that a Cretian which is a filthy beast by a sound reproose may come to bee a glorious Saint and whereas the Jewes had loaden the Lord with their sinnes therefore it was just with God to ease himselfe of his burden and so send them and their sinnes downe to hell together Thus a man would think but the Lord did not so as we may see in Esay I am he that blotteth out all thy transgressions for my owne name sake I will remember your sinnes no more and as the Apostle saith the Gentiles were full of all unrighteousnesse worse then they almost could be for all kind of degrees of sinne and yet many of them became full of all holinesse Such were some of you saith the Apostle and in another place we may see that a Scarlet sinner may become a Saint in nature we know this scarlet is such a deepe die that all the art under heaven cannot alter it Yet the Lord can make of a Scarlet sinner a milke white Saint I doe not say it will ever be and it doth alwaies come to passe but it is possible The reason is taken from the Lords Almighty goodnesse and power the Lord is able to supply all wants and amend that which is amisse nay he is able to do more then that thou standest in need of When the Lord made heaven earth he did not spend all his strength that he was able â—o help no more No no he is All-sufficient still he is not onely able to continue that good which the creature hath but to make a glorious supply of whatsoever is wanting as David saith He pardoneth all thy iniquities and forgiveth all thy sinnes not some but all otherwise he were not All-sufficient unlesse he had a salve for every sore and a medicine for every malady if our sinnes were more then God could pardon or if our weakenesses were more able to ouerthrow us then his strength to uphold us he were not All-sufficient Indeed there are some things which the scripture saith God cannot doe but it is not because of the want of power in God but because there is a weakenesse in the creature As God cannot deny himselfe but the more and greater our sinnes and wickednesse are the more will the strength and glory of his power appeare in pardoning of them and where sinne abounds there grace abounds much more in the pardoning of the same Christ is All-sufficient in power to procure mercy for all thy sinnes and the Spirit is all-sufficiently able to apply the satisfaction of Christ to thy soule and therefore be thy condition never so fearefull the sinne against the holy Ghost onely excepted there is power and mercy in the Lord to pardon thee and it is possible for thee to finde mercy The first use is for reproofe and it checks the desperate discouragement that harbours in the hearts of many poore sinners that if they finde no power in theÌ„selves no succour in the meanes they doe question in this case and presently conclude an impossibilitie to receive mercy and they thinke there is no hope of pardon as heretofore they have had no care in sinning because they cannot see how it may be they suppose it cannot be This bringeth a great indignity to the Lord Jesus Christ and a great discouragement to themselves why the Lord hath hardnesse and difficulties at command When the seige about Jerusalem was marvellous sore and every man did despaire of any comfort or succour the Prophet said before to morrow this time shall a measure of fine flower be sould for a shekle and then a Lord on whose hand the King leaned said If the Lord should make windowes in heaven how can this thing be and the Prophet said unto him thou shalt see it but not eat of it so it is with many that begge often and the Lord answereth not so that the soule is marvellously starved and the flood of iniquitie comes in amaine upon the soule and all his sinnes come to his view and the heart beginnes to reason in this manner If the depths of Gods mercies should be opened can all these sins be pardoned and can this damned soule of mine be saved Surely this cannot be It is just with God wee should seeke mercy given to others as bad as wee and yet wee not taste of it because wee distrust the Lord. Cains sin was so much the greater because hee said it could not be forgiven so it is a horrible sinne to say the Lord is not so mercifull as the Devill is malitious and that the world and a sinfull heart 〈…〉 able to damne me then God is to save me if 〈…〉 so God were no God and Christ no 〈…〉 and the Spirit no comforter this is a 〈…〉 sin our selves and the devill above God the Lord Jesus Christ. Oh therefore check all those discouragements of soule which too much prevaile with us Secondly it is a ground of great incouragement to provoke the hearts of all wicked men under heaven to looke out of that condition wherin they are for some mercy because the most wicked of the world may be wrought upon and the most prophane heart may be pierced Who therefore would not have his heart quickned up to seeke out for recovery from that estate wherein he is All you poore creatures if there be any here present as I doubt not but there are Oh you poore and ungodly sinfull creatures my soule pitties you you that have had your hands imbrewed in the blood of Christ and whose sinnes are written with a pen of Iron and are seene in every corner of the street you that are thus in the gall of bitternesse and yet in the kingdome of darkenesse though your case for the present be very desperate yet here is a little twigge in the middest of the maine sea whereupon you may lay hold And this may make you looke up the Lord may shew mercy unto you as proud as stubborne and rebellious as you have had mercy If you have the hearts of men looke for mercy though your estate be fearefull for the present yet it may be good God hath not set the scale of condemnation upon your sinnes he hath not yet sent you to hell Consider this whatsoever thou art thou yet livest upon the earth and enjoyest the meanes and it is possible yet to have all thy sinnes pardoned oh lay about thee goe home say Good Lord were they pierced in their hearts that pierced the Lord Iesus and were their soules wounded In conclusion then why may not my prophane sinfull heart be humbled and pierced It may be so if the Lord say Amen it will be thus that disease is not past remedy that hath beene cured in others therefore let this stay thy heart as bad as thou have been humbled and brought home and therefore why not thou But the soule will say Can all these abominations be removed and is it possible
profest opposing of God himselfe a sinfull creature joynes side with the devill and the world and comes in battaile array against the Lord and flies in the face of the God of hosts they are called haters of God Psam 83. That is when they see grace in another man in such a man and in such a woman and hate them for it little doe they thinke that they hate the God of heaven and his holy nature and if it were possible they would have no God in heaven to take notice of their sins call theÌ„ to account for them as the wise man Gamaliel said to the Pharesies and elders refraine your selves from these men and let them alone for if this Counsell or worke be of men it will come to nothing but if it be of God you cannot destroy it lest you be found fighters against God you make nothing of opposing the Gospell and preaching thereof I tell you that there is never a creature that lives in any such sinfull course but he is a fighter against God and he resists the Lord as really as one man doth another And as Stephen saith You stifnecked and uncircumcised in heart you have resisted against the holy Ghost You must not thinke that you resist men onely no poore creatures you resist the Spirit and so aime at the Almighty in opposing of the meanes of grace What a fearefull condition is this I pray you in cold blood consider this and say thus Good Lord What a sinfull wretch am I that a poore damned wretch of the earth should stand in defiaÌ„ce against the God of hosts and that I should submit my selfe to the devill and oppose the Lord of hostes And as you resist the Lord so you doe also passe the sentence of condemnation upon your selves and seale up that doome which one day shall be executed upon the wicked in hell at that great day of accompt that looke what God shall do theÌ„ the same thou dost now by sinning this is the doome or as I may say the necke verse of the wicked and the last blow as now thou doest depart from God by sinning so then thou shalt depart froÌ„ God for ever A wicked man forsakes God and pluckes his heart from under the wisdom of God that should inform him in the way of life and the soule saith God shall not blesse me God shall not be God unto me but I will live as I list and I will run down post hast to hell and when our hearts beginne to rise against God and his ordinances and your soules beginne to goe against the Lord I tell you what I would thinke with my selfe suppose I heard the voice of the Archangell crying Arise yee dead and come to Iudgement and the last trumpet sounding and the Lord Jesus comming in the heavens with his glorious Angells and did see the Goats standing â—â— the left hand and the Saints on the right hand and with that I did heare the terrible sound Depart ye cursed would you be content to heare that sentence passe against your soules Oh what lamentation and woe your poore soules would make in those dayes and therefore consider it well and say that I doe that in sinning which the Lord will doe in the day of Judgement shall I depart from the Lord and withdraw my selfe from mercy and say Christ shall not rule over me and save me shall I doe that against my selfe which the Lord shall doe in that day God forbid There are two things hardly knowne what God is and what our sinnes are or else we hardly apply the knowledge of them to our selves Objects But some will object and say if sinne be so vile in it selfe then why doe not men see it Answ. To this I answer the reason why men see not their sinnes though it be so vile it is mainely upon these two grounds First because we judge not of sinne according to the word and verdict of it but either in regard of the profit that is therein or the pleasure that we expect there from The Usurer lookes on his profit that comes by sinne and the adulterer his pleasure and Iudas saw the money but he did not see the malice of his owne heart nor the want of love to his Master and this made him take up that course which he did but when he threw away his thirtie pence the Lord made him see the vilenesse of his sinne it came cleerly to his sight and therefore he cryed out I have sinned in betraying innocent blood As bribes blind the eyes of the wise and pervert judgment so sin bribes the eyes of the soule and therefore the Tradseman seeth much profit come by cozening false measures and so gives way to himselfe therein but he sees not the sin so the oppressor seeth the morgages pawnes that come in but he cannot see his sin till he be laid on his death bed and then the Lord sheweth him all the wrong that he hath done Secondly another reason why we see not the vilenesse of sinne is because we judge the nature of sinne according to Gods patience towards us as thus a man commits a sin is not plagued for it and therefore he thinkes God will not execute judgements upon him at all all things continue a like saith the wicked man as if he had said you talke of the wrath of God that shall be revealed froÌ„ heaven against all ungodlines where is the promise of his comming doe you not see that such a man is an oppressor a prophane persoÌ„ yet growes rich and thrives in the world and because God spares a wicked man still for the present therefore he thinkes all are but words he shall be free from the punishment to come as the Prophet saith in the name of the Lord These things hast thou done and I kept silence when thou wast upon thy Ale-bench and there thou didst speake against holinesse and purity and because I did beare yet and say nothing therfore thou speakest wickedly that I was even such a one as thy selfe The wicked man takes Gods patience to be a kinde of allowance to him in his sinne as the wise man saith because sentence against an evill worke is not speedily executed therefore the hearts of the sonnes of men are wholy set in them to doe mischiefe as the Prophet saith they call the proud happy ye that worke wickednesse are set to doe evill they that tempt God are delivered As who should say you say that the wrath of God is incensed against swearers and drunkards and the like but we see them prosper and because they doe prosper thus their hearts are set to worke wickednes but howsoever it is true the Lord doth sometime beare with wicked men the longer God staies the greater account they shall make and the heavier judgements they shall receive from God See what Iob saith thou sealest up my transgressions in a bagge and
would thinke this man to be in a miserable condition And yet all this is but a beame of Gods indignaâ—tion If the beames of Gods wrath be not hot what is the full sunne of his wrath when it shall sease upon the soule of a sinfull creature in full measure The third consideration is this Nay yet if thou thinkest to lift up thy self above al creatures and to beare more then they all then set before thine eyes the sufferings of the Lord Jesus Christ he that creats the heavens and upholds the whole frame thereof when the wrath of God came upon him onely as a surety he cries out with his eyes full of teares and his heart full of sorrow and the heavens full of lamentations My God my God why hast thou forsaken me Oh thou poore creature if thou hast the heart of a man gird up the loines of thy mind and see what thou canst doe Doest thou thinke to beare that which the Lord Jesus Christ could not beare with so much sorrow Yet he did indure it without any sinne or weaknesse he had three sippes of the Cuppe and every one of them did sinke his soule and art thou a poore sinfull wretch able to beare the wrath of God for ever Now beloved seeing all objections are answered and the things made plaine labour to do that which you may have comfort in Submit your selves to the good word of the Lord and not only be willing and coâ—tent to be thus enlightned but labour for it that thou maiest prevent the Judgements deserved by the same Now that I may the better prevaile with you consider these three motives first it is the only old way to heaven for God never revealed any other but this way in the old law the only way for the leaper to be cleansed was to come out into the congregation and to cry I am uncleane I am uncleane This leaper was every sinner this meanes of curing was the sight of his sinne and as he did so must every sinner confesse his sin take shame to himselfe and say It is my proud heart and this my loose life c. This true sight of sinne is the only doore to life and salvation who would not goe that way which is the right the ready way if ever you receive mercy at the hands of the Lord it must be by this way or not at all I pray you take heed and doe not find a shorter cut to heaven the further you goe the contrary way the further you must returne back againe this hath cozened many a man more then he doth imagine As a traveller when he is loath to goe through some filthy lane he will breake through the fence and goe through the meadow that he may save the foule way at last when he hath gone up and downe and cannot get out againe he is forced with much losse of time to goe backe againe and goe through the lane So it is with many sinfull wretches in the world and this hath cost them deare They will not goe this way by sorrow for sinne to see the filthinesse thereof and their cursed abominations but they will have a new way to receive mercy comfort from God yet at last they are driven to a stand and then they will heare the minister of God and when he saith Christ came to seek and to save that which was lost that is those poore sinners that saw themselves lost and consider the plagues of their heart And when Christ workes savingly he opens the eye and awakens the conscience and a man must confesse before he can find mercy then the soule saith I never saw this worke upon my soule I was never lost No where broke you over then you would needs to heaven a new way you are like the thorny ground that would receive the word with joy Nay I le assure you you must come backe againe and see all those abominations which have been committed in secret by you and discover them or else there is no meanes to come unto life Let us search try our waies saith the Church you must not thinke that Christ will pardon all and you doe nothing No first see your sinnes and then you shall receive mercy pardon for them Secondly the worke by this meanes will bee much more easie then at another time If thou once get thy conscience convicted and thine eyes opened the worke will goe on clearely and easiâ—y Many of Gods people will strike in with you and many good Christians will pitty you and pray for you and you shall have many helps this way and therefore is it not better now to have your conscience awakened when you may have helpe then afterward when there is no remedy When any of Gods people fast or pray they will remember you what saith one Doe you know such a man yes very well what is he oh he was the most shamelesse drunkard that ever the sun did see or the earth beare Was he so oh but now God hath opened his eyes and awakened his conscience he was never so frolike before but now he is as much wounded now his heart is broken his conscience flies in his face It were good to remember him though he hath beene a wretch and a profest opposer of Gods people yet let us remember him Yes that I will I know his burthen is great I have found it and I hope so long as I have a knee to kneele and a tongue to speake I shal remember him And then they pray for him and say Good Lord who can beare a wounded soule Good Lord thou hast humbled him and made him see himselfe vile and miserable let him see thy mercy in Christ. What a comfort is this to have a whole countrey pray for him in this maner Object But some will object and say This is something dangerous and drives men sometimes to a desperate stand and therefore is it not farre better to be as we are and not to awake this severe Lion A man cannot conjure downe his conscience when it is up once Answ. To this I answere you must see your sinnes that is the truth of it doe not thinke to put it off the Lyon will roare and that conscience will be awakened one day it is better to be awakened now then to have your eyes opened in hell when there is no remedy Thirdly set upon this worke the issue will be very successefull oh what a comfort will it be to a poore soule in the time of death when he shall come to render up his soule into the hands of God that all his sinnes are wiped out And then to heare those glad tidings from heaven Be of good comfort poore soule thou hast seen thy sinnes therefore I will not see them thou hast remembred them and mourned for them therefore I will never plague thee for them Who would not see his sinnes that Christ may cover them in that
of sinne upon it that whereas before the heart did finde much sweetnesse in these base courses the Lord makes them as bitter as gall or wormewood And then the soule begins to reason thus with it selfe and faith Is it such a thing to be drunke is it murther to envy my brother and can none such enter into the Kingdome of heaven when the soule seeth God taken away heave separated from him he saith Is this the pleasing sin that I have loved and is this the nature of my pride to have God resist me this lies heavy upoÌ„ the heart and at last the soule is resolved to part with his sinne and never to love it more Good Lord do what thou wilt with me only take my soule and save me and take away my lusts and corruptions The heart is content at length that Christ should doe all and now the match is made the sight of sinne from the punishment of it will never separate the soule from sinne nor breake that union that is betweene them Iudas had it in a great measure and God pluckt his sweet morsels from his mouth and made him confesse his sinnes and take shame to himselfe so God doth with many and makes them say I have beene a drunkard and an adulterer and a desperate opposer of God and his ordinances But though Iudas loathed the horrour punishment of sinne yet he had a murtherous disposition still he that had killed Christ went and murthered himselfe too Now from these former conclusions I reason thus If a mans sinnes be his God and if there cannot be two Gods in one heart and if those corruptions of the heart must of necessity be cast out and if the heart will not part with sinne till it be wearied with it and that is done by godly sorroâ—â— then it is a matter of necessity that the heart must be pierced and there must be a separation betweene sinne and the soule before Christ will marry the soule and rule in it or else there shall be two Gods in one heart which cannot be The second thing in this answere is this some may say oh I never found this worke in me Now therefore you must know how ever this worke is wrought in all for the substance of it yet in a different maner in the most For the fashion that God useth in framing the heart is different two men are pricked the one with a pinne the other with a speare two men are cut the one with a pen knife the other with a sword So the Lord deals kindly and gently with one soule roughly with another and handles it marvelous sharply and breakes it all to pieces There is the melting of a thing and the breaking of it with hammers this I say the rather to checke the imagination that harbours in the heart of some men otherwise holy and wise and yet mistaken in this point they thinke the Lord never workes grace but in this extraordinary manner It is true God sometime must use this affrighting of spirit and when proud spirits come to grapple with the Lord he will make their fâ—urdy hearts to buckle And it is true there must be a cleare sight of sinne and the heart must be wearied with the vilenesse of iâ— and be content to part with sinne This is wrought in all but that it must be in all in this extraordinary fearefull maner as it is in some the word saith it is not neither is God bound to any manner there is a difference among persons As for example First if the person be a scandalous liver and an opposer of God and his grace and sets himselfe against the Lord Jesus Christ if he set his mouth against heaven and professe himselfe an enemy to God and to his truth Secondly if a man have harboured a filthy heart and continued long in sinne hath been a close adulterer and continued long in it Thirdly if a man have been confident in a civill course Lastly if God purpose to do some great workes by him In all these foure cases he layes a heavy blow upon the heart commonly the nature of these persons requires it First when any one hath beene an opposer of God and his grace if the Lord should deale gently with him other vile wretches would be ready to say such a man is gone to heaven though he be thus and thus yet the Lord dealt lovingly with him and therefore though I continue in these courses I shall doe well enough Nay delude not thy selfe for the Lord will bruise him and rend the kall of his heart and make him seek to a faithfull minister for direction to a poore Christian for Counsell whom before he despised and the world shall know what it is to oppose God and to persecute his children as he broke Pauls heart and made him say I am he that have persecuted the Saints Commonly the Lord will not shew mercy to such as these are in hugger mugger but wil make the world see their humiliation as they have seen their rebellion and opposition Thus the Lord deales with the secret theefe close adulterer the Lord pluckes away their corruptions makes them vomit up their sweet morsels and then they will say these are my sins and this heart of mine is hardened by the continuance in them And therefore it is that the Lord workes in this manner But if the soule be otherwise trained up among godly parents and live under a soule-saving ministery that saith you cannot goe to heaven by a civill course and you cannot have any dispensation for your prophanation of the Sabbath I say if a man live under such a ministery keepe good company the Lord may reforme this man and cut him off from his corruptions kindly and breake his heart secretly in the apprehension of his sinnes and yet the world never see it In both these we have an example in Lydia and the Iaylor Lydia was a sinfull woman and God opened her eyes and melted her heart kindly brought her to a tast of his goodnesse here and glory hereafter But the Iaylor was an outragious rebellious wretch for when the Apostles were committed to prison he layed them up in stockes and whipped them sore O saies he now I have gotten these precise â—ellowes into my hands I wil have my penny-worths of them Now there was much worke to bring this man home when the Apostles were singing Psalmes there came an earth-quake which made the Prison doores to fly open and the prisoners fetters fall off but yet the Iaylors heart would not shake at last the Lord did shake his heart too and he came trembling and was ready to lay violent hands upon himselfe because he thought the prisoners had beene fled but the Apostles cried to him Doe thy selfe no harme for we are all here with that he fell downe before them and said Men and brethren what shall I doe to be
he saith to himselfe Thou hast sinned and offended a just God and therefore thou must be damned and to hell thou must goe This is the particular seising of the curse upon a sinfull soule for this is the nature of true sorrow if evill be to come we feare it if evill be upon us we grieue and sorrow for it herein is the greatest worke of all the Lord deales diversly as he seeth fit specially these three wayes First if God have a purpose to civilize a man he will lay his sorrow as a fetter upon him he only meanes to civilize him and knocke off his fingers from base courses as wee have knowne some in our daies many desperate persecutors of Gods people God casts his sorrow into their hearts and then they say they will persecute Gods people no more haply they are naught still but God confines them first God only rippes the skinne a little and layeth some small blow upon him but if a man have been rude and a great ryoter the Lord begins to serve a writ upon him and saith Thou art the man to thee be it spoken thy sins are weighed and thou art found too light heaven and salvation is departed from thee thy sorrow is begunne here never to have end hereafter but thou must continue in endlesse torments thou hast continued in sinne and therefore expect the fierce anger of the Lord to be upon thee for ever so that now the soule seeth the flashes of hell and Gods wrath upon the soule and the terrours of hell lay hold upon the heart and he confesseth he is so and he hath done so And therfore he is a poore damned creature and then the soule labours to welter it and it may be his conscience will be deluded by some carnall minister that makes the way broader then it is and bids him goe and drinke and play and worke away his sorrow or else it may be he stops the mouth of conscience with some outward performances it may be his conscience saith Thou hast committed these these sinnes and thou wilt be damned for them And then he entreats conscience to be quiet hold his peace and he will pray in his family and heare sermons and take up some good courses and thus he takes up a quiet civill course and stayeth here a while at last comes to nothing And thus God leaves him in the lurch if he meanes only to civilize him But Secondly if God intends to doe good to a man he will not let him goe thus and fall to a civill course When a man begins to colour over his old sinnes and God hath broken his teeth that he cannot worry as formerly but yet there is no power in him If the Lord love that soule he will much the more clearely reveale his sinnes unto him God will plucke away all his chambering and wantonnesse all his pride and peevishnesse and pull off his vizzard and shew him all his sinnes and pursue him therefore as before God entred the blow so now he followes it home And hence it is that Iob saith The arrowes of the Almighty sticke fast in me and the venome thereof drinkes up my spirits and the terrours of the Almighty encampe themselves against me every way And as David saith Thou keepest my eyes waking and my sinnes are ever before me If God love a sinner and meane to doe good to him he will not let him looke off his sinne the Lord wil ferret him from his denne and from his base courses and practises He will be with you in all your stealing and pilfering and in all your cursed devises if you belong to him he will not give you over And in another place Iob saith How long wilt thou not depart from me nor let me alone till I swallow downe my spittle You had better a great deale now have your hearts humbled and broken and see your sinnes then to see them when there is no remedy And in another place the holy man Iob saith Thou wilt not suffer me to take in my breath but fillest me with bitternesse Your eyes have beholden vanity therefore now you shall see the Lords wrath against you for your sinnes and you have breathed out your venome against the Lord of heaven therefore now he will fill your soules with indignation in so much that he shall breath in his wrath as you have breathed out your oathes against him you have filled the Lords eyes and eares with your abominations and the Lord of heaven shall fill you answerably with his wrath And in another place Iob saith Thou wilt breake a dry leafe tossed too and fro And yet the Lord brake him Now the soule seeth all the evill and the Lord pursueth him and sets conscience aworke to the full Consider that of the Apostle That all those might be damned which beleeved not the truth but had pleasure in unrighteousnesse Even all of them What shall no great ones be saved No nor you little ones neither all that lay not hold upon Christ but have pleasure in unrighteousnesse not only great ones and such as are abominably prophane but even all that had pleasure in wickednesse Now conscience saith Doest not thou know that thou art one of them that have had pleasure in unrighteousnesse therefore away thou must goe and thou shalt be damned Now the soule shakes and is driven beyond it selfe and would utterly faint but that the Lord upholds it with one hand as he beates it downe with the other he thinkes that every thing is against him and the fire burnes to consume him and he thinkes the ayre will poyson him conscience flies in his face and he thinkes hell mouth is open to receive him and the wrath of God hangs over his head and if God should take away his life he should tumble head-long downe to hell Now the soule is beyond all shift when it is day he wisheth it were night when it is night he wisheth it were day the wrath of God followeth him wheresoever he goeth and the soule would faine be rid of this but he cannot and yet all the while the soule is not heavy and sorrowfull for sinne he is burdened and could be content to throw away the punishment and horror of sinne but not the sweet of sinne as it is with a child that taâ—es a live coale in his hand thinking to play with it when he feeles fire in it he throws it away he doth not throw it away because it is blacke but because it burnes him So it is here A sinfull wretch will throw away his sinne because of the wrath of God that is due to him for it and the drunkard will be drunke no more but if he might have his queanes and his pots without any punishment or trouble he would have them with all his heart he loves the blacke and sweet of sinne well enough but he loves not the plague of sinne Foolish people saith the
let us admire and blesse this good God and not quarrell with his ministers nor providence and say other men have comfort and therefore why am I so troubled and disquieted how now It is endlesse mercy that thou livest therefore downe with thy proud heart and stifle those distempers of Spirit and say The Lord hath broken and wounded me but blessed be his name that I may come to Church and that he hath not dealt with me as I have deserved but in goodnesse and mercy I hope God in his season will doe good to my soule Secondly let us be wise to nourish this same blessed worke in our hearts for ever let us have our hearts more and more strengthened because thereby our hearts will be more more inabled to beare and undergoe any thing if you have but a little glimpse of hope cover it and labour to maintaine it and if ever God let in any glimpse of mercy into your hearts let it not goe out it is ever good to take that way that God takes the Lord sustaines our hearts with hope hope is the sinewes of the soule therefore strengthen it As a marriner that is tost with a tempest in a darke night when he sees no starres he casts anchor and that cheares him this hope is the anchor of the soule whereby it lookes out and expects mercy from God the poore soule seeth no light nor comfort nothing but the wrath of an angry God and he saith God is a just God and a jealous God even that God whose truth I have opposed is displeased with me then the soule is tossed and troubled and runnes upon the rockes of despaire how shall the soule be supported in this condition you will finde this true one day therefore looke to it before you vile drunkards are now sayling in a faire gale of pleasure and carnall delight but when the Lords wrath shall seaze upoÌ„ you wheÌ„ he shal let in the flashes of hel fire then you are tossed sometimes up to heaven now downe to hell therefore cast anchor now and this hope will uphold you for this hope is called the anchor of the soule Thou dost not yet see the Lord refreshing of thee but it may be otherwise The people of NiniviÌ„e said Who knowe's but God may repent this upheld their hearts and made them seeke to the Lord in the use of the meanes and the Lord had mercy on them If you belong unto the Lord he will come against those drunken proud hearts and rebellious hearts of yours and dragge them downe to hell and make them sorrow for their sinnes And remember this against that day Who knowes but the Lord may shew mercy and therefore yet heare and pray and fast and seeke unto him for mercy We fence those parts of our bodies most that are most pretious and the hurt whereof is most dangerous Hope is called the helmes of salvation and the assurance of Gods love is the head of a Christian now take away a Christians head and he is cleane gone the devil ever labours for that and saith You come to heaven prove it Loe you thinke God hath need of drunkards and adulterers in heaven and will God provide a crowne of glory for his professed enemies Hath God made heaven a hog-fâ—ie for such uncleane wretches as you are No no there is no such expectation of mercy this wounds the head of the soule but hope is the helmet that covers the head of a Christian makes him say I confesse I am as bad as any man can say of me heaven is a holy place and and I have no goodnesse at all in me yet there is hope the Lord may breake this proud heart of mine and take away these distempers of Spirit Now by this meanes the head of a Christian is kept sure Quest. But some will say how shall we maintaine this hope in our hearts and by what meanes may we feed this hope Answ. The meanes are especially three First take notice of the Al-sufficiencie of God as he hath revealed himselfe in his word say not as many do I cannot conceive it or I cannot finde it but what doth the word say Is not God able to pardon thy sinnes away then with those I cannot conceive it and the like Is there any thing hard for me saith God Whatsoever thy estate is there is nothing hard to him that hath hardnesse at command when our Saviour said It is as easie for a camell to goe through the eye of a needle as for a rich man to goe into heaven Good Lord said they Who can be saved But Christ said with God all things are possible if you looke unto man how he is glued to the world so that all the ministers under heaven cannot pull him away but still he will lie and cozen Reason and Judgement cannot conceive how this man should be saved but with God all things are possible See what the Apostle saith Abraham above hope beleeved under hope that he should be the Father of many nations this he did because he knew he which had promised was able to performe it and this did feed his hope he did beleeve above hope in regard of the creature under hope in regard of God As if he had said I have a dead body but God is a living God and Sarah hath a barren wombe but God is a fruitfull God It may be thou sayest Object if any exhortatioÌ„ would have wrought upon me then my heart might have beene brought to a better passe but can this stubborne heart of mine be made to yeild And can these strong corruptions of mine be subdued Howsoever thou canst not doe it Answ. yet God can quicken thee and although thou art a damned man yet he is a mercifull God this all-sufficiencie of God is a hooke whereon our soules hang when the Apostles had prayed that the minds of the Ephesians might be opened and that they might be able to know the love of Christ because some one might say how shall we know that which is above knowledge the text saith Now to him that is able to doe abuÌ„dantly above all that we can thinke or aske according to his mighty power that worketh in us to him be glory As though he had said though you cannot thinke or aske as you should yet God is able to doe exceeding abundantly more then we can thinke or aske so then no more but this we are not able of our selves to thinke a good thought yet there is sufficient power in God and though we are dead hearted and damned wretches yet there is sufficient salvation in God Let us hang the handle of hope on this hooke Secondly the freenesse of Gods promise marvelously lifts up the head above water as the beggar saith The doale is free why may not I get it as well as another This sometimes dasheth our hopes when the soule begins to thinke what mercy is offered he saith
thou sowest up mine iniquities Wicked men doe treasure up vengeance against the day of the Lord the profane person treasures up wrath and in the eighteenth verse he saith The mountaines falling come to nothing as if he had said good Lord who can beare all those sinnes that I have committed Are they all sealed up and shall all the judgements due unto them fall upon me heavier then the mountaines Good Lord what rock or mountaine can beare the weight of my sinnes thus sealed up setled and laid close to my heart And so God seales up an hundred thousand oathes in one bagge and an ocean of pride and mischiefes done to Gods people and Church are barrelled up in another and the Lord shall one day lay all these upon thy necke Who is able to beare all these sinnes Now it falles out with a sinner as it is with a banckrout debtor one man throwes him into prison and when he is there every one comes against him and so he shall never come out but die and rotte in the prison so though the Lord will not execute judgement on thee speedily yet in the end the Lord will be paid for all thy sins and when thou art in hell then mercy and justice and patience will cry all to heaven for justice and vengeance then happily a drunkard is cast into prison for his drunkennesse and for his blasphemy and then all his filthinesse comes in as so many bills of inditement against him Oh therefore labour to see sinne alive we play with sinne as if it were dead when children see the picture of a dead lyon upon a wall they labour to pull him in pieces but if there were a live lyon in the place it would make the strongest to runne So thou paintest thy sinne and sayest it is thy infirmity God forgive your swearing the like and thus you dally with your sinnes but brethren labour to see sinne alive and to see sinne roaring upon you see the pawe of sinne and the condemnation that shall be throwne upon the soule by it and this will awake the soule in the apprehension of it Secondly we must see sinne convictingly that it may be so to us as it is in it selfe that looke what sinne is in it selfe we may so conceive of it in our soules being guilty of it and this discovers it selfe in these two particulars First when we have a particular apprehension in our owne person that looke what we confesse to be in sinne in generall we confesse the same in our owne soules and that our sinnes are as bad as the sinnes of any this is the cursed distemper of our hearts howsoever we hold it to be truth in generall yet when we come to our owne sinnes the case is altered and we never come to the right seeing of them as they concerne our owne particular As the adulterer can easily confesse the danger and filthynesse of that sinne in others but he thinkes not his sinne to be so vile as the Wise man saith He that enters into the house of an harlot doth he ever returne againe doth he ever take hold of the path of life The Lord is pleased to set such a heavy stamp on this sinfull distemperature These are truths and a man in his cold blood wil easily confesse it in the generall that he never returnes againe Take the words as they are in the letter of them and howsoever they have some other interpretations yet in the letter it is thus read he is euer hardly recovered Howsoever it may be yet with much difficulty David had let his soule loose in that he did hardly recover himselfe againe scarce one of a thousand yet ever tooke hold of the way of life And the drunkard will confesse the danger of his sinne in generall when he sees his drunken mates lie grovelling in the dust he will be ashamed of it and say Now no adulterer or drunkard shall ever come into the kingdome of heaven but here is the wound of it when he comes to his owne particular drunkennesse and uncleannesse that he must looke into them then the sight of a mans knowledge hath not so much power as to judge himselfe rightly or to make a particular application to himselfe but he thinkes his adultery and drunkennesse is not like to another mans or else his knowledge is but weake or else he seeth as a man in the twylight when the sun is downe and the heavens begin to withdraw their light though a man can see to read abroad yet he cānot see to read in the house or in the chamber So it is with a weake knowledge and with a feeble understanding in a wicked man he is notable to see the vile nature of sinne in himselfe when he comes to read his owne closet sinnes and his bosome abominations then he hath not so much light as to perceive them so fully in himself as he thought to doe therefore the rule is this Arest thy soule in a speciall maner of those sinnes whereof thou standest guilty that phrase in Iob is to good purpose thou lookest narrowly to my pathes thou settest a print upon the heels of my feet so God followed Iob to the hard heeles and did narrowly observe his waies so deale thou with thy owne soule and set a print upon the heele of thy heart arest thy heart in particular for thy sins and I would have you perceive your owne particular sinnes and follow them to your hearts and make huy and cry after your sinnes and dragge your hearts before the Lord and say Is murther pride drunkennesse and uncleannesse such horrible sinnes and doth God thus fearefully plague them Lord it was my heart that was proud and vaine it was my tongue that did speake filthily blasphemously my hand hath wrought wickednesse my eye was wanton and my heart was uncleane and filthy Lord here they are it is my affections that are disorderly and it is I that doe delight too much in the world Thus bring thy heart before the Lord you shall observe the same in David so long as Nathan spake of sinne in generall he conceived of it truly and confessed the vilenes of it and the heart of this good King did rage against the man saying It is the Sonne of death but as soone as the prophet had said Thou art the man though he never saw his sinne kindly before yet now his heart yeelded and he began to see himselfe and his sinne in the naturall colours of it So the Apostle Iohn saith Hee that hateth his brother is a man-slayer and you know no man-slayer hath eternall life abiding in him Then play thou the part of Nathan and say I am the man it is this wretched heart of mine that hath hated the Saints of God and therefore if I be a murtherer will not my sinne keepe me from the kingdome of heaven as well as another mans Yes that it will if pride
notorious wretch as a murtherer or an adulterer or a theef or such like then he had cause to feare but God will not bring him to an account for every smal sin That this is the sleight of the soule I will shew you and then shew you how to avoid it It is ordinary with every carnall heart more or lesse to reason as Eliphaz with Iob How doth God know can he judge through the darke thicke cloudes are a covering to him that he seeth not he walketh in the circuits of heaven It is the guise of wicked men to say so Nay it is that which the hearts of Gods people are driven to a stand withall when they consider the passages of wicked men now God seeth them and doth not punish them they say How doth God know and Is there knowledge in the Almighty When the Prophet saw the way of the wicked to prosper their eyes to start out with fatnesse he saith Doth God see this and not punish it as if he had said Did God care for all that is done here below could he brooke such strange oppositions of his word and his gospell and his members I doubt not but that there is many an adulterous heart that thinkes a darke night shall cover all his abominations and the malicious man that contrives evill against Gods children he thinkes that God considers not his course or else that God will not trouble himself to execute Judgement upon him for all his sinnes As the Prophet saith The Lord will not doe Good nor Evill he is marvelous quiet he will not trouble himselfe neither for the good that doth befall nor for the evill that is deserved by us Nay this is the bane of our ministery when people heare of many Judgements denounced against sinne and sinners I tell you what they thinke of all this they thinke they are words of course If the adulterer or drunkard did consider that no such person should inherit the kingdome of heaven durst they goe on surely no. But they thinke they are but the words of some hot spirited minister to awe and scare men and keepe them in compasse and they will not be perswaded but God is more mercifull then so that he should punish for every small sinne they thinke this is more then reasonable Let him make speede saith the wicked that we may see it and let the Counsell of the most High draw nigh that we may know it As if they had said You ministers tell us much of Gods wrath against Ierusalem let us see those enemies and let the word of the Lord come to passe now all these words are but winde c. These are the carnall cavills of gracelesse persons To which I answer It is desperate ignorance and marvelous Atheisme of heart whereby the devill labours to keepe men in sin the Lord knowes thy thoughts long before if thou wouldest hide thy selfe from the Lord in the darke the day and the night are all one with him nay the Lord will search Ierusalem with candles the word in the originall signifies to tracke her Nay he will not leave searching till he finde thee out for the wayes of man are before the Lord and he ponders all his doings and if our hearts condemne us God knoweth all things and is greater then our hearts Doth thy Conscience checke thee for vaine thoughts and cursed devices then God knoweth much more by thee then thou knowest by thy selfe God did see Achan stealing the wedge of Gold and David in his adultery and he seeth all the malice of thy heart against his Saints and all thy uprising of heart against Gods word Nay the Lord seeth all the prankes of the adulterer in the darkest night and God is just to bring all things to judgement and thee also to an accompt for them In vaine it is for wicked men to digge deepe to hide their counsell from the Lord These things hast thou done said God and I kept silence and therefore thoughtest I was altogether such a one as thy selfe but I will reprove thee and set all thy sinnes in order before thee You must not thinke God is so gentle No he will set all your sinnes in order before you if not here for your humiliation yet hereafter for your everlasting confusion the drunkard shall then see all his pot companions and the adulterer his mates and the unjust person all his trickes nay God wil not bate thee one thought of thy heart be where you will God will finde you out with his judgements and say Lo here is thy pride here is thy murther here are all thy abominations this is the wretch that could carry fire in the one hand and water in the other these are thy sinnes and this shall be thy punishment Secondly if God be so mighty say they that he knowes all Object and will call us to an accompt for all then it is but sorrowing so much the more and that we will doe afterwards and this will make all well enough it is but repenting Answ. To this I answer Doe you make a but at it be not deceived God is not nay cannot be mocked and therefore delude not your owne soules every repentance will not serve the turne thou mayest have remorse of heart and repent and cry to God for thy sinnes and this tormenting of thy heart will be but a forerunner of thy everlasting damnation hereafter the Lord may deale with thee as Moses said of the people of Israel You returned and wept before the Lord but he would not hearken to your voice So the time may come that all weeping and wailing will not serve the turne You see Iudas wept and brought backe the thirty pieces of silver he had marvelous horrour of Conscience he tooke shame to himselfe and made restitution and yet a damned creature for ever Thou that thinkest it such an â—asâ—e matter aske thy owne heart this question Canst thou bee content to lay open all thy cursed sinfull courses and all the wrong that thou hast done Consider what a hard matter it is to bring thy heart to it to confesse all thy close adulteries and when thou hast done all this thou mayest be as farre from salvation as Iudas was who went and hanged himselfe therefore it is not every sorrow will serve the turne and bring comfort to thy soule but it must be repentance of the right stampe And againe dost thou thinke thou hast repentance at command this is that which cuts the throat of mens soules and deprives them of all the benefit of the meanes of grace thou art not sure though thou shalt live thou hast power of thy selfe to repent savingly and shall any man be so senselesse as to hang his happinesse on that which cannot help him If thou didst consider thy owne weakenesse thou wouldest not say that repentance is in thine owne power Remember what the Apostle saith Proving if peradventure
there doe not let it grow loose againe and carelesse againe for then you had as good never have beene melted And that is the reason why many a poore sinner that hath sometime beene in a good way and the Lord hath come kindly and wrought powerfully on the heart and yet at last it hath grown cold dumpish as hard as ever he was againe and the worke is to beginne againe And take notice of it looke as it is with the cure of the body if a man have an old wound and a deepe one two things are observable it is not enough to launce the wound and draw out the corruptions but it must be tented also for if the wound be deepe it must not be healed presently but it must be kept open with a tent that it may be healed soundly and thoroughly so it is here meditatiō whē it is set on doth launce the soule it launceth the heart of a man and it will goe downe to the bottome of the belly When a man seeth his sinne and weigheth his sinne it will goe downe to the bottom sometime and when your heart is thus affected do not heale it too soone but hold the soule in that blessed frame disposition For as meditatiō doth launce the soule so attention doth tent the soule keepe the soule therfore so troublesome and sorrowfull that so you may be healed soundly thorowly and comfortably I use to finde this by experience a City that is be leaguerd and wonne he that hath won it sets a Garison over it that he may keepe it for ever under So when the soule hath beene wonne by the stroke of meditation affecting the heart with sinne then set a garison over the soule and keepe it in awe set a garison over the Conscience and keepe all downe keepe all under that it may submit it selfe and that kindly under the stroke of the truth for it were a blessed frame if we could alwayes be so in that temper that we are in when we are first humbled for our sinnes The third rule which is marvelous usefull is this when the soule hath beene affected with sinne by meditation and kept to sinne by attention then know how you must stint your soules know therefore that the soule must be so farre kept to the consideration of sinne that it may seeke out for pardon for sinne This is a point of marvelous use and you must give the leave to be inlarged because there are many deceits this way in the spirits of a man for marke it this is the cunning of the Devill if it be possible he will keepe a man that he shall never see muse nor be troubled for sinne and therefore he doth plucke him off and sends him to company on one side and merriment on the other side that by this meanes he may keepe him from serious meditation of the evill But if it be so that God wil make a man meditate of his sinnes and that the heart of a sinner is fully resolved to muse and ponder and consider of his corruptions If he will pore upon his sinnes then he shall see nothing else but sinne and thus the Devill hath hindred many a poore soule from comming unto Christ and frō receiving comfort of him he shall now be alwayes poring upon his corruptions and therefore here lies the skill of a Christian not to neglect meditation and therefore here is the stint of meditation of our sinnes you shall thus discover it So farre see thy sinnes so farre be affected with them so farre hold thy minde to them that they may make thee see an absolute necessity of a Christ and that these sinnes may drive thee to the Lord Iesus Christ for succour here is the maine thing observable and thus farre we may goe and must goe if ever God intend to doe good to our soules and therefore when thou settest thy soule and bestowest thy selfe to muse and meditate upon thy corruptions and lay them to thy heart when thou findest thy soule to bee affected with them and humbled under them labour then to see an absolute necessity of a Lord Iesus Christ and so farre see them that they may drive thee compell thee to seeke unto Christ for mercy and this is all God lookes for all the Lord requires and cares for in this preparation or preparative worke And therefore take notice of it see thy sinnes so farre as they may make thee meerely looke for a Christ and to fall upon the armes of Gods mercy in and through Christ. For it is not sorrow for sinne nor humiliation nor faith it selfe that can justifie us in it selfe but onely these must make way for us to a Christ and through him we must receive comfort for these two be the speciall extreames that the Devill seekes to drive a man into If a man presume of a mans owne sufficiency then he thinkes he is well and he will not goe to Christ because he thinkes he doth not stand in need of Christ and if he despaire of his owne abilitie he will not goe to Christ neither and here is the ground why a sinner despaires it is not by reason of any sinne excepting onely the sinne against the holy Ghost despaire is not grounded there for Cain despaired yet Manasses committed greater sinnes then Cain and despaired not but the soule despaires out of stoutnesse of heart because it hath not sufficiencie in it selfe it will not looke out for helpe and comfort from another presumption saith I have sufficiencie in my selfe and need not goe unto Christ and despaire saith I have not sufficiencie and therefore will not goe to Christ here is the property of despaire to cast away hope when a man hath no hope that God will helpe him now all the while the soule lookes for sufficiencie from Christ there is hope for though our sinnes bee never so hainous that 's nothing all the question is whether we can hope in Christ For if all the sinnes that ever were are or shall be committed ranne into one man as all Rivers runne into one Sea Christ could as easily pardon his sinnes as ever he pardoned the sinnes of any Saints in heaven but here is the ground when we looke into our selves we can see there is no sufficiencie to comfort us and we will not goe to Christ that we may be comforted and so we come to be voide of hope and to despaire a despairing heart is a proud stubborne heart because he cannot have what he would of his owne therefore he will not goe to another to receive it and so sinkes downe in his sinnes And therefore let this be the period and stint of meditation when the soule so farre seeth sinne and the punishment deserved by it that the hart is resolved that none but Christ can take away these sinnes and the punishments due to them and is resolved to seeke to Christ and be beholden to him for all when it is thus with
and pitch of meditation thus farre see and affect and drawe your hearts to the consideration of your sinnes that the soule may be forced to goe to Christ and use all meanes to find him pray for a Christ heare for a Christ use all meanes and see a need of a Christ to blesse thee in all thy services and see a need of a Christ to pardon thy sinnes and then you take a right course And thus much for the second passage now we see how to follow meditation home that the soule may be affected therewith and holden thereto Ay but you will say our thoughts are dull and our meditation fraile and our wants heavy and little good we get by this meditation we fall to sinne againe how shall we come to get the life of meditation that it may be to us as it ought to be I answer the meanes to make meditation powerfull are two I confesse after a man hath mused and pondered it is possible that a corrupt heart may recoile and fall backe againe therefore there are two helpes to put more life into meditation First labour to call in the helpe and assistance of conscience that meditation may be more fruitfull and powerfull conscience is a great commander it is Gods vicegerent and chiefe officer and God is the general overseer of all the affaires of the world but conscience hath authority to execute Judgement according to the sentence God hath revealed and hath a greater command with the heart then bare meditation hath understanding and reason are but the underlings of the wil they are but servaÌ„ts subjects to the wil and these only suggest and advise unto the will what is good as a servant may suggest to his master what is good and yet his master may take what he list refuse what he please in this kind But conscience hath a greater command Rom. 2.15 conscience is said to accuse or excuse a man and conscience comes with a law and a command as the Apostle saith 1. Iohn 3.20 If our hearts condemne us conscience makes the heart to yeeld I compâ—â—e it thus look as it is happily with a man that is in debt if a man have a writ out for him he is not troubled greatly with that he will not goe to prison because of that nay though he shew it him yet he will not goe but if he brings the Sergeanâ—â—o arrest him then he must go and and then he must be imprisoned whether he will or noe So it is here meditation brings in the writ and sheweth a man his sinnes layeth open all his duties neglected so many hundred duties omitted so many thousand sinnes committed so many prophanatioÌ„s of Sabbaths so many oathes so many blasphemies but the soule saith What is this to me I have sinned and others have sinned and I shall doe as well as others but conscience is a Sergeant and Sergeants do your office these are your sinnes and as you will answer it at the day of Judgement take heed of those sins upon paine of everlasting ruine When conscience begins thus to arrest a man then the heart comes and gives way to the truth revealed and conscience thus settles it upon the heart The Second meanes whereby meditation may get power upon the soule is this we must cry crave and call for the spirit of humiliation and contrition that God by that blessed spirit of his which in Scripture is called the spirit of bondage would set to his helping hand assist conscience his officer take the matter into his owne hand and because there are many rebellious corruptions that oppose Gods truth we must call to heaven for helpe that God would seise upon the heart and breake it A perverse heart will linde the Judgement and say I will have my sinnes though I be damned for them and when conscience comes and saith I will beare witnes against you for your pride and covetousnesse and prophanesse They resist conscience Looke as it is if a Sergeant arrest a man he may escape his hands or kill the Sergeant but if the Sheriffe or the King himself come take the prisoner in hand then he must goe to prison whether he will or no so it is here though a corrupt heart can stoppe conscience stay conscience yet there is a commanding power of Gods spirit the spirit of humiliation And when God comes from heaven to aide his officer the heart must stoope and be governed Looke as it is with a child that is under government his father perhaps bids the servant correct him now it is admirable to see how the child will taunt with the servant and struggle with him mightily now when the father heareth this he saith Give me the rod and he tells the child you would not be whipped but I will scourge you and he will set it home and plague him so much the more because he resisted the servant So it is here the Lord hath revealed his will and sent his ministers to discover your sins and verrifie your hearts it is strange to see what resistance we finde one scornes to heare and rebells against the minister Well however the voice of the minister or the word cannot make the blow fall heavy enough for the time yet if the Lord take the rod into his owne hand he will make the stoutest stomack stoope and the hardest heart come in when the father takes the rod into his hand and lets in hell fire he will set it home take it off who will or can the Apostle cals it the spirit of bondage and observe the place When the spirit of bondage commeth then commeth feare The spirit of bondage is said to be the spirit of feare as who should say the Lord sheweth a man his bondage by the Almighty power of his Spirit and will make the soule feele it and stoope unto it In Iob the Lord doth shew unto men their workes and then he commands them to returne he openeth their eare to discipline saith the text and commandeth that they returne from iniquity he openeth the eye and maketh a man see his sinnes and then he commands the heart to returne whether it will or no. When the Lord doth shew unto man his sinnes and holds him to his sinnes that he cannot looke off them this is the worke of the spirit of bondage when conscience hath done his duty and yet his mouth is stopped then the Lord himselfe comes and however the word by the mouth of the ministery could not prevaile yet God will set the sun-light of his spirit to your soules and then you shall see your sinnes and stoope under them When a man would cut off the sense of sinne yet where ever he is and what ever he doth the Lord presents his sins to him when he goeth in the way he reades his sinnes in the pathes when he is at meate his sinnes are before him when he goeth to lie downe he goeth to read
saved I conclude this naturally all men are locked up under infidelity now the Lord opeÌ„s their hearts severally you know some lockes are new and fresh and therefore an easie key may open them but some lockes are old and rusty and therefore must be broken open by force of hand so it is with some mens hearts howsoever sin prevailes over the hearts of civill men and they are full of pride and the like and yet their hearts are kept cleare froÌ„ rusting by restrayning grace now the Lord will draw that man by the key of his spirit and kindly withdraw him from his sinne But if a man have beene an old rusty drunkard or adulterer no key can open his heart alas it is not a little matter will doe the deed it is not now and then a gratious promise that will breake his heart But the Lord must come downe from heaven and breake open the doore by strong hand by awaking his conscience that all the countrey rings of him You know all mens hearts are compared to stones some stones are soft you may crush them to pieces with your hands and some are flints which must have many blowes before they will breake so it is with the heart while it hath not beene melted and softned by humility the Lord must breake it open by maine force and as it is with a tree some branches are young and smooth without knots and some are old ones and full of knots now if a man come every day and give a little cut at the tender branch at last it will off easily but it is no cutting of an old tree with a pen-knife but a man must take an axe and give many a sore cut that all the people in the towne may heare it All men grow upon the root of sinne which is Adams rebellion some are young and have not growne knotty in a rebellious course every Sabbath day the Lord gives a cut at him by his counsels and by his threatnings and by his promises at last it falls off kindly and they are content to part with their sinnes and to rest upon Christ for mercy Another man is an old sturdy vile wretch an over-growne adulterer and drunkard and his heart is blinded in sinne I tell you if ever the Lord cut off this man from his base course hee must come with a mighty hand and with his book of the Law God is ever laying at his soule blow after blow and so at last hee begins to forsake his wicked courses What saith one is such a man turned hee was as heavy a persecutor as ever the Sunne saw his father was an enemy to all goodnesse and hee was as bad Like father like sonne Hath the Lord brought him home Yes now hee sends to the faithfull Ministers and to Gods people for comfort and direction The third and last part of the answer is this That when God workes gently with Christians they hardly perceive the worke though wise Christians may approve that which is done for this is certaine wheresoever Christ is there preparation was if ever man be saved Christ hath made him see his lost estate Sometime the worke is secret and the soule apprehends it not because it is so and though he doe yet it is an unknowne worke to him hee knowes not what to make of it he can finde in his heart to hate those and those sinfull courses yet he cannot see how this was wrought in him Mans spirit is such that he misjudgeth the worke but give me a Christian that God doth please to worke upon in this extraordinary manner and to breake his heart soundly to throw him downe to some purpose though it cost him deare this man walkes with more eare and conscience and hath more comfort comming to himselfe and gives more glory to God wheras the other doth but little good in his place and hath little comfort comming to him Therefore labour for soundnes in this worke and then for ever sound but if once deluded here then for ever cozened and everlastingly damned The first-Use is for instruction It is so that the soule of a man is thus pierced to the quicke and runne thorow by the wrath of the Almighty Then let this teach the Saints and people of God how to carry themselves towards such as God hath thus dealt withall Are they pierced men Oh pitty them let our soules and the bowells of commiseration and compassion bee let out towards them and let us never cease to doe good to them to the very uttermost of our power and strength And to the performance of this not onely reason perswades us but Religion bindes us and pitty moves us See what the Lord saith by Moses If a man see his neighbours oxe or asse fall into distresse by the way the Lord commanded to ease him and succour him nay to lay all businesse aside and not to hide himselfe from him Thus the Lord commands mercy to the unreasonable creature that is thus wearied with the weight that he carrieth hath the Lord care of oxen As the Apostle saith in another case It is for our sakes that the Lord requires this duty The meaning is this shall not the heart of thy brother be eased that is tired thus with the wrath of the Almighty shall not this poore fainting creature be succoured are you men or are you beasts in this kinde If a hogge be but in distresse it is strange to see how folke come about it are we divels then that we can see poore creatures burthened with the unconceivable wrath of the Lord and not pitty them doe you see these and not mourne and succour and pray to heaven for them See what Iob saith and let him speake in the behalfe of all distressed soules O saith hee that my sorrowes were all weighed they would prove heavier then the sand Marke how he cries for succour oh you my friends have pitty upon me for the hand of God is heavy upon me for the hand of God hath touched me Imagine you saw him sitting upon the dunghill mourning it is not the hand of a man or an enemy but the heavy hand of God and therefore all you my friends that see my anguish and my sorrowes have pitty upon me Those palefaces and blubbered cheekes and feeble hearts and hands of theirs say thus much unto you have you no regard of a man in misery have you no pitty saith the Lamenting Chuâ—ch so doth every grieved humbled soule their sighes and sorrowes in secret say thus much oh all you that walke in the streets have you no remorse of a poore desolate forlorne creature Had I beene only wounded or had my nature growne weake some Physitian might have eased me had I been poore some friends might have enriched me had I beene disgraced the King might have advanced me to honours but was there ever sorrow like to my sorrow of soule It is the God of mercy that shewes
their corruptions but keepe the corruptions still As Ahab did he hated Micaiah and afterwards he fasted and prayed that he might sinne more freely without suspition So there is many a cursed hypocrite that lives in a faire course and yet will cheat and lie and deale marvelous unjustly and then he will complaine of his sinne and confesse only to bath his sins but drown his sins subdue them he will not and this he doth that he may sinne more freely againe it is but fasting and praying c. O brethren it is a desperate hypocrisie that sorrow which God hath appointed as a meanes to purge out sinne should be a meanes to cover his sinne will a few wambling teares doe the deed and breake the heart is this acceptable sorrow you your selves are ashamed of this work and do you thinke God will accept of it No no it is not the rending of the garments nor the weeping of the eyes that will doe the deed but you must breake your hearts If you only cut off the legs or wings of a fowle it will live for all that so you cut off the armes or hands of sinne but so long as the heart is not wounded and driven to any amazement for sin it will live with you here and in hell too Oh doe not cozen your owne soules it is not the teares of the eye but the blood of the heart that your sinnes must cost and if you come not to this never thinke that your sorrow is good and therefore you that finde your selves guilty lay your hands upon your hearts say Good Lord this is my portion the Lord knowes I have confessed my sinnes and yet have taken liberty to sin but my heart was never burthened with this evill and vilenesse of sinne and therefore to this day I never had this true sorrow There is a third sort of sorrowers which is the worst of all they are such as heretofore have drunke deepe of this sorrow and have beene extraordinarily strucken and yet they are grown so much the more hardened in their sinnes by all these blowes that God hath layed upon them these are in a desperate condition even such as God hath made howle in the congregation yet afterwards fall into the same courses againe and returne to their old byas and now they can out-face God and his ministers and all and thinke it a matter of basenesse to be disquieted in heart as they have beene such novices and children they were once that they could not sleepe nor be quieted but now they care not what all the ministers under heaven say against them nay they can fleare in our faces and be drunke and vile be never troubled for it they have gottē the skill of it This is the most fearfull condition that almost a poore creature can fall into Thou accountest it thy glory and credit that thou canst beare all and art metall of proofe and no bullets can pierce thee thou wast troubled before but now thou hast shaken it off This I say is thy shame will aggravate thy condemnation nay I take it to be one of the forest tokens under heaven of a gracelesse heart If thou hast had thy conscience awakened and hast beene troubled for sin and now dost fly off It is a signe of Gods high displeasure towards thee thou takest the right course as if God had invēted a way to destroy thy soule as you may see in Esay Go thy waies saith the Lord Speake to this people but they shall not heare make the heart of this people fat as though he had said there are a company of people in such a place Goe thy waies to them open their eyes and touch their hearts and awaken their consciences and when thou hast done then let their consciences be feared and fatted and then they will goe the right way to destruction for if they would awaken and sorrow kindly and repent I must needs save them Let these men remember that it is a heavy signe God hath forsaken them me thinkes this should trouble their soules exceedingly force them to cry out I am the man that have my heart fatted and would not be touched and converted Now if all be true that I have said there are but few sorrowers for sinne therefore few saved here we see the ground reason why many fly off from Godlinesse and Christianity This is the cause their soules were only troubled with a little hellish sorrow but their hearts were never kindly grieved for their sinnes If a mans arme be broken and disjoynted a little it may grow together againe But if it be quite broken off it cannot grow together so the terrour of the Law affrighted his conscience and a powerfull minister unjointed his soule and the Judgements of God were rending of him but he was never cut off altogether and therfore he returnes as vile and as base if not worse then before and he growes more firmly to his corruptions It is with a mans conversion as in some mens ditching they doe not pull up all the trees by the roots but plash them so when you come to have your corruptions cut off you plash them and do not wound your hearts kindly and you doe not make your soules feele the burthen of sinne truly this wil make a man grow and flourish still howsoever more cunningly and subtilly This lopping professor growes more subtle in his wickednesse the soule that hath beene terrified for his lusts hee is now growne a plashed adulterer and Alehouse haunter hee will be drunke more cunningly and secretly and so he that hath beene an open opposer of Gods children will now jibe and jeast at them in a corner and when he comes amongst his old companions then hee can vent out all his malice This is the reason why all wicked men that were in some good way of preparation of soule they turne their backs upon Christ even because they were never cut off kindly from their sinnes but only unjointed and that is the reason why they fall to their old corruptions againe This is the maine cause of all the hypocrisie under heaven there was never any soule that made profession and fals againe but the ground of it is here The third use is for exhortation If every sorrow will not doe it and if slight sorrow will not doe it what then remaines to be done then if ever thou wouldest be comforted and receive mercy from the great God labour to take the right way and never be quieted til you do bring your hearts to a right pitch of sorrow let it never be said of as it was of you them in Hosea They have not cried unto me with their hearts whē they how led upon their beds they assembled themselves for corn wine but they rebell against me Thou hast a little slight sorrow but oh labour to have thy heart truly touched that at last it may breake in regard of
Object Oh! many are they that have it could I feare God as I should and seeke for mercy as I ought then there were some hope but I have no heart to endeavour or desire after any mercy and I cannot bring my soule nor submit my will to yeild and therefore shall I ever have any mercy Answ. Why not thou too Doth God sell his mercy No he gives it freely God keepes open house Oh the freenesse of that mercy and goodnesse that is in God! he requires nothing of thee to procure it but he shewes mercy because he will shew mercy thou hast no will but God hath a will and his shewing of mercy depends not on thy wil but upon his owne freewil It is true God will make a man will and break his heart because no man otherwise can be saved but it is as true that Christ will give you brokennesse of heart as well as heaven and salvation I will take away the heart of stone and give you a heart of flesh and cause you to walke in my wayes saith the Lord hold this truth in thy soule As there is no worth in the soule that can deserve any thing at Gods hands so there is no sinne the sinne against the holy Ghost only excepted that can hinder the freenes of Gods grace from saving of us if thou belong to him he will hale thee to heaven and pull thee from hell he will make thee lie in the dust and wait for mercy come groveling for his grace and that freely without any thing on thy part Who is a God like to thee saith Micah who pardonest iniquity because mercy doth please thee The Lord sheweth mercy not because thou canst please him but because mercy pleaseth him And in Esay he saith I am he that blotteth out thy offences for my owne names sake But the soule may say Object they were Gods people that did humble themselves and they had hearts to feare him Answ. See that in the twentie fourth verse Thou hast brought me no corne neither hast thou filled me with the fat of thy sacrifice but thou hast wearied me with thy transgressions yet the Lord saith I am he that pardoneth thy sinnes Thou saiest if thou couldest pray and humble thy selfe there were hope of mercy the text doth not say It is a sinner but it is I a God that must doe it this is the freenes of his grace But some may object Object Is it possible that a man should receive any mercy yet be so stubborne and rebellious This makes way for drunkards to live as they list and yet thinke to goe to heaven Answ. I answer It is true the Lord will pardon thē if they belong to him but he will doe it with a witnesse the Lord will dowze that soule of thine in the veine of his vengeance but he will pardon thee too God will pardon thy sinne in Christ but he will make thee feele the bitternesse of sinne Lastly consider the abundance of mercy and goodnesse that is in God whereby he not only strives with us in the midst of all rebellions but he is more mercifull then we are or can be rebellious this helpes the heart of another thing that cuts it For when the soule seeth all his sinnes for number for nature so many and so abominable he saith Object Can mercy be shewed to such a wretch as I am Answ. Yes for as God is al-sufficient and his promise free so he hath plenty of mercy for the worst he exceeds in mercy all the sinnes that can be except that against the holy Ghost and therefore the soule throwes it selfe upon this the Apostle saith Where sinne abounds grace abounds much more lest any man should say Let us sinne that grace may abound the text saith in another place whose damnation is just This knockes off fingers though a sinfull wretch abuse God and Grace yet mercy will overcome the heart in this case but it will cost him deare though thou turnest the grace of God into wantonnesse the Lord will turne that wantonnesse of thine into bitternesse the Lord will sting that heart of thine one day and make thee see whether it be good to forsake mercy when it is offered it will be easier for Sodome then for thee when thou shalt see a company of poore Sodomites frie in hell howsoever God may bring thee to heaven yet he will make thee frie in hell and he will make thee thinke a Sodomite to be in a better condition for the present then thou art Object But some will say God cannot in justice save such a wretch as I am For answer to this see what Saint Iames saith Mercy rejoyceth or triumpheth over Iustice howsoever Iustice saith he must be plagued yet Mercy saith Christ hath made a plentifull satisfaction for him then mercy triumpheth over judgement so then if God be al-sufficient and his promise free and his mercy superabundant then we may be stirred up to hope for mercy from God our hearts may be supported herein for ever Now I come to some other particulars that are plainly exprest in our text First they made a free and open confession of their sinnes they did not stay till the Apostle went to their houses but they went to him and said Men and brethren you have spoken against the sinne of murder and we confesse we are guilty of this sinne they saw their sinnes and confessed them openly before the Apostles The Doctrine which ariseth from hence is this When the heart is truly broken for sinne it will be content to make open free confession thereof when a man is called thereunto or thus sound contrition brings forth bottome confession Men and brethren What shall we doe to be saved as if they had said the truth is we have heard of the feareful condition of such as have killed the Lord Jesus and we confesse whatsoever you have said he was persecuted by us and blasphemed by us we are they that cryed Cucifie him crucifie him we would have eaten his flesh and made dice of his bones we plotted his death and gloried in it these are our sinnes and haply a thousand more that then they revealed and this is remarkable They goe to Peter and the other Apostles they did not goe to the Scribes and Pharisees and that cursed crew Whence observe this by the way when the soule is thus truly broken generally it will never repaire to such as are carnall and wicked men for these people knew that the Scribes and Pharisees had their hands as deeply imbrued in Christs blood as themselves and besides they knew them to be such naughty packes that they would rather incourage them in their sinnes then any way ease them and recover them from the same therefore they went to the Disciples because they were holy and gratious persons and willing to succour them and it is certaine that soule was never truly broken for sinne