out in Rioting and Drunkenness or any way to thy dishonour I only hid it and did not improve it Matth. 25. yet this was enough to condemn him Can we call ground good ground for bearing no weeds if it never bring forth good Corn Or do we count that Servant a good Servant who doth not wrong his Master in his Estate by purloining or wasting it if he live idle all day and neglect the business his Master appoints him Believe it Reader thou mayst not be morally evil to the abomination of men and yet not spiritually good to the acceptation of God He keeps no Law of God who minds only the negative part of it A life free from enormity is too often accompanied with an heart full of iniquity And that this negative Holiness is insufficient will appear if we consider 1. That the Holy Ghost characterizeth a godly man both negatively and positively The Scripture tells us That a true Christan minds both parts of the Law its commanding part as well as its forbidding part When the Holy Ghost speaks of Davids goodness he tells us That he served the Wills of God in his Generation not only his forbidding-will but also his commanding-will Act. 13.36 When Job is commended as a godly man he is said to eschew evil there was his negative Holiness and to fear God there was his positive Holiness Job 1.1 8. The Psalmist describes the happy man by his holiness both ways 1. By way of Negation Blessed is the man that walketh not in the Counsel of the Vngodly i. e. that committeth not wickedness which is the consultation of the Ungodly nor standeth in the way of Sinners i. e. that goeth not on with pleasure in any course of prophaneness nor sitteth in the Seat of the scornful i. e. that hardneth not not his heart against advice and admonition c. 2. By way of Position But his delight is in the Law of the Lord and in that Law doth he meditate day and night His affection to the Law and his meditation in it are both positive and without these the man could neither be holy nor happy He might have been able to say I have not walked in the Counsel of the Vngodly nor stood in the way of Sinners not sate in the Seat of the scornful and yet been a wicked and cursed man for Negatives neither speak nor make any man holy It is a positive quality that gives being perfection and denomination to Piety Therefore Jehu is branded for a wicked man notwithstanding all his zeal against Baal because he took no heed to walk in the Law of the Lord God of Israel 1 King 10.29 30 31. Philosophers tell us That motions are imperfect and but in fieri whilst they are passing from the Terminus a quo and are not perfect or in facto esse till the Terminus ad quem be attained Whilst a man is departing from evil he is but an imperfect Christian when he comes to the doing of good which is the end of the former then he is a Christian indeed 2. The Law which is the Rule of Religion is Affirmative as well as Negative Every man is so far perfect in his Calling or in any Art as he agrees with his Rule And every man is so far religious and no farther as he agreeth with the Will of God revealed in his Word which is the Rule of Religion Gal. 6.16 As many as walk according to this Rule peace be to them c. Now this Rule hath Positive as well as Negative Commands Nay all its Negative Commands have as hath been shewn before somewhat positive in them and therefore negative holiness cannot be sufficient He that makes not Conscience of every part of Gods Will makes Conscience of no part of Gods Will. He that denieth ungodliness and worldly lusts because the Law his Rule forbids them will also live righteously soberly and godly because the same Rule commands them Tit. 2.11 12. Indeed all true eschewing of evil doth proceed out of love to good so that he who doth not delight in good and do it cannot eschew evil out of any good Principle Observe the Rule Ephes 4.23 24. And be renewed in the Spirit of your mind And that ye put on the new man which after God is created in righteousness and true holiness Isa 1.15 But men love to be compleat in every thing but that which deserves exactness 3. An Heathen may be negatively religious A Cato a Seneca an Aristides may be free from Intemperance Bribery Injustice Uncleanness and all gross sins and can we think that Religion sufficient for us which Heathens may attain to Is there nothing revealed by the Sun-light of Scripture for us to do which they were unable to see by the dim Rush-candle of Nature The Holy Ghost acquaints us with the condition of the Heathen Ephes 2.12 That they were without God without Christ
suppose is meant the scandalous man who liveth in Commission It 's said of Mary Magdalen who had been guilty of notorious Enormities Luke 7. For she is a Sinner And it 's said of the Publican whose whole Tribe was infamous for Extortion and Bribery That he was a Sinner He is gone to be a Guest to one that is a Sinner By Ungodly as the very word 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 signifieth is meant one that liveth in Omissions one that liveth without the Worship of God i. e. without the Love and Fear the Acknowledgment and Adoration of this God Worship is that high Honour and Solemn Respect that the Creature owes to God Not to give him this is ungodliness An ungodly man is one that doth not seek God nor trust God nor obey God that doth not own him in his Mercies as his Father and Benefactor nor in his Judgments as a wise Master that would by Chastisements make him partaker of his Holiness Now if the righteous scarcely be saved where shall the sinner and ungodly appear If there be a difficulty in the Salvation of the Righteous there is a necessity of the damnation of the Sinner and ungodly If the Righteous get so hardly to Heaven the Sinner and Ungodly must surely be cast into Hell Where shall the Sinner and Ungodly those that are guilty of these Omissions and Commissions appear They must appear somewhere but they can appear no where with comfort or without unspeakable horrour Where shall they appear before God why they hate his Being despise his Dominions slight his Love disobey his Laws and indeed seek his Life and can they appear before him Can they look for a smile from his Face who loath him perfectly or can they stand before his Frowns and Fury Do they know the weight of his Hand the killing-darts of his Eye and the Power of his Anger No surely they cannot appear before him Thou even thou art to be feared and who may stand when thou art angry Where shall they appear Shall they appear before Christ the Judge of Quick and Dead Before him who sometimes invited them earnestly to come to him and intreated them affectionately to accept of him and life with him Shall they appear before him It 's his Call which they have despised and his Commands which they have violated It 's his Blood which they have trampled on and his Spirit whom they have grieved They are his Members whom the Sinners have oppressed and wronged and his Children and Spouse and Body which the Ungodly have neglected and not relieved O how glad would they be if the Rocks would crush them to pieces that they might be deliver'd from the wrath of the Lamb Rev. 6.15 Their severe Sentence which may make every Ear to tingle and Heart to tremble that hears it will proceed from his mouth Then shall he say unto them on his left hand Depart from me ye cursed into everlasting fire But where shall these Sinners and Ungodly appear Shall they appear before the Saints Alas with what face can they behold them whose Persons they have imprison'd whose Estates they have plundered whose Profession they have derided whose Names they have abused and whom they have often wished out of the way and thought the Troublers of the Family and Town and Country where they lived If the Saints plead it must be against them for they cannot but as Justices agree and concur with the Sentence of the Judge as righteous and just But where shall they appear Shall they appear before the Law No that condemneth them for the least Omission for the smallest Commission to Hell fire they are the Prohibitions of the Law that the Sinner hath transgressed and they are the Precepts of the Law that the Ungodly hath not obeyed and therefore the Law curseth them both to the uttermost The Law enableth Sin to bind over the Transgressor of it to the Wrath and Curse of God Hence it 's said The strength of Sin is the Law But where shall they appear Shall they appear before the Gospel No their Omissions have most relation to the Gospel They have not believed the truth of it They have not embraced the goodness of it They have not obeyed the Precepts of it They rejected the tenders of Pardon and Life made to them in the Gospel with frequency and fervency They would not come to their Physitian to be healed of their mortal Diseases Though he came to them and offer'd his help freely and assured them of effectual and speedy recovery if they would be directed by him yet they rejected the Counsel of God against themselves therefore the Gospel will condemn as surely and more sorely than the Law Heb. 2.2 3 Joh. 3.19 If the word spoken by Angels was stedfast and every Disobedience received a just recompence of Reward How shall we escape if we neglect so great Salvation And again Of how much sorer punishment shall he be thought worthy But where shall they appear Shall they appear on Earth Surely there will be no Earth then for them to appear in That Earth which they sported so much in as Leviathan in the waters and which they were fond of and delighted in will be burnt up with fire and consumed with fervent heat But where shall they appear Shall they appear in Heaven Can an unsanctified heart enter into the Holy of Holies No. Without holiness no man shall see the Lord Heb. 12.14 An impure Eye cannot behold such an infinitely pure Object When Angels seated in Heaven as their Habitation once lost their purity they soon lost that place Heaven could not bear them 't is not as Noahs Ark to take in all sorts Clean or Unclean Into it can in no wise enter any thing that is Vnclean Rev. 21.27 Neither could they bear Heaven Thee spiritual delights of that Coelestial Court became unsuitable to their polluted Natures The rarest Dainties and most curious Delicates are altogether unsavoury and unpleasant to an aguish and distemper'd Palat. But where shall they appear If they cannot appear before God their Maker before the Lord Jesus Christ before the Saints Before whom shall they appear If they cannot appear before the Law before the Gospel before what shall they appear It must be in Hell before Devils and damned Spirits with them to lodge and dwell for ever Ah the Great Day is called The terrible Day of the Lord Jesus and it will be a terrible Day indeed to these meer Civilians It is called the Day of Perdition of ungodly men It 's to others a Day of Consolation Lift up your Heads with joy for the Day of your Redemption draweth nigh A Day of Promotion It 's your Fathers pleasure to give you a Kingdom Luke 12.32 Joh. 17.24 A Day of Rest from all their Labours and Sorrows and Sufferings bodily or spiritually Rev. 14.13 But it 's the Day of Perdition of Ungodly men They who live without God here must live without him for
walk and converse with the blessed and glorious God Is not his Law worth observing his Glory worth advancing and his Service worth minding and his Love worth accepting when he can make thee miserable or happy with a word in an instant when thou and all thou hast are in his hand every moment to be disposed of for Good or Evil altogether at his Pleasure when he can with the breath of his Nostrils with the blast of his Lips with a glance of his Eye send thee to Hell where the Worm never dieth and the Fire never goeth out Friend consider it Is it not good advice to wish thee to sue and seek to him to pray to and please him upon whom thine unchangeable Felicity or Misery dependeth and who shall judge thee to thine everlasting state of Life or Death Is it not good to have the King thy Friend how many Pleasures may he do thee and how many Favours may he bestow on thee But how much better is it to have the King of Kings thy Friend What Pleasure is there which he cannot do thee what Favour which he cannot bestow on thee He can give thee Earth Heaven Riches Honours Pleasures Life Health Food Raiment Friends Relations his Day his Word his Ordinances his Love his Image his Peace his Joy his Spirit his Son Himself every Good any Good all Good O how blessed is he that hath this God! But Reader wouldst thou have all these without so much as asking for them We say they are poor Favours that are not worth asking Sure I am these Mercies are of more value than thine Understanding can conceive and therefore must deserve more Prayers and Tears and Groans for them than thou art capable of giving Do not any day upon any pretence omit to offer up thy Morning and Evening Sacrifices Remember so often as thou neglectest Morning-Prayer so often thou art all the day naked destitute of thy spiritual Guard and exposed to all manner of Evils and Enemies and dost fore-speak thy self an evil Day and so often as thou omittest Evening-Prayer thou presumest upon sleep and rest and safety without God's leave and fore-speakest thy self an evil Night What did Thomas lose by one Omission Jesus appeared the first day of the week to his Disciples but Thomas saith the Text was not there Joh. 20.24 But what is the issue of this Omission truly by his neglecting this opportunity of confirming his Faith he falls into a desperate fit of Unbelief When the Apostles told him That they had seen the Lord He presently answers Except I shall see in his hands the print of the Nails and put my finger into the print of the Nails and thrust my hand into his side I will not believe Joh. 20.24 25. Ah what had become of Thomas if infinite Majesty had not stooped to recover him 2. Take heed of internal Omissions In the next place I advise thee to look seriously to the manner of thy performances to be sure that thou worship God with thy Heart and Affections This is the chief and substance and heart of thy Performances according to which they shall be accepted or not In all thy Addresses draw nigh to God with an humble Faith and Confidence as to a Father ready able and willing to supply all thy wants and answer all thy Doubts and to grant all thy Prayers and Desires as also with a chearful reverence and awfulness as to a God infinite in his Being and in all his Perfections between whom and thee a poor worm there is an infinite distance In every Duty Let thy Faith in Christ thy Love to God and thy Repentance from dead Works be exercised Hereby thy Duties will be more comfortable to thy self Men that perform Duties in a round out of custom or for fashion-sake have no pleasure therein are backward to them untoward at them and careless after them They come to them with trouble as to that to which their hearts have a reluctancy and go from them with joy as from that which was burdensome and tedious to them But when men pray with a sense of their wants and beg mercy with hope in the blood of Christ and have their love and joy acted in their Duties how sweetly do they come off nay how pleasant are they in the very performance of them Communion with God in them brings peace and comfort indeed Now Reader do I advise thee to thy hurt when I advise thee to the life of a Saint to the life of an Angel to a life of love and joy and delight in the Father of Mercies and God of all Consolations Is not this Life the Suburbs the Earnest the First-fruits of the life of the Blessed of the life of those heavenly Courtiers who bathe themselves without intermission in Springs of Joy and in Rivers of Pleasures And by this care of thine about the manner of performing thy Duties they will be the more acceptable to God He commands the Heart Prov. 23.26 delights in truth in the inward parts Psal 51. and is nigh to them that call upon him in truth Psal 34. How pleasing would it be to thee to know thy prayers and readings to be pleasing to God Jer. 30.21 And I will cause him to draw near and to approach unto me i. e. with welcome and acceptance for who is this that engageth his heart to approach unto me If thou bring thy Heart to a Duty God will bring his Ear to hear thee In the prosecution of this Use I shall first lay down some Arguments or Motives to inforce it 2. Lay down the cause of these Omissions which are so frequent among us 3. Prescribe somewhat for the Cure and Remedy thereof CHAP. XXXIV Arguments against Omissions The positiveness of our Rule and of Gods Mercies I Begin with the first viz. The Arguments to move us to mind positive Duties 1. Consider the Law which God hath given us for the Rule of our Lives is both positive and negative and therefore our Obedience must be such What need positive Precepts but to require positive Practices Single Prohibitions would have sufficed for a negative Religion The Law is holy in its Commands that immediately concern God just in what it commands concerning our Neighbours and good in what it commands concerning our selves Rom. 7.12 Look to the Moral Law every negative command hath a positive Precept Take the Prophets all along that speak in the Name of the Lord and we shall find that they still enjoyn Duty as well as forbid Sin Deut. 12.29 to the end Take heed that thou be not snared by following the Nations that are destroyed before thee and that thou inquire not after their gods saying How did these Nations serve their gods even so will I do likewise Here is Sin forbidden But mark also Duty is commanded What thing soever I command you observe to do it thou shalt not add thereto nor diminish from it Nay a Copy of this Law both positive
and negative must be written out by the Magistrate that we might observe it and it was also written in a Book by Moses and put into the Ark as a witness against the Israelites if they should not observe it Deut. 31.24 25 26. Joshua succeeds Moses in his Charge over the Jews and in his Commands to them both affirmatively and negatively Joshua 23.7 Samuel follows after and speaks the same Language Serve the Lord with all your heart fear him and serve him in truth And turn ye not aside for then ye should go after vain things which cannot profit or deliver for they are vain 1 Sam. 12.20 21 24. David doth the like Depart from evil and do good Psal 34.14 Solomon writes after his Fathers Copy in the very qualifications of those whom he intreats Mercy for If they sin and afterwards bethink themselves and turn i. e. from their sins and return unto thee with all the Heart and with all the Soul then hear thou from Heaven from thy Dwelling-place 2 Chron. 6.36 to 40. Isaiah calls on men not only to forsake their evil ways and evil thoughts but also to return unto the Lord Isa 55.7 Jeremiah crieth to his people Not to oppress the Stranger the Fatherless and the Widows and also throughly to execute Judgment between a man and his Neighbour Jer. 7.5 6. So Ezekiel and the rest of the Prophets Ezek. 18.21 Our Saviour in his Exposition of the Law doth forbid what is Evil and command what is Good Matth. 5.43 44. So Matth. 7. per tot The Apostle St. Paul commands Not to be conformed to the World there is the Prohibition but to be transformed by the renewing of our mind proving what is the good and perfect and acceptable will of God there is the Precept Rom. 12.1 2. Again Put off the works of Darkness put on the armour of Light Put off the old man which is corrupt according to his deceitful lusts And put on the new man which after God is created in righteousness and true holiness Ephes 4.23 24. Lye not one to another but speak the truth The Apostle St. James tells us Religion consisteth in Negatives and Positives also James 1.21 22 26 27. So St. Peter 1 Pet. 1.14 15. 1 Pet. 2.11 12. St. Joh. 3.9 10. Jude vers 21 22 23. Thus we see through the whole Bible the Mind of God by his Messengers to be Positive as well as Negative and this Mind of his he hath ordained to be the rule of our Hearts and Lives and what shall we answer when we shall be called to an account for our Disobedience To what purpose is a Rule if it be not followed and to what end is the Penalty denounced against the Ungodly if it be not executed This is the Voice of the Law of God and therefore Reader either thou must betake thy self to practical godliness or else disown the Scriptures for thy rule and square Thy Duty must at least in thy desires and endeavours carry some proportion to thy standard and rule or else thy Religion is a meer cypher and signifieth nothing So far as the best come short of the Law they sin 1 Joh. 5.3 Sin is a transgression of the Law And that because the Law is given to him as a rule of Life God hath therefore qualified it with the porperties of a Rule 1. A Rule must be perfect and not defective not redundant The Law of the Lord is perfect Psal 19.7 2. A Rule must be plain not dark All her ways are plain to him that understandeth 3. A Rule must be published and known otherwise it 's a snare to intrap men God hath proclaimed his Law The Command is not hidden from thee nor far off Deut. 30.11 It 's not in Heaven that thou shouldst say Who shall go up for us thither and fetch it thence that we may hear it and do it Nor beyond the Seas But the Word is very nigh unto thee in thy mouth and in thy heart 12 13 14 verses that thou mayst do them 4. A Rule is that by which men shall be judged so is this Law Joh. 12. 48. The Word that I have spoken the same shall judge you at the last day 2. The Mercies of God to thee are positive as well as privative and why should not thy Duty be suitable to the Divine Bounty God is not only a Shield to defend thee from evil in thy Body in thy Soul in thy Person in thy Relations in thine Out-goings and in thine Incomings by Night and by Day at all times and in all places but he is also a Sun to refresh thee with good with temporal good Food Raiment Friends Relations Sleep Liberty Wealth esteem in the World c. With spiritual good with Sabbaths Scriptures Sacraments seasons of Grace with the tenders of Pardon and Peace and Adoption and eternal Salvation upon excellent and equitable terms And what reason can we give why our Obedience should not bear a proportion to his Beneficence He is a Sun and a Shield and gives Grace and Glory and with-holdeth no good things from them that walk uprightly Psal 84. Shall God with-hold no good thing from thee and canst thou find in thy heart to deny the doing of any good thing for him Is his Bounty of so large an extent as to comprehend protection from all Evil and the fruition of all good and must thy Duty be so narrow and scanty as if he did not deserve so much as he requireth Is it honest to receive or buy in by one Measure and to return and sell out by another Divers Weights and divers Measures both of them are abomination to the Lord. A Weight and a Weight a Measure and a Measure one to buy with that 's large another to sell with that is less I only allude to it It 's abominable for thee to receive of God by the largest measure and to return to him by the least Reader if thou art born of God and guilty of these partial temporary Omissions consider it seriously let ingenuity plead for God When he first wrought upon thy Soul he did not only translate thee out of the Kingdom of Darkness but also bring thee into the Kingdom of his dear Son He did not only turn thee from Satan but also cause thee to return to himself He brought thee out of a state of Wrath and brought thee into a state of Love and Favour 1 Pet. 2.9 He redeemed thee from those Enemies which had carried thee Captive Sin Satan Death Hell Rom. 6.11 Ephes 2.3 4. Heb. 2. 2 Tim. 1.9 10. 1 Thess 1. ult But this is not all he hath also brought thee into the glorious liberty of the Children of God 1 Joh. 12. 1 Joh. 3.1 He hath delivered thee from this present evil World that its affrightments its allurements that all its power and policy shall not be able to destroy thee but this is not all he hath made thee an Heir of a better