great a sinne it is Want of faith in Christ is of all sinnes the greatest it denies the mercy of God and makes a man the murtherer of himselfe It tals for Iustice and refuseth a pardon It convinceth of sin and rejects the remedy It casts a man into the jawes of death and cares not for helpe or hand that should pull him out Moses Law is not without punishment but this without escape If the Gospel deny us mercie our misery is irrecoverable The neglect Heb. 2.2 3. The Law of Moses in every transgression and disobedience is repayed with recompence and reward All the benefite is that an escape is granted from the rigour of this Iustice but if we neglect the great salvation of the Gospell we have no way to avoyd vengeance and wrath to come Lose the opportunity of the Gospel and all is lost Wee may recover the losses of the Law but if we looke not to the Gospel our case will bee desperate The Contempt There is no mercie Heb. 10.28 to the despiser of Moses Law and yet ver 29. there is sorer punishment to him that despiteth the Spirit of grace speaking in the Gospel No mercy is the hight of misery and yet Moses Law cannot be strained so high as to deny all mercy It may inflict death but the Gospel may take off the eternall punishment thereof but alas if the Gospell be abused and mercy denyed what Law shall remove that curse and bee able to release the sinner Evangelicall Apostacy We are all fallen in the first man and are for our Apostacy to be loathed and left of God without pittie But the Lord dealt not so with us for our sinnes He had mercy upon us in the Mediatour and made him a meanes to reconcile us againe and bring us into favour but reade with trembling all Apostataes frō the Gospell and see with horrour your dreadfull doome Heb. 10.38 If any draw backe my soule shall have no pleasure in him Woe unto us if such words had beene uttered against us for our Apostacy in Adam The Lord never set his soule against us but even with it pittied us and pardoned us graciously but now to Apostatize and forsake his mercy his very heart riseth against us and we are most loathsome and abominable in his eyes Hee abhorres for ever to cast a favourable looke upon us or once to vouchsafe us acceptation againe Christian Apostataes are the worst of men and shall have wages with the greatest vengeance Matth. 12.31 32. Blasphemie against the Gospell cannot be forgiven All legall blasphemie is pardonable the Father pardoneth it against himselfe the Sonne will remit it for his part but if it proceed to touch the Spirit it passeth all mediation I will not bee peremptory and yet I presume never any man committed this sinne against the Law I conceive it onely to be a Gospel-sinne that will admit of no pardon in the rejection of mercy The Iewes committed this sinne in the Scribes and Pharisees and I feare all this rabble here condemned in Peter were not farre from it having had the Gospell so long continued and so violently and wilfully opposed It is enough that I have touched it as the height of disobedience against the Gospell and have wished men to take warning of this woe and wickednesse Evangelicall despaire The preparation of the Law is to bring the sinner to despaire in himselfe and all worldly helpe and so is a meanes to bring him to Christ but Evangelicall despaire of mercy after the meanes of the Gospell offered and contemned is deadly and dangerous and few ever went out of it Men lie long under the sense of their owne misery without comfort but they may with confidence wait and expect to the last and rest in hope they shall not alwayes bee denyed their suites and supplications Onely desperate contemners of the Gospell when they fall into some extraordinary judgement of God and the horror of their owne consciences are little better than Devils waiting for the damnation and utter perdition of their soules Satan will be sure to perswade men first that God will not punish and then that GOD will not pardon The world is guilty of this sinne Want of faith in Christ is as common as it is dangerous for Saint Iohn stickes not to charge all the world with it and truely either in the penalty or the sinne wee may judge no mā exempted Where the Gospel is not preached it is the punishment of their first rebellion God is not tyed to give faith to any or to affoord him his Gospell These mercies are transcendent and of no mutuall right betweene God and his creature The Gospell was preached in Paradise but Adam had no Covenant that it should be hereditary and follow him and all his posterity The Law was intailed but the Gospell is the free blessing of Almighty God Want of faith the penalty and punishment of all Mankinde Faith in a Mediatour and faith in God are of a large difference The Law in commanding threatning promising is to be beleeved and the want of this faith brought Adam into sinne and it is the roote of all sin and deserver of all judgement What GOD commands that the creature must beleeve to be his duty what he threatneth he must in faith and feare yeeld unto and what he promiseth hee must likewise with the same faith imbrace Now this faith is an affection or rather a piece of Gods Image framing the affectiōs in a conformable power to all Gods cōmands cōminations promises but Evangelicall faith is no part or piece of the created image of God but a new principle put into the soule in place of originall righteousnesse to bring forth actuall obedience both in the inward and outward man The want of this faith as I said before is not the root of all sinne for where there is no Gospel the want of this faith will never bee imputed for a sinne The want of that other is truely and indeed the root of all sinne and originall of all punishment Not to beleeve in God was the sinne of Adam and all his posterity But want of beleeving in Christ is not of the same extent It is a signe that no sin is discharged we may safely say it is the desert of all men for the want of the first faith to be deprived of this Negative Infidelity condemnes no man for sin take away the meanes of Conviction and the sinne ceaseth Non positis medijs c. Deny men the Gospel and free them of the Gospel-sinnes but positive Infidelitie is a sin and where God affords his Gospel hee lookes for obedience and condemnes the contrary Want of faith the sinne of the Church To want faith where the Gospel is preached is an hainous and horrible sinne better such men had never heard it than that the sound of it should passe away without sense and sanctification This is that that truely makes the world guilty Legall
to sinne and of evils they ever feare the least looking to their temporall life and never regarding their spirituall Thousands feare to dye a corporall death that never heed what it is to die an eternall Feare were better placed upon sinne than sorrow If wee would feare to sinne wee should not need to feare to suffer and in suffering wee were better place our feare upon the second than first death Vtter perdition is not in this world that is reserved for the day of death and dungeon of hell The misery of the place It is sometimes called a prison and judge what an hell it were to live and lie in a dungeon with Monsters of men in this world It is Tartarus of 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 a Pagan name for fearefull and formidable Spectacles They have imagined hell full of horrour for such shapes and shadowes as they have fancied and fabled by their Poets but those are poore affrightments to the dreadfull and terrible face of God and his frowning countenance Cōscience will skarre them more than shadowes and darkenesse than doating dreames It is Tophet or Gehenna a mercilesse place Infants yelling in the fire of Gehenna had their voyces cryings and shrikings drowned by Drums from being heard of their parents The brands of Hell may roare in the Lake and none will bee found to pitty them They cry too late the doore of mercy being shut against them and God of heaven turned their irreconcileable enemie Extreame lamentation They shall weepe their bellies full and to weeping adde wailing and wishing they had never beene They shall wring their hands and curse the day they were ever borne And when sorrow shall doe no good gnash their teeth and grinde them against God for their excessive plagues Teares shall not be taken for repentance but serve to coole the heart and dant the spirits so that extremity of cold may make their teeth chatter and gnash together Heat and cold with all excesses and aggravations of sorrow may meet together We have but lightly touched what they must deepely taste would God it might teach us by so miserable an end to make a happy beginning of our salvation and subjection to the Gospell in this world I will now dispatch the rest more briefely and wish thee the benefit in the whole Vnknowne misery Peter questioneth what we quarrell withall and say hell is not so hot as Preachers make it Peter knowes not how to make it hot enough He had rather aske the question and say What shall the end be than determine It were some comfort to a subject of hell to know his worst Men so solace their soules upon earth with a stubborne resolution to their tormentors doe your worst I know what you can doe and there is an end but it will not be so in hell their sturdy stomackes must come downe and not dare the Almighty to the tryall of his strength The reasons why in hell men shall never faddom the bottome of their woes are these first he that smites is infinite and therefore can augment every blow hee gives Wee whip our children often till they bee senselesse and carelesse of the rod but God will worke them feeling as well as whipping and if need be by an unwonted blow fetch bloud out of another veine Men shall sooner be weary with suffering than he with smiting and every touch shall deare them more than other Secondly man shall never know his owne capacitie Hee hath enough to day to fill him to the brimme his vessell shall be stretched and strained to hold as much or more the next day and so for all eternitie hee shall be inlarged to receive torments Thirdly eternity of extremity can never be brought to light there is still behind whatsoever the measure be for the present We onely that obey the Gospell know our worst and what can be done for us in this world happy time we suffered for God and his truth that we may never suffer for sinne in hell The confusion of unbeleevers Where shall they appeare Sinners and ungodly persons shall be ashamed to be seene and shall finde no place where to hide their shame A marveilous alteration shall befall them and it shall be a wonder to see what a change is made in all their behaviour Impudency and boldnesse did attend them in all places now feare and shame shall accompany them where soever they are I will touch them in two things here related their appearance and place as no ground can hold them from trembling so no sight but it will put them to shame The appearance of unbeleevers It can hardly be credited with what audacious boldnesse and bold audacity men and women dare appeare before God in this world not once thinking that they are either in his debt or danger They prepare not for their audite and account They are like that impudent Ruffian that pictured upon his Target God and the Devill with an inscription under both Vnder God was written si tu nolis if thou wilt not have me I am at a point with thee of defiance c. Vnder the Devill directly opposite to God iste rogitat I am for the Divell and his service God must take them as they are for they meane not to mend and if hee like them not at their worst take them Divell Men live as if they were either to be happy here or without hope hereafter To gaine the world they count all things lawfull and judge they have nothing to injoy when they leave it This makes them appeare empty before God and ashamed of their madnesse and misery Our speech and language might learne us the lesson of our folly We say when wee would be credited for certainty It is as certaine as death and then like fooles we crosse our selves and alter the stile when we have forgotten our selves I did no more thinke of it than my death I judge you by your owne mouthes and manifest your madnesse You beleeve there is nothing that is more certaine than death and confesse there is nothing you lesse thinke of As God shall judge mee is as ready as words and yet by workes you deny it fearing nothing lesse than his judgement To contemne his Law and despise his Gospell is your ordinary practise He may command you will not obey He may threaten you will not feare He may promise you will not beleeve His justice you dare affront his mercy controul his anger does but provoke you his goodnesse emboldens you to sinne You resist and rebell against his Spirit outface and disgrace his Ordinances rage and raile against his Ministers scoffe and scorne at your brethren and there is not any wickednesse you blush at or once checke or challenge your selves for the wrong you doe to God and men Law and Gospel But tell me what you will doe and how you will deale at your appearance and meeting with your judge you have made others tremble defore you and according to your authority have lorded it over your inferiours Thinke seriously of your standing before a greater Lord and gaine an Advocate to pleade with him You shall not bee able to shew your faces or open your mouthes without him Laugh no longer yee impudent sinners at your audacious practises take counsell betimes Bee afflicted and mourne and weepe let your laughter be turned to mourning and your joy to heavinesse Humble your selves in the fight of the Lord and hee shall lift you up Iam. 4.9 10. Lift not up your selves and brow-beat his Ordinances but beare downe the stout and stubborne heart to bee ashamed betimes and the Lord will encourage you in the evill day Presumptuous persons will pricke on in their pride and perish in the end It will be terrible for them to appeare before God that never appeared before him in prayer but alwayes against him Thinke of this appearance and by the Gospel make your preparation Vnbeleevers have no place free from feare Where shall they appeare They may not hide themselves and yet no place shall be safe for their appearance They will be calling to rockes and mountaines to fall upon them and cover them from from the direfull and irefull Iudge But no hill will be intreated to hide them no rocke to rush upon them Miserable wretches that can beare their sinnes with ease had rather lie under hards rockes and massie mountaines than the least touch of Gods wrath Sampson tooke the Gates of Gaza with the posts and barres upon his shoulders and bare them to the very top of the hill such stout Sampsons are our sinners that stick at no sinne breake open the floud-gates of all impietie pull up all posts and barres that should shut them up and carry all down before them and raise up to the very top of the hill the hight of their horrible crimes All places are defiled with their uncleannesse and they leave no roome in the earth for righteousnesse to dwell in Such as they brew such must they drinke and God will not leave them a place where to shew their heads or shelter themselves from danger No Cave shall cover them no den of darkenesse keepe them from eternall darkenesse I will conclude with Saint Paul 2 Cor. 5.11 Knowing therefore the terrour of the Lord wee perswade men but wee are made manifest to God and trust also are made manifest in your consciences If the terrour of the Lord as we have touched it were made manifest vnto men they would bee perswaded but alas it will never worke till men apply it to their consciences in them have I laboured to fixe this worke and have found ill hearers of it My comfort shall be with assurance that to God wee are made manifest we deale sincerely and wish it may worke kindly in all for their timely conversion and holy conversation to the end Amen FINIS
common as well as dangerous thousands dye and are never sensible of any hurt this way The world is to be dealt withall to take notice that these wants are the greatest poverty of it Vse 3. It is pitty the danger being so great and so common but that Ministers should faithfully preach and convince these sinnes before all others Sinnes of the Law light more clearely upon mens consciences but these sinnes finde conscience not onely asleepe but livelesse as never stirring in any thoughts that such evils lie at the doore more to watch vs with damnation than any other Vse 4. There is no preaching or meanes effectuall but that is accompanied by the Spirit There is a difference between Preachers as there is betweene an Infant and Gyant drawing the same Bow Yet the Arrow of a Gyant shot against the stone wall pierceth not but reboundeth backe againe with the greater violence So the most happy and dextrous Preacher flocked after for his gifts may shoot as unprofitably as a weaker Teacher his arrowes and errands to the soule speed no better for the hardnesse of it than if hee had never lost his labour or spent his strength in vaine upon so stubborne spirits Christ and all his Apostles were resisted by the unbeleeving Iewes their stiffe neckes would never bend to the yoake of the Gospel or uncircumcised hearts beleeve it Vse 5. Must bee for true triall and examination of our selves whether the Spirit be come and hath convinced us to give over all opposition and yeeld to live by a new principle rest upon a new righteousnesse and be ruled by a new Law I shall give the tryall in my further search unto this Conviction Luthers three Schoole masters have helped me in these thoughts Afflictions and accusations have set prayer on worke and both have put forth Meditations Humble repentance said that worthy Chancellour of Paris is the first staire of the Ladder of Contemplation I will not complaine of my wrongs yet if they had never beene thou mightst never have had my thoughts so legible I thanke God I never found the hands of Authority so ready to smite as evill tongues to accuse 1 Pet. 4.17.18 What shall be the end of them that obey not the Gospel of God Where shall the ungodly and sinner appeare The great sinne and endlesse sorrow of Gods houshold Enemies HAving discharged my selfe of the first part concerning the sharpe and strict government of Gods Familie I come to the sharpest and severest of his judgements upon their enemies Peter instanceth in the Iewes for to them he writes both his Epistles and in both hee aimes at three things 1 the consolation of beleevers 2 the destruction and just punishment of their enemies 3 the future promises made to the Nation of the Iewes at the comming of Christ Beleevers had strong trials when S. Peter writ his Epistles and even their owne Nation was worst to their profession This Nation Christ threatens with an end and Saint Peter now applies it and by the accomplishment of signes gives assurance that it is now at hand Iudgements are begun at his owne house and familie and therefore will end suddenly upon their enemies This was the yeare when Nero made Bone-fires of the bodies of Christians and to extinguish the ignominie of his owne setting Rome on fire fireth Christians as Faggots and makes their flames to give light the whole night This is the fiery tryall beleevers are told of verse 12. and deserves to begin the first persecution It shall not be long before it bring an end upon the Iewes and their Nation for obstinacy and cruelty to their brethren It is supposed Saint Peter and Saint Paul suffered in this first fiery tryall Their sinne and disobedience They are taxed in this Text for the violation both of Law and Gospel neither Iustice nor Mercy affect them They disobey the Gospell and against the Law they are found guilty both of impiety and uncharitablenesse They are cast in both Courts In the Court of Iustice they are here arraigned for ungodly persons under the charge of the first Table and sinners and unrighteous under the charge of the second Table In the Court of Mercy they are branded with the Gospel as a rule disobeyed and a remedy despised Iustice might be pacified by Mercy and the Law taken off by the Gospel but these faithlesse and fearelesse wretches care neither for rule nor remedie They neither are mindfull of that which is against them in the Law or might doe them good in the Gospel Of the Gospel sinnes To disobey the Gospell is by Saint Iohn Chap. 16.8 summoned up in three particulars First in the want of faith Secondly in the want of righteousnesse Thirdly in the want of holinesse The disobedient Iewes found no want of faith in Christ They supposed they were full of righteousnesse in themselves and that they wanted no spirit of grace to displace Satan in his government and set up the government of Christ in their hearts I will from the instance and example in large my selfe in laying to the charge of the whole world this Gospell-sinne here applyed to the Iewes and by way of warrantable explication follow St. Iohn as a Commentary upon Saint Peter Three Gospel Controversies Iohn 16.8 And when he is come Hee will convince the world of sinne and of righteousnesse and of judgement Here lie three great Controversies betweene God and the whole world First what that sinne is which the world counts no sin Secondly what that righteousnesse is which in the esteem of the world is no righteousnesse Thirdly what that judgment is that the world reputes for no judgement There is a Law from God and conscience in man that tels the world of many sinnes that it yeelds unto that gives information of righteousnesse applauded in the vertues and actions of men and it takes from both a forme of judgement and government that for it owne safety it allowes and likes well of but alas in these three there is neither Law nor conscience to informe us nay to both they are ridiculous conceiving nothing reasonable in all these but that which is morall and naturall to our condition in the state of innocency and remainders therof in our corrupted natures Adam in Paradise was not apprehensive of these disputes neither were such doctrines agreeable to his insight These are for new creatures conquered and convinced by Gods Spirit The unknowne Sinne. All the world is ignorant of faith and would so perish but for the Gospel It was not the Law the Iewes so much insisted upon that could reach or resolve their reason in discovery of this secret and because they would know no more than Moses Law they perished in this sinne This finne is expounded to be want of faith in Christ verse 9. It is either the root or signe of all other sinnes He that wants faith in Christ is discharged of no sinne Convince him of this and convince him of all How
bring home the convictions of Grace that we may not with these stubborne Iewes disobey thy Gospel and bring upon us and our habitations their end and misery And thus much of their first sinne I will speed on in the rest and spend lesse time in my discourse It was needfull to beate this sinne home and make the greater stay because the greater stirre hath beene made about it The denyall of righteousnesse Morrall and civill men never knew the meaning of Evangelicall and Christian righteousnesse What Law acknowledgeth a man just by another mans justice or wise by another mans wisedome Papists deride it and the world hath not learned how to conceive of it It is a great sinne to live in this ignorance and an assurance to a man hee wants wisedome to know his own justification Hee rests in hope he is righteous and wanting the knowledge of Christ perisheth in his own pride and presumption Christ is both righteous in himselfe and for us and so is no man in the world A world of unrighteous men We have a world of wicked men that are destitute of common honesty but if we adde to them even another world of honest men that know no more than good neighbourhood what a vast heape and confusion have we of men and women unrighteous before God and destitute of Iesus Christ A world is heere condemned for want of righteousnesse and alas how did the blinde Iewes oppose this righteousnesse and seeing themselves just by another Law than the Gospel are now frying in hell for their disobedience Conviction of righteousnesse It is pitty the world should perish without reproofe of this sinne It is that which Christ and all his Apostles laboured to bring the Iewes unto They condemned Christ for a malefactour and by his resurrection and ascension hee prooved plaine that he was both just and the justifier of sinners Here is strong conviction by reason and force of argument No man can goe to God the Father that is unrighteous There is no acceptation of such into heaven Now I have many witnesses saith Christ of my ascension You shall see me ascend and see mee no more upon earth You are my faithfull ones to you I make demonstration of my righteousnesse that you may demonstrate the same to others The office of the Spirit in this conviction The world lies in sinne and is held by Satan in strong condemnation It was a lie at the first that murthered himselfe and all mankind Iohn 8.44 Hee stood not in the truth it was that which he opposed from the beginning First by a question Hath God said c. Secondly by a contradiction Yee shall not dye at all c. Thirdly by disputation God knowes and yee may know that to eate and feare no death will make you wise and worthy to be like God himselfe c. Thus was man murthered and by a lye deluded of his happinesse and became a loser of that righteousnesse that God imprinted in his soule when he first breathed it into his body This losse can never be repaired by another of the same stampe and therefore the Spirit of God beginning with feare to put a man beside himselfe and his own presumption openeth unto him his bondage and basenesse in sinne and from the very bottome of hell recovereth him by the righteousnesse of Christ and puts into him a more ingenuous Spirit to looke up to God in Christ and call him Father and by adoption and grace to finde himselfe the childe of God heire of righteousnesse and inheritour of the Kingdome of God Rom. 8.15 His comming for this end The great Doctour CHRIST IESVS absenting himselfe sends another to be present with us both for counsell and comfort He counselleth us to seeke the best righteousnesse and comforteth us with the fruition of it Hee perswades us to deny our selves and make sure to be found in Christ cloathed with his righteousnesse I wonder not to see civill honest men to wander naked of this cloathing in the nasty ragges of their owne rotten righteousnesse they have no better spirit than the spirit of the world to teach them a morall lesson and to grow proud to see themselves before their neighbours in the honour of their owne vertues This is the applause the best men of the world seeke for and rest in it as their summū benū Such were the Pharisees the Iewes here in my text that disobeyed the Gospel because they saw in their own thoughts a better way of justification than Christ by his Spirit taught them But all their supposed comfort is a poore and beggerly payment in the praise and applause of men with their comming short of heaven I disgrace not morality and civilitie in the world I wish there were more of their ranke so they rested not in that righteousnesse but reached at an higher price even the invaluable treasure in Christ willing in humility to let all goe for the gaine therof Yet I must conclude against the underlings of moral honestie that all such as are inferiours to them must needes come short of heaven because they come short of them that by Christs verdict are before them Now the best moralists come short of heaven and therefore must they needs come short that are left many leagues behinde them Gaine the Spirit and grace that in holinesse wee may exceed them all as we shall doe in righteousnesse by Christ Want of judgement This is the great sinne of the world in advancing against Christ Satans soveraignty and superioritie He reigneth and ruleth the world and is a speciall enemy to Christs kingdome Holinesse is the companion of righteousnesse we may not grow wanton because the grace of justification hath abounded God hath not left us to our liberties as if by the way of hell wee might advance to heaven Iudgement and spirituall government is appointed to order us in our wayes and to waft us by safe conduct over the Sea of this world to our harbour and haven in heaven A world of people without grace and sanctification The subject that the Spirit is to season is the unsavory world Holinesse is a by-word amongst men and derision hath banished it by the conceit of precise and strict walking with God A Saint is the worlds spectacle and a very gazing-stocke as if hee were as much runne out of himselfe and madde as he is runne from the world and his merry company But the wonder is in the world it selfe wilde in wickednesse and wretched in the hands of Satan His judgement is followed and government extolled in all places and persons Wee can but exempt a few from being followers of him no more than Saint Iohn exempts the world from guilt in this place Hee is plaine and chargeth the world with the Divels government and freeth none but by the Spirit from this misery Conviction of the best government The setting up of the Lord Iesus in the hearts and soules of men is the best