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ID	Title	Author	Corrected Date of Publication (TCP Date of Publication)	STC	Words	Pages
A92846	The anatomy of secret sins, presumptuous sins, sins in dominion, & uprightness. Wherein divers weighty cases are resolved in relation to all those particulars: delivered in divers sermons preached at Mildreds in Bread-street London, on Psalm 19. 12, 13. Together with the remissibleness of all sin, and the irremissibleness of the sin against the Holy Ghost preached before an honourable auditory. By that reverend and faithfull minister of the Gospel, Mr. Obadiah Sedgwick, B.D. Perfected by himself, and published by those whom he intrusted with his notes.	Sedgwick, Obadiah, 1600?-1658.; Chambers, Humphrey, 1598 or 9-1662.	1660 (1660)	Wing S2363; Thomason E1003_1; ESTC R203493	249,727	327

marvel if such a person sleights the checks of Conscience and derides the beauty of holiness and looks on the Word of Grace without all esteem or affection Let God say what he will he will do what he please The Pharisees guilty of this great sin would not could not believe Christ what was the reason See John 5. 44. How can ye believe which receive honour one of another Balam for gain will ride to curse the Israel of God and Judas betray his Master and ambitious Haman rather then his proud humour shall be neglected he will endeavour the ruine of all the Jews What was the reason of Demas's Apostacy The embracing of this present world 2 Tim. 4. 10. O! when the heart is resolved for carnal courses it will easily part with nay rather then it will be crossed or disappointed it will fall foul upon the very Truths of God The greatest enemies and opposers of Truth have been a covetous Demetrius Acts 19. or a proud Diotrephes 3 John verse 9. Be therefore submissive in your worldly resolutions and to bend the mind hereunto weigh Christ and the whole world in the same ballance see whether Christ be not more advantagious Caution every way weigh you souls and the world in the same ballance see whether the saving of the soul be not better then the winning of the world Use III. THE last use shall be to exhort us to use all the means we can to prevent it and to this end I will commend Exhortation these Advises 1. Let divine Truths reform as well as inform a naked Let Truth reform as well as Inform. sword may do much hurt and a bare knowledge may prove dangerous but where knowledge hath heat as well as light it is Medicum utile he is right whose knowledge doth not make him more cunning to sin but more carefull to avoid it and forsake it 2. Strive to love the truth and holiness Pauls temper Loue the truth and hol●nes● was excellent We can do nothing against the truth but for the Truth Why What was the reason surely his great love to Christ and his Truth Love intire love to Christ will disarm us of all malice and opposition against him Yea and get love to the Gospel wherein lies our life our hope our stay our comfort our all 3. Get faith beg it of God and the Father of our Lord Get saith Jesus Christ to give thee faith Faith would not only see a Christ but prize him too Two vertues there are in a true faith Singular estimations and Inseparable affections Faith subjects the heart to Christ and gives it unto him having none in heaven or earth in comparison of him Should I oppose him or his Truths who is the best of all good and my Saviour he came to save me 4. Repent in time often sinning weakens truth in the mind and raiseth ill dispositions in the will By much Repent in time sinning a man becomes a very slave to sin and a strong adversary to truth But speedy Repentance draws off the heart and being often renewed keeps it tender and fearfull to offend Divine Truths make easie and ruling impressions upon an heart graciously turned and mollified To close up all Let the Word of God really affect us let holiness in the power and beauty of it affect us let the fair and living checks of Conscience seasonably affect us let the blood of Christ the eternal salvation of our souls affect us so shall we not be guilty of that blasphemy against the Holy Ghost which shall never be forgiven Of the Sin against the Holy Ghost see these Authors 1. Fathers viz. Origen in Mat. and in l. 1. 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 c. 3. Hierome in Epist ad Marcel Augustine especially in Epist 50. ad Bonifacium Athanasius Tom. 1. 2. Schoolmen See Aquinas 2 a. 2 u. q. 14. art 1. c. Alexander Ales Tom. 2. q. 155. m. 4. c. 3. Papists Bellarmine l. 2. de Paenit c. 16. Jansenius in Concord Evan. 4. Protestants Calvin in Concord Evan. Zanchins Tom. 4. l. 1. c. 9. Scharpius incursu Theolog. Pareus in Heb. 6. 10. Ursinus in Catech. Piscator in Mat. Beza fusius in John 5. 16. Byfield on the Creed Gouge on this Argument Perkins in the beginning of his cases of conscience c. FINIS A Table A Accepted TWO things assure a Good heart his services are Accepted p. 220 Uprightness is very Acceptable to God p. 250. Acts. Whether the Interruption of sinfull Acts doth impeach sins Dominion Answered p. 115 Actual vid. Dominion Adam Adam one of the greatest sinners yet pardoned p 270 Apostacy what it is p. 282 Approving A two-fold Approving of our selves to God p. 25 Assent vid. Dominion A double Assent that sets up sin in Dominion p. 106 Austin Austins Opinion of the sin against the Holy Ghost p. 281 B Blasphemy BLlasphemy what it is p. 265 How taken p. 282 Several Opinions of the Blasphemy against the H. Ghost p. 280 This Blasphemy described p. 281 282 The Subject of it p. 282 The Object of it p. 282 283 The Acts of it p. 283 The formal aggravations of those Acts. p. 286 The Irremissibleness of it p. 288 C Captivity A Two-fold Captivity of the soul to sin p. 141 142 Three things in a passive Captivity to sin p. 142 143 Cheerfulness Cheerfulness or Uncheerfulness in Holy Duties no infallible Symptoms of Uprightness or of the want of it p. 243 How Uprightness may be evidenced where Cheerfulness doth not accompany holy Duties p. 244 Christ How a man may know that Christ is his Lord. p. 136 Three things appear in a person governed by Christ and not by sin p. 141 No Dominion in the world like that of Christ ibid. Cleansed vid. Secret What it is to be Cleansed from sin p. 10 Comforts for such as desire to be Cleansed from secret sins p. 28 29 Command The Commands of sin are the vilest Commands p. 122 123 How a man may know he looks not at himself but at Gods Command in Duties p. 213 Conscience Checks of Conscience not to be sleighted p. 91 295 Consent Consent of the will how far it sets up sin in Dominion p. 107. Whether a good man may not yield a plenary Consent in whom sin hath no Dominion p. 111. Conversion Conversion doth not totally remove any sinfull inclination p. 150 Reasons of it p. 151 Conviction vid Holy Ghost Custome Whether Custome in Sin can be without Dominion p. 160. The difference betwixt Acts geminated and Custome p. 161 162 Conviction The greatest Convictions of themselves are not able to save a man p. 290 D Deceit NO Deceit more dangerous then to be deceived about the right temper of our souls p. 194 Despair No sinner hath cause sufficient to Despair p. 274 Dominion vid. Consent Custome Holiness Knowledge What Dominion of sin doth import p. 101 What is Dominion properly p. 102 Dominion of

if he should take the brightest candle to search all the records of his soul yet many of them would escape his notice And indeed this is a great part of our misery that we cannot understand all our debts we can easily see too many yet many more lie as it were dead and out of sight To sin is one great misery and then to forget our sins is a misery too If in repentance we could set the battel in array point to every individual sin in the true and particular times of acting and re-acting O how would our hearts be more broken with shame and sorrow and how would we adore the richnesse of the treasure of mercy which must have a multitude in it to pardon the multitude of our infinite errors and sinnes But this is the comfort though we cannot understand every particular sin or time of sinning yet if we be not idle to search and cast over the books and if we be heartily grieved for those sins which we have found out and can by true repentance turn from them unto God and by faith unto the blood of Jesus Christ I say that God who knowes our sins better then we know them and who understands the true intentions and dispositions of the heart that if it did see the unknown sins it would be answerably carried against them He will for his own mercy sake forgive them and he too will not remember them Nevertheless though David saith who can understand his errors as the Prophet Jeremiah spake also The heart of man is desperately wicked who can know it yet must we bestir our selves at heaven to get more and more heavenly light to finde out more and more of our sinnings So the Lord can search the heart And though we shall never be able to finde out all our sins which we have committed yet it is possible and beneficial for us to finde out yet more sins then yet we do know And you shall find these in your own experience that as soon as ever grace entred your hearts you saw sin in another way then ever you saw it before yea and the more grace hath traversed and increased in the soul the more full discoveries hath it made of sinnes It hath shewn new sins as it were new sins not for their being not as if they were not in the heart and life before but for their evidence and our apprehension and feeling we do now see such wages and such inclinations to be sinful which we did not think to be so before As physick brings those humours which had their Simile residence before now more to the sense of the Patient or as the Sun makes open the motes of dust which were in the roome before so doth the light of the word discover more corruption But I passe by that point of the impossibility of a full apprehension of all sinnes committed ignorantly and inconsiderately I now proceed from Davids complaint to Davids request Davids request and here I shall speak of his first Request viz. Cleanse thou me from secrets or secret sins Saint Austin upon the words Ab occultis meis munda me domine expresseth it thus A cupiditatibus in me latentibus munda noe i. from those concupiscences which lie so hid and so close and so private within me O Lord cleanse thou me And in his second exposition of this Psalm for he expounded the Psalm twise Tolle-ex corde maelam cogitationem i. O Lord take out of my very heart even the sinful thoughts I will name the Proposition and then we may perhaps open things more fully CHAP. I. Doct. IT is the desire of an holy person to be cleansed not only from publick but also from private and secret It is the desire of a holy person to be cleansed from secret faults sinnes Rom. 7. 24. O wretched man saith Paul who shall deliver me Why O blessed Apostle what is it that holds thee what is it that molests thee thy life thou sayest was unblamable before thy conversion and since thy conversion Phil 3. Thou hast exercised thy self to have a conscience void of offence toward God and toward men Acts 24. 16. And yet thou criest out O wretched man and yet thou complainest who shall deliver me Verily brethren it was not sin abroad but at home it was not sin without but at this time sin within it was not Pauls sinning with man but Pauls sinning within Paul O that Law of his members warring secretly within him against the Law of his minde This this made that holy man so to cry out so to complaine As Rebekah was weary of her life not as we read for any forraine disquietments but because of domestique troubles the daughters of Heth within the house made her weary of her life so the private and secret birth of corruption within Paul the workings of that that was the cause of his trouble that was the ground of his exclamation and desires who shall deliver me I remember that the same Paul adviseth the Ephesians as to put of the former Conversation so to put on the renewed spirit of the minde Ephes 4. 22 23. intimating that there are sinnes which are lurking within as well as sins walking without and that true Christians must not only sweep the doore but wash the Chamber my meaning is not onely come off from sins which lie open in the Conversation but also labour to be cleansed from sinnes and sinning which remaine secret and hidden in the Spirit and inward disposition Now for the beneficial discovery of this assertion let us enquire four things 1. In what respects sins are called secret 2. What it is to be cleansed 3. Why we are to desire a cleansing from them 4. What of all this to us SECT I. 1. IN what respect sinnes are called secret for the resolution In what respect sins are called secret of this know that sinne hath a double reference Either to God and so really no sin nor manner of sinning Not to God is secret Can any hide himself in secret places that I shall not see him saith the Lord do not I fill heaven and earth saith the Lord Jer. 23. 24. it is true that wicked men with an Atheistical folly imagine to hide themselves and their sinful wayes from God they seek deep to hide their Councel from the Lord and their works are in the dark and they say who seeth us and who knoweth us Isa 29. 15. But really it is not so though the cloud may somewhat eclipse the light of the Sun and though the dark night may shut it forth altogether yet there stands no cloud nor curtain nor moment of darknesse or secrecy 'twixt the eyes of God and the wayes of man The wayes of a man are before the eyes of the Lord and he pondereth all his goings Prov. 5. 21. He speakes principally there of the wayes of the adulterer which usually are plotted with the most cunning secrecy yet God

be rid of a bad nature the vertue of the effect alwayes lurks in the cause and therefore it is the cause which gives life and death to it If thou couldest once get an holy nature which might be at defiance with sinne in its throne know this that a new nature and daily combat would much help against secret sinnings That sinne is least of all acted with life which is most of all combated within the heart for sinne hath least practise where it hath most opposition And of all oppositions those that are inward are most weakning of sin 4. Get an hatred of sinne which will oppose sin in all kindes and all times and in all places 5. Get the feare of God planted in thy heart There are three sorts of sinnes which this fear will preserve a man Get the feare of God against First Pleasant sinnes which take the sense with delight Secondly Profitable sinnes which take the heart with gaine but what shall it profit me to winne the whole world and to lose my soul Thirdly secret sinnes of either sort Joseph did not dare to sinne that great sinne of uncleannesse though the acting of it might have beene secret and thou●h perhaps the consequence of it mi●ht have been his preferment why the fear of God kept him off he had an awful regard to God he knew the greatnesse of his holinesse of his power How can I do this great wickednesse and ●●nne against God Gen. 39. 9. Why brethren if we feare the Lord it is not the night which the thief doth take nor the twilight which the adulterer doth take nor the seasons of secrecy or places of obscurity that will prevaile with us c. Yea but God sees me the great judge of heaven and earth the holy one the God who hates all sinne whose eyes are brighter then the Sunne and purer then to behold sin and who is mighty in power and just in his threatnings he sees and beholds therefore I dare not 6. Believe Gods omniscience and omnipresence that the Believed Gods omniscience Lord is every where and all things are naked and open to his eye with whom thou hast to deal thou canst not intend to think thou canst not whisper out thy thou●hts thou canst not finger the closest bribes thou canst not encline thy self to the most abstracted kinde of secrecy in the world but God sees thee clearly perfectly now if a man could believe that God is still with us and there are two which evermore goe with us the Judge and the Register God and conscience that he is acquainted with all his thoughts paths wayes this would put an awe upon him would the wife be so impudent to commit folly and prostitute her whorish body in the sight and presence of her husband would the servant be filching out of the box if he saw his Masters eye upon his hand 7. Get thy heart to be upright uprightnesse is an inward temper and hypocrisie is an outward complection Psalme Get thy heart to be upright 119. 3. They do no iniquity c. The inward man is the businesse of sincerity to the forming and fashioning of that doth it improve and imploy it selfe it knowes that God delights in truth and this too in the inward parts It endeavours to please God in all things and there to be most to God where man can be least in observation and that is in the secret and hidden frame PSAL. 19. 13. Keep back thy servant also from presumptuous sinnes let them not have dominion over me then shall I be upright and shall be innocent from that great transgression CHAP. II. THese words containe in them Davids second Petition and request sinnes do not only differ in respect of opennesse and secretness but also in respect of the degree of hainousness and greatness now because secret sins sticks closest and are of a more easie and adventrous commission therefore David prays much against them Lord cleanse thou me from secret sinnes And because presumptuous sinnes are of a more fearful efficacy and consequently they being usually the bravings of God even to his face therefore David prays as vehemently against them in this verse This verse may be considered two ways The words considered 1. Respectively as in connection with the former by that In conjunction with the former word also keep back thy servant also as if David had said O Lord I have prayed unto thee to be cleansed from secret sinnes and I beseech thee let me be answered but yet this is not all that I have to request I have yet another request besides that keep me also from presumptuous sins 2. Absolutely in regard of their proper matter so they In their proper matter comprehend 1. The Petitioner thy servant 2. The Petition which respects sins 1. Presumption from presumptuous sins 2. Dominion let them not have Dominion over me 3. The Petitioner who is implyed and that is God yet expressed by what he should do keep back c. 4. The Conclusion or inference which he makes from the grant of all this which is his uprightness and innocency innocency not absolute but limitted innocent from that great transgression There is more matter in these words then you yet well conceive of I will touch some Propositions which might challenge a further prosecution and then I will set down at large upon the main intentions and conclusions from the words considered as a connexion of a new request with the former request these things might be observable viz. SECT I. Doct. 1 FIrst There may and should be a conjunction even of great There may and should be a conjunction of great requests at once to God Petitions and requests at once unto God As they say of graces and duties that they are connexed and like so many pearls upon one and the same string for we may say of requests to God though they be many for kindes and number and matter yet they may be put up in the same prayer to God David ends not at that request keep me from secret sinnes but goes on also O Lord keep me from presumptuous sinnes he multiplies his suits according to the multiplicity of his necessity and exigence Note There be divers qualities about our prayers viz. Our prayers must be with 1. One is an urgent fervency when the soul doth not nakedly commence the suit propound it to God and say Lord 1. urgent fervency hear me but it doth inforce as it were an audience and acceptance it doth strive with God and wrestle with him I will not let thee go unless thou blesse me Gen. 32. 26. as Jacob And O Lord hear O Lord hearken and consi●er do and deferre not for thy name sake as Dan. 9. this is a following of the suit with God as the woman did Christ 2. Importunity when a person renews the same suit comes 2. Importunity often to the door of grace and knocks 3.

on the soul all fitness and disposition for pardon is from the Spirit who is here rejected Fourthly The constant order of operation in the Trinity He sins against the order of Operation of the Trinity suggests unto us the reason of the irremissibleness of this sin which order is alwaies by descent and not by regression If a man sin against the Father the Son hath an operation for the sinner if a man sin against the Son the Spirit hath an operation for the sinner in working upon his conscience and offering of Christ but if a man sin against this Spirit whether should he go or who is to present pardon To the Father he cannot go withour the Spirit to the Son he cannot go without the Spirit but the Spirit is by him rejected and despitefully scorned He that sins against the Holy Ghost sins against the whole Trinity the Fathers love the Sons death and the Spirits operation I know that Hierome saith this sin shall not Epist ad Marcellum Epist ad Bonifacium be forgiven Propter blasphemiam Augustine propter perseverantissiman cordis duritiem and the Schols Propter defectum excusabilitatis indignitatem and others quod qui sic peccant traduntur in reprobum sensum thus Hilary Athanasius and some of our modern Writers Use I. THE Uses from the explication of this high sin shall serve us both for first Information And secondly Information Caution Thirdly Direction First That the greatest illuminations in the understanding The greatest illuminations are not able of themselves to save a man and determinate convictions in the Conscience are not able of themselvs to save a man A person may have a deep insight in the Misteries of Heaven an ample apprehension of supernatural truths a large acquaintance with the Rules of Grace and life a yielding in his conscience to the revealed testimonies of the spirit concerning Christ and his Doctrine yet be so far from the assurance and possession of glory that he may be reprobated to the lowest gulf of misery and damnation for the damned Devils are invested with most general extent of objective knowledge and these here who sin against the Holy Ghost do participate of divine illumination even to the measure of approbation in the conscience touching the truth yet you see that their condition is utterly incompatible with the just hopes or expectation of happiness it is not capable of remission and therefore eternally desperate of salvation all which must be so understood by you not that spiritual illumination is not necessary but that it is not alone sufficient to save The strongest abilities of knowledge may only serve to purchase us a more learned and full damnation Secondly That greatest knowledge may be in a subject The greatest knowledge may be in a subject void of Grace and an enemy to it both deprived of the inexistence of sanctifying grace and also filled with bitterest enmity and malice against the truth of Grace I justly question whether any persons uncapable of Glory are convinced with more supernatural light then these who sin against the Holy Ghost yet sure I am none are more enraged Lyons against the innocency and simplicity of Holiness and true Grace then these A person may put on 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 as the Apostle 2 Tim. 3. 5. speaks and yet his heart be void of the inward power of Godliness A dead man may be clothed with beautifull Garments and a heart utterly void of the life and quicknings 1. Privation of Holiness may yet be adorned with the fair robes and endowments of knowledge Nay Do but consult with the Records of the spirit in the Scripture and the examples of persons and attempts in all Ecclesiastical History you shall not only find knowledge divided from grace but oft-times makeing strongest oppositions against it None with-stood 2. Opposition Christ more then the learned Scribes and Pharisees none withstood Paul more then the learned Athenians Whom have we in our age more eager against the Doctrine of faith then the subtile Jesuite and against the independency and immobility of grace then the Arminian Dull and blind apprehensions are not so serviceable Engines for the execution of Diabolical malice the most advantagious servant that ever Satan had was a learned head and a graceless heart Abstract knowledge will easily blow up pride and pride will easily fire our malice and contempt and these will suddenly break out into our tongues with derision and persecution of Grace Thirdly That our greater knowledge without sanctifying Great knowledge without grace adds to misery Grace adds to our greater ruine and judgement This illation is most conspicuous in the subjects of this sin whose Judgement becomes the more heinous and inevitable because of the greatness of their illumination and conviction I know the schools deliver unto us several circumstances whereby a sin common with another in identity of nature is yet by the access of them variously altered but amongst all the intensive perfections of sinfull guilt this addition of knowledge is one excessively aggravating If ye were blind saith Christ Iohn 9. 41. ye should have no sin comparatively for measure but now you say we see therefore your sin remaineth An ignorant Offendor may have some plea and excuse but a willfull sinner is without all Pretext None shall find greater stripes then he who knows and doth not or he who sees to do but will not As the most practical Christian shall rise to the highest seat and Throne of happiness in heaven so the most illuminated sinner shall sink into the deepest dungeon of misery in hell Use II. NOW I come to Caution you have heard what this sin Caution is and you have heard the sad condition of this sinner that he may for ever despair to see the face of God! I dare not fasten the compleat guilt of this sin on any who hears me this day Only remember that of the Apostle Heb. 3. 12. Take heed brethren lest there be in any of you an evil heart of unbelief in departing from the living God Take heed of Yet because this sin is possibly incident unto us who take upon us the profession of the Gospel it shall not prove I trust an unseasonable endeavour if I describe unto you some few steps by which the soul gradually descends unto the bottom of this damned impiety First Regardless receiving of the Gospel of Christ which Regardless receiving of the Gospel of Christ is done three wayes 1. When the Judgement hath no reverent estimations of God in Christ and of the Promises made in the blood of Christ or of the necessary conditions of the Covenant of Grace to be performed by us Secondly When the heart either in hearing or reading is without life and affections so that the Gospel draws not our love and joy and delight or any adhesion of the mind Paul tells us 2 Thes 2. 12. of some to