wiser than their Teachers rhan their Fore-fathers and to bring them to the wisdom even of the most wise CHAP. LI. The former Vse further prosecuted First Against those that have slight thoughts of trouble of Conscience which ariseth either from gross Ignorance or Atheism or desperate slighting of God Secondly Trouble of Conscience is the beginning of Eternal death Thirdly Those that have slight thoughts of trouble of Conscience can never prize Christ Fourthly Those that have slight thoughts of trouble of Conscience now shall one day alter their opinion Fifthly It were just with God to let those sink under the burden of Conscience that have slight thoughts of it now Sixtly Those that have slight thoughts of trouble of Conscience those very thoughts do take away a chief restraint from sin Seventhly Slight thoughts of trouble of Conscience for sin are 1 A high degree of Blasphemy 2 And a degree towards the unpardonable sin WE have entred upon the Application of all that hath been said concerning the evil of Sin And you may remember I have only named one Use that do arise from all that hath been said about the evil of Sin and that we shall now prosecute The Use is this If there be so much evil in sin as you have heard opened unto you beyond all the evil of any affliction Hence then we see that the wounds and trouble of Conscience for sin certainly it is no melancholly conceit it is not a fancy or imagination as many in the world think of it Many men have very slight thoughts about the trouble of Conscience for sin and when they hear of men or women troubled for their sin they think it is nothing but melancholly or temptation or some kind of frenzy or madness or folly or weakness of spirit or timerousness These be the thoughts men have of trouble of conscience and according to their thoughts that they have of it such are their Cures that they seek for it I spake som what of it in the last Chapter but now certainly if these things be true as verily they are the Truths of God that have been delivered concerning the evil of sin then we are not to wonder at men and women that have troubles of conscience for sin I shewed by some examples that trouble of conscience was not melancholly especially in the example of Christ himself that had the burden of sin troubles of spirit I cannot so properly cal it trouble of conscience for there is a substantial difference between the wrath upon his soul that he felt and the wrath of God that others feel upon their consciences but in effect the wrath of God is the same that was upon him by imputation of sin and upon others by reason of their own proper guilt and it was not melancholliness in him nor in David as I shewed in the last Chapter Now to proceed There be two things I desire to proceed in And First I have many things to say unto those that have slight thoughts of trouble of Conscience for sin somwhat to say to those and if there be any in this place that have wondred at men and women that have been troubled in their conscience for sin let them attend to what they read I have divers things to say unto them Secondly I am to shew you some difference between melancholly distempers and trouble of Conscience for sin First These thoughts of thine they certainly eome from either abundance of Ignorance or Atheism or Desperate slighting of God One of these three Causes 1 Ordinarily these thoughts that men have of trouble of Conscience to be no greater matter than such melanchoby conceits they do come from gross Ignorance thou knowest not God thou knowest not what it is for a soul to have to deal with an infinite Deity thou never yet hadest a real sight of an infinite Deity with whom thou hast to deal And it is a sad thing to think that men and women should live a long time and never in all their lives come to have a real sight of that infinite Majestie and Deitie with whom we have to do It comes from ignorance of the nature of sin thou dost not know what sin is God hath yet blinded thine eyes that thou shouldest sin but not know what sin is Certainly thou dost not know the Law of God the Spiritualness of it and the dâ—eadfulness of the wrath of God revealed against sin thou dost not know what Eternty means thou dost not apprehend what it is for a soul to be in hazard of miscarrying to all Eternity It was the Speech of Francis Spirâ— as I opened in the former Chapter I shall make use of that example further because a notable ezample Oh saith he If I might endure the heavy wrath of God but for twenty thousand years I should not think it much but it must be Eternally Eternally I must endure the Eternal wrath of God that lay heavy upon his spirit Let any man or woman in the world the stoutest proudest spirit that lives upon the face of the Earth think what it is to miscarry to Eternity and this will make his spirit be troubled Therefore its gross Ignorance in men that makes many have such slight thoughts of trouble of conscience for sin 2 Again If not from Ignorance yet from Atheism For many men that seem to have excellent Parts and are not ignorant Sots and yet have slight thoughts of trouble of conscience for sin It is not so much to be wondred at to see a company of ignorant Sots that know nothing of God and the Principles of Religion that they should have such slight thoughts and wonder what men mean to be troubled for sin But men that have good Parts perhaps men of great Gifts and pregnant Wit and great Schollers and yet they have slight thoughts of trouble of Conscience for sin Now in them Vsually the cause is Atheism or slighting of God Woful desperate Atheism is in the hearts of many great Schollers many pregnant Wits many that wâ—ll speak much of Religion yet they are desperate Atheists in their hearts therfore from thence it comes Therefore when you see learned men understanding men go on in such and such sinful waies and slight all that is said concerning the evil of sin do not wonder at it for woful desperate Atheism lies under abundance of Knowledg a great deal of knowledg learning wit and parts and yet slight sin this is the Cause the Atheism in their spirits Compare these two Scriptures together Psalm 14. 1. The fool hath said in his heart there is no God and in Prov. 14. 9. Fools make a mock of sin that is those fools that do say in their hearts there is no God those fools make a mock of sin and they think lightly of all that hath been said of the evil of sin and what need so much ado about the evil of sin they can slight it and make light of it well it is such
upon and thou wouldest be glad to tamper withal couldest thou be sure it should not be known and thou shouldest not be brought to shame for it and have the displeasure of such a friend thou couldest find in thy heart to be medling with it Couldest thou Oh! know thou hast a base heart that hast no other grounds to keep thee from Sin withal Whereas know if thou be a Christian indeed and that God hath aright made known sin to thee thou wouldest rise higher Oh I am to deal with God an infinite glorious first-Being and if it be sin only that strikes at this infinite glorious eternal first-Being of all things Then I will avoid sin whatsoever become of me yea whatsoever I suffer I will not have to do with it this is a raised Spirit this heart is like to stand out against sin Alas those poor low grounds upon which many resist sin though they may stand out against sin a little against a weak temptation yet if there come a strong temptation will quickly break through the hedg Al those poor low grounds and Arguments temptation will quickly break through them But when the heart is raised to oppose sin upon such high grounds as this is Certainly this notes a true raised heart by God and such an one is like to stand out against temptations in another manner than others do And truly when the heart is possessed with this thought it cannot perhaps parley and reason with the temptation as others can yea this one principle of sinning against God will so fill the heart of a man or woman that though it doth not stand reasoning and answering every thing yet it will even burst out either in tears and fal a lamenting that it should be pestered with temptation or burst out into Resolution against it I remember an excellent Story reported in the Book of Martyrs you may find it in King Edwards life that yong Prince that died at some fifteen years of age in his time there were two Bishops otherwise good and proved Martyrs and yet you may see what the best of them were in those times they came to perswade the King to yeild to a Tolleration of the Mass and it was but for his Sister neither not for the whole Kingdom but meerly for his own Sister to yeild to a Tolleration of it in her Chappel he stood out against it though yong thought it a dishonor to God well they plead and Reason with him telling him it was best in State Policy and other grounds they use to perswade a Tolleration of Popery thus you see what kind of men these in these waies are and if you do not know yet you are like to know more in this kind about these wayes but this I bring it for when the poor King though yong having his heart possessed with this principle That he should not do any thing against God he could not answer the Bishops that came so subtilly but instead of Answering their Reasons he burst out with tears and then they were convinced and confessed the King had more divinity in his little finger than they had in all their bodies So I apply it to you yong ones perhaps temptations to that which is a sin against God comes subtilly strengthned with this Argument and the other Argument but if you have your hearts possessed with this truth it is a Sin against God Oh when you cannot Answer the particulars of temptation burst out and weep and cry either for your condition or that you should be pestered with that you know is a sin against God and say I had rather lose my life suffer any thing in the world than sin against God If your hearts be filled with this Principle when temptation to sin comes you will be ready to burst out and weep before the Lord and this will be as strong an Answer to temptation as can be and Satan will quickly avoid if you can when you find your selves pestered with temptation and it follows and dogs and pursues you if you can being filled with this Principle That sin is against God if you can get alone and fall a weeping and lamenting that your hearts are even ready to break from the consideration of this Principle this will be the strongest way and means to resist temptation that can be CHAP. XX. A Sixt Corollarie If sin be thus sinful it should teach us not only to be troubled for our own sins but the sins of others SIxtly A Sixt Corollarie If Sin be so much against God and wrong God so Hence it should teach all those that know God and have any love to God to be troubled not only for their own sins but for the sins of others for sin wheresoever they see it Oh I see the blessed God wronged fought against stroke at and this should go neer the heart of all those that have any love to God at all As with David in the 119. Psalm 136. Rivers of water run down mine eyes because they keep not thy Laws 't is true every man and woman should especially look to themselves and their hearts should especially be troubled for their own sins but mark the Saints that know how sin is against God their hearts cannot but be wonderfully troubled when they see that God so dear and precious to them thus wronged Rivers of water run down mine eyes because they keep not thy Law Oh when I put it to thee in the Name of the Lord in all thy life didst thou shed one tear for the sins of those among whom you live for the sins of thy Familie And vers 158. I beheld the transgressors and was grieved Oh I was grieved and pained at my heart yea thus it will be with thee if thou lovest God When thou in the Familie may be thou art a Child when thou beholdest thy Father or Mother Carnal and spending all their lives without the knowledg of God and in waies of sinning against God thou shouldest get alone and mourn and lament for it Oh it is that if any thing in the world that would break a Parents heart if there be a yong Child a Youth or a Maid that God begins to reveal himself unto them and the Parent speaks may be against them and Gods people and swear or profane Gods Day or speak against his Ordinances though it may be it do not become thee to speak to them but if thou canst before them let tears drop from thine eyes or get alone and fall down and lament before God if thou canst by lamenting reprove their sins that they shall see thee lament for them this may break their hearts it may be notwithstanding if it do not break their hearts it hath this in it Certainly if any thing in the world will stir us and break our own hearts this should be it To see God dishonored in the world as he is though our hearts be never so much hardened otherwise There is a Storie of a
and when that comes against the Creature it must needs make them miserable it s another manner of matter than afflictions when all in God comes out against the soul and there is not any one sin but endangers this CHAP. XXXIV XI Sin is more opposite to mans good than affliction for that sin make all the Creatures of God at enmity with a sinner XI FUrther in the next place The evil that sin hath beyond all the evil of Affliction is this That sin it doth make all the Creatures of God to be at an enmity with a sinner I say sin puts a sinner in this condition that all the Creatures of God are Enemies unto the sinner they be all as the Host of God that come out against a sinner ready armed with Gods wrath ready bent to execute the wrath of God against a sinner the Creatures of God are called Gods Host not only because they be armed with Gods wrath but because there is in them a propencity to destroy those sinners that sin against the God of their Being Every Creature is ready and doth as it were cry to God Oh Lord when wilt thou give me commission to take away such a wretch Lord such a one is a filthy wretched Blasphemer a Sabbath breaker a drunkard and thou livest all this while and hast been at peace and yet they are still crying Lord shall I go and take him away and send him to his own place If thou couldest hear it all the Creatures in the world cry thus and they be all desirous to send thee to thy own place and take thee away My thinks when I see a sinner I hear all the Creatures cry as he in the 〈◊〉 Sam. 16. 9. Abishai the son of Zerviah Abishai was one of Davids Soldiers when Shimei cursed David Shall I go and cut off this dead Dogs neck So he saith concerning Shimei Let me go over I pray thee and take off his head why should this dead Dog curse my Lord So when thou art blaspheming God the Creatures look upon thee with disdain and they rise against thee and all the Creatures say Oh this dead Dog this wretched Creature how long shall he live to blaspheme God shall I cut off his head shall I go and send him down to his own place It would terrifie thy heart if thou shouldest hear every Creature crying to God to be thy Executioner from him And certainly when God gives commission and God falls upon thee every Creature wil fal upon thee As you read in the 2 Sam. 18. when Joab fell upon Absalom presently the ten men fell upon him and slue him too as soon as Joab gave the stroke So as soon as God gives the stroke against the sinner certainly all other Creatures be ready to fall upon the sinner also so that sin brings a man to such a condition that all Creatures are at enmity with him whereas when once the soul is reconciled to God and sin pardoned all Creatures be at Peace with you you are then in League with all the Creatures We should account it an evil condition to be in such a place where all the men in the Nation are our Enemies and stand ready to murder us Certainly all the sinners in the world are in the middest of the Creatures of God that stand ready armed with GODS wrath against them Hence it is That when once God inlightens I beseech you observe it the Conscience of a sinner he feareth every thing The wicked flie when none pursueth them It is very observable of Cain after he had committed that sin of slaying his Brother then saith Cain Every one that meets me will slay me Who was there then in the world No body but his Father and Mother and yet every one that meets him will slay him he was afraid of every thing and every one because he had sinned against the Lord. So every inlightened Conscience that knows what sin means when he comes to have Conscience awakened they be afraid of every thing If there be thundrings lightenings storms tempests it sees the wrath of God in this Storm and Tempest Thunder and Lightening any stirs abroad in the world be but as Messengers of Gods wrath against me saith the awakened Conscience This is the misery of a sinner and then how much is the evil of Sin greater than Affliction CHAP. XXXV XII Sin is a greater Evil to man than Affliction because it puts a man under the Curse of God XII NAy further It puts the Creature under the Curse of God it doth separate the Creature for evil Psal 4. 3. It is said God separates the righteous man for himself So sin separates the Creature for evil and makes him Anathema accursed For God in Deut. 27 26. saith Cursed is every one that abides not in every thing that is written in the Law to do it he is accursed in all that he hath and doth The Curse of God is against him And here observe sin doth not only deserve a Curse that the Creature should be accursed but of its own nature it is a Curse and makes the Creature accursed in its own nature As thus you may see the evil of sin by the excellency of Grace Thus Grace doth not only bring excellency upon the Creature and brings a blessing but of it self it separates the Creature for a blessing For what is holiness but grace they be usually exprest for one and the same now what is Holiness but the Consecration of a thing for God so that when Holiness comes into the heart that is nothing else but that gracious Principle whereby the soul of a man or woman before common to Lust and sin is now come to be separated from al these things and to be consecrated and given up to God himself that 's Holiness Now sin must needs be contrary unto holiness As holiness is a separation of the Creature from other things and a consecration of it unto God so sin is a separation of the Creature from God and all good and devoting of it up unto wrath and misery and a curse and al evil whatsoever in its own nature it is not in the desert only Many men think sin in its desert deserves a Curse but they understand not how sin in its own nature separates the heart from God and so gives it up to al evil and all misery as grace doth to all good This is the evil of sin and therefore another manner of evil than there is in Affliction CHAP. XXXVI XIII Sin is the seed of Eternal evil therefore more hurtful to man than Affliction An Use therof Then see that those men are deceived that think to provide well for themselves by Sin Use 2. The Ministry of the Word is for our good as well as Gods glory XIII FUrther Sin it is a principal evil so I call it because it is a principal of Eternal evil to the Creature I beseech you observe what I mean I
from obedience to the Will of God by that libertie they come to be under bondage under slavery to the Devil All wicked men that think much to obey God they must be obedient one way or other we must be all servants and obedient either to the Will of God or the Devil which is best then Wicked men think it a brave life that they may have their own will true if they might have their own will they might think it a brave life but know you have rather the will of the devil than your own in that you do his will you fulfil the will of the devil To be in slaverie not only to the devil but to any man is a great evil to be at the wil of man yea to be at the will of a good man is an evil I should be loth to live in any such Common-wealth as that I should be under the will of man in it any further than might be revealed and bounded by some set Law The difference between a Slave and a Subject is this A Slave is such a one as lives under Arbitrary Government that is the WILL of such as are in Authority is their Law and they are ruled by no other Law but by the Will of such as Govern them there is no Law set to know when they shall offend and when not but when their Rulers say this is an offence that his will is crossed that is an offence and they be therefore punished But now Subjects they be bound to no obedience to any man any further than some set Law doth require their obedience that is a Subject and that is the very difference between a Slave and a Subject If men in Authority should command any thing though good I mean only indifferent yet I am not bound in conscience to obey at al because they command except it be by a Law except they command it by a Law if he command it meerly as his Will and only say I Will here is no tie upon the conscience It is ordinarie for people to think if men in Authoritie command they will have such a thing done Oh say they Authoritie commands We deny it Authoritie commands nothing but what it commands by a Law and then we are bound to obey or to suffer if it be a Law once but if it be not a Law though it should be the will of men in Authoritie it doth not bind us at all till it come to be a Law any further than there is Equity it self in the thing in its own Nature for then doth a People come to be in slavery when they come to be subject to the will of men without a Law Now Brethren thus If it be a slavery and a great evil to be subject to men though good men subject to their will and nothing else without Law then what an evil is it to be in subjection and slaverie to the will of the devil meerly at his will and yet every wicked man is so We should account it a very sore thing if we should come under Arbitrary Government to be subject to the will of men Now so long as thou remainest under the power of Sin thou remained under the government of the devil himself this is a sorer evil than affliction A man were better live in any Countrie though not so fruitful as England and suffer hardship in his Estate so he live like a Free man than to live here or in any other fruitful Countrie and live under Arbitrary Government This we hope for not to be under the Wills of men but the Laws made by them Then it were better to endure hardship and any affliction than bear this to be at the will of the Devil and fulâ—l his will Fifthly In reference to the devil Sin hath this evil in it if it grows to a height itsels the soul to the Devil As with Ahab 1 Kings 21. 20. when Elijah met Ahab Hast thou found me O my Enemy saith Ahab And he answered I have found thee because thou hast SOLD thy self to work evil in the sight of the Lord Now if he sell himself he must sell himself to some body to somwhat we cannot sell a thing but we must sell it to some body or to somwhat now to what must Ahab sell himself Certainly to no body but to the devil he sold himself to work iniquity and wickedness and wickedness when it comes to the height is a selling of our selves to the very devil himself We cry out of those poor miserable Creatures that sel themselves to the devil we say Oh how be they deluded and besotted that sell themselves to the devil Certainly every wicked man and woman in the world when sin groweth to the height sell themselves to the devil Sixthly and lastly Sin when it grows to a height it doth turn the Soul into a Devil it makes men and women to become Devils when it grows once to a height The Scripture is very clear in that you know what is said concerning Judas John 6. 70. Have not I chosen you twelve and one of you is a Devil and so ordinarily the Scripture speaks in this kind of phrase Revel 2. 10. Fear none of these things you shall suffer behold the Devil shall cast some of you into prison why is the Devil come to be a Pursevant or an Officer or to give Warrants to cast into prison No but it is spoken of wicked Persecutors that the Devil sets on work they be called by the name of the Devil Sin when it comes to a height it makes the sinners to be such that they are pronounced to be Devils the Devil shall cast some of you into prison and one of you is a Devil that is a strange metamorphosis We reade of strange Fictions of some Creatures turned into other Creatures but this for the Creature to be turned into a Devil is the strangest metamorphosis that can be Brethren what made the Devil a Devil they were once glorious Angels more glorious Creatures than men and women but what is it that should make them devils now Nothing but Sin it is Sin that hath made Angels to be Devils and therefore do not so much wonder that sin should make men and women to be devils Incarnate Do not wonder at the phrase of Scripture seeing Angels by sin yea the sin that the Angels did commit did presently turn them into devils therefore wonder not that the continuing the acts of sin when it groweth to the height should turn men and women into devils These be the Six Particulars in this Head of Sins Reference to the Devil 1 It is of the same Nature with the devil joyns with him against God 2 It is the work of the devil that is he is the Original and helping Cause of it 3 It furthers the Kingdom of the devil 4 It fulfils the will of the devil 5 When it grows to a height it sels the Creature to the devil 6 It
God and said Oh Lord my God I am ashamed and blush to lift up my faee to thee my God for our iniquities are increased over our heads and our trespasses are grown up to the heavens c. There mark the Prayer Ezra makes at the evening Sacrificed when the time was come that he should stir and seek God then his Spirit was mighty active and stirring though he were astonished before If it had been melancholly his heart would have sate still then so that trouble of Conscience puts life into the Soul in Prayer And so it makes the soul active in meditation and contemplation melancholly people be dull and heavie and know not how to meditate nor what to meditate on Those troubled in Conscience Oh what quick thoughts have they about God Christ and eternity and the law and sin and their souls work about such objects that they can have no help unto from their bodies and senses and yet their spirits are raised higher than before in their workingsâ—… And so when they come to hear the Word Oh how active be their spirits in catching of the word and at every truth I appeal to you that are troubled what difference there is between your spirits now and what they were before you were troubled for sin before you came to the Congregation to see and be seen and wondered what men meant to be so earnest and now you mark every truâ—h and catch hold of every sentence and mark the mind of God and understand what is said before you came and heard and never understood what was meant by such and such things you saw the Minister earnest but you could not conceive what the man meant in his earnestness but now you see what he means in his earnestness and understand what weight is in those truths you hear revealed this is somâ—what like when the spirit is thus â—…ed and acted in Prayer and Pearing And in Conference when you were in Conference with good men before Conference about good things was dry and a dull thing and you savored not the things confered on but presently were asleep but now if you come where there is Conference of God and his Word and Christ and the like your mind closeth with this If you were only melancholly this would make you more dull and heavie but this makes you more lively and active therefore there is a great deal of difference Lastly Trouble of Conscience cannot be cured as Melancholly is Melancholly many times is worn out with time and Physick cures that and outward comforts and contentments cures that but trouble of Conscience is a wound of a higher nature As Francis Spira said when they brought Physitians and thought it trouble of body Alas poor men they think to cure me by Physick Ah it is another manner of malladie and must have another manner of medicine than Plaisters and Drugs to cure a fainting Soul and Spirit for Sin Conscience must have Gospel Antidotes therefore you that thought you had trouble of Conscience for Sin and you are now eased or perhaps not so much troubled now as before look back what cured you how comes it to pass you be less troubled than before hath time worn it away such a Sermon and such apprehensions of such a truth darted into you mightily and troubled you you had such troubles but what hath cured you many times one can give no account but this Sure time hath worn it away if so then it was not a right trouble So it may be you took Physick your body was troubled before now it is lively and more blood in your veins more spirit now and may be now your affliction is taken away and this hath â—ured you if there be no other trouble than this certainly you know not what trouble of conscience means at least not in a saving way either it was not trouble of conscience at all or else it is not cured aright but as the thorn that lies rotting and rankling in the flesh a thorn when it first gets in puts one to a great deal of pain perhaps if it be let alone the pain will be over for the present but it lies rankling and will put you to pain afterward if it be not cured So of trouble of Conscience for Sin and if nothing have cured it but these things it is like the thorn in the flesh and will trouble you afterward There is another manner of Cure for it is the greatest thing God can do to comfort a troubled Conscience it must be the bloud of Christ applied by the holy Ghost it must be a plaister made of the bloud of Jesus Christ and applied by the holy Ghost to Cure this And therefore I beseech you consider what hath been said about this Argument and as the Psalmist saith Blessed is the man that wisely considereth of the poor so I say blessed is the man and woman that wisely considereth of these troubles in this dont cast it upon your children friends Oh they be froward or mad-men or melancholly Oh do not say so You that are acquainted with storms and tempests you think them dreadful it may be some of your friends have lately known what dreadful storms there have been now if any of them should make relation of it and another should saâ— this is but a conceit and a fancy and no reallity but a dream would you think these men spake like wise men Certainly if any storm you have met withal at Sea hath terror in it know stroms in Conscience hath a thousand times more than storms at Sea Therfore when you see any troubled in Conscience for sin fear and tremble let your Conscience shake at it and make use of their trouble I remember a story of one Vergerius that came to comfort Francis Spira and he came to comfort him as other men did but he saw such dreadfulness upon Francis Spira that it struck terror in his Soul that he left his Bishopprick and went to Basil and became a famous Protestant Thus when we hear of troubles of Conscience slight it not but let the fear of God be upon you go and renounce Sin Oh if some of our friends did know what slighting of a troubled Conscience were it would make them do as he did though he had a rich Bishopprick he renounced all And thus we have done with this First Use CHAP. LIII A Second Vse from the whol Treatise shewing that a man may be in a most miserable condition though he be delivered from outward affliction First If a man be prosperous by sin if a man raise himself to a prosperous condition by any sinful way let such men consider three things 1 What is got by sin it cost dear 2 What is got by sin is accursed to thee 3 What is got by sin must be cast away or thy soul is cast away Secondly When men come to be more sinful by their prosperity explained in three Particulars 1 When prosperity is
end in sin ibid The end of the Agent and of the Act 44 Loss of the end worse than loss of means 75 Gods glory his end of creation 76 Mans end what 259 Endless Torments 133 134 Enjoy We cannot enjoy God and sinful wayes together 61 Estate vide Gettings Wicked men usurpe not their Estates 280 Have right to them and how ibid Eternity The Eternity of all evil from sin 339 Evil Sin the greatest 10 Of Two Evils to choose the least no god axiome in point of sin 23 Sin makes a man evil 140 It 's better to hear reade evils than feel them 297 F Face Gods face what 286 Fight Who fight against God 41 Froward Guilt causeth frowardness 270 Fuel Prosperity is fuel to sin 436 Full Mens hearts full of sin 458 Flouds Flouds of wickedness 460 Fear vide Terror Sin causeth fear 290 You must not fear affliction more than sin 517 Feeling Past feeling 473 G God God needs not the Devil to help his Cause 21 Good Good in comparison vide Affliction 3 Good of Entity and Causality 11 Good by occasion 12 Good instrumentally ibid Good and End is the same 258 Sin spoyls all good 320 Grief Must be for others sins as well as for our own 103 Guilt Sin brings guilt 269 Guilt what ibid Guilt makes men bloudy 270 Guilt takes away comfort 271 Guilt brings fear 272 273 274 275 Only guilt makes sufferings evil 276 Gettings Gettings by sin cost dear 430 Gettings by sin are accursed 431 c. Glory Sin labors to frustrate God of his glory 75 It cannot frustrate Gods glory 76 God wil have his glory one way or other 78 Our good and Gods glory connexed 312 Grace An eternal Good 340 346 In Grace no power to work except God works with it 359 H Hearts The different working of the Saints hearts 15 The way to break a heart 96 Sin hardens the heart 297 Hell Hell is better than sin 4 Humble The way to humble the soul 34 47 48 49 Few humbled truly 84 Holiness Sin casts dirt upon Gods holiness 64 Holiness what 291 Horror Is not true Humililiation 88 House The house where sin is is worse than that which is haunted by the Devil 374 375 Harden Prosperity hardens 442 Hands Concerning such as lay violent hands upon themselves 19 Hate God hates sin 38 Who hate God 44 The object of Gods hatred 265 266 267 Sinners hate themselves 310 Humiliation For sin against God sanctifies his name 87 It abides after pardon 89 Makes a divorce from sin 91 92 Exhortations to humiliation for sin 471 I Image Sin most opposite to the Image of God in man 145 146 The excellency of the image of God in man 147 Holiness the image of God 147 148 149 150 151 Infinite Infinite and less than infinite cannot stand together 345 A kind of infinitness in sin 345 Infinite power must overcome sin 346 Sin hath infinite desert 347 Sin deserves infinite misery ibid Infinite in time and in degree 348 An infinite price paid for sin 349 Justice Sin wrongs God in his justice 66 Judgement Examples of Gods judgements upon sin 118 119 120 121 122 The difference of the judgment of God from the judgment of the world 142 Spiritual judgements the worst 502 Joy Against joy in sin 464 465 466 467 468 Sin damps joy 468 469 K Know Few men know God or sin 80 81 Sinners know not the excellency of the rational creature 306 They know not Gods holiness 307 Four things must be known 327 Knowledg Knowledg of sin makes Christ precious 56 Kingdom Of Christ and of Satan what 361 362 363 L Law The glass to see sin 124 Light Common light and saving light 150 Little Call no sin little 448 449 450 Lye An Officious lye 19 Lye not to save the world 20 Life Sin strikes at the life of God in man 151 152 256 What the life of God in man is 253 The life of man excellent 256 Losses A Christian may have many Crosses but no Losses 340 Liberty Prosperity gives liberty to sin 437 M Mercy Sin wrongs Gods Mercy 68 Mediator Must be God Man 82 Ministry Ministry of the Word is for our good 295 And Gods glory ibid It makes sin bitter ib. Makes stomachs rise against it 296 A great Ordinance 323 Magistracy A great Ordinance 324 Marriners Englands strength 324 325 326 Mean Mean-men who 252 Malliciousness Maliciousness in sin 312 Means Means to crush sin 323 Melancholly Distinguished from trouble of Conscience 387 388 389 390 391 392 393 394 395 Six Differences of it 414 c. Misery Men freed from affliction may be in misery 426 Great misery when sin and affliction meet 504 N Nature Sin in its nature opposite to God 35 Mans nature 253 Necessity No man brought to a necessity of sinning 24 O Omniscience Gods Omniscience wronged by sin 62 Omnipresence Gods Omnipresence wronged by sin ib. Opposition Of sin to God in Four things 33 Order Sin breaks the worlds Order 72 Occasion God takes occasion by sin 73 Affliction may occasion sin 141 P Persecute Who persecute God 47 Pitty Sinners to be pittied 313 314 315 Pleased Saints never well pleased with sin 16 Pleased with Affliction ibid Price A great price notes greatness of inisery or of the Person 350 Promises The promises of sin are delusions 25 Possession Satans possession of the heart 379 God hates not people possessed but pitties them 380 Portion The Devil and wicked men have the same portion 383 Prosperity Of prosperity by sin 428 429 430 Of sin by prosperity 436 437 438 Prosperity a judgment to the wicked 441 Plead Plead noâ— for sin 500 Pardon Some Saints grieve most after apprehension of Pardon 90 Pardon is a great mercy 445 446 Patience Of God to be admired 92 Of Christ is perfect 233 Power Sin wrongs God in his power 65 Power in creatures a drop of Gods power in them 287 Pray Afflictions teach to pray 298 R Rebellion Sin is rebellion 45 Report Martyrs have a good report 6 Repentance A continual act 89 Resist Sin resists God how 42 Revenge Let out revenge upon sin 317 Root All sin comes from the same root 43 Rejoyce Saints rejoyce not in sin 16 Saints rejoyce in affliction ibid Redemption Sin wrongs Christ in his work of Redemption 70 Restore Ill gotten goods must be restored 432 433 434 435 Restitution According to the nature of the wrong 497 S Satisfie Sin denies good in God to satisfie the soul 58 Serviceable No good thing ought to be Serviceable to sin 27 Seed Sin the seed of evil 293 Grace the seed of good ibid Shame Shame better than sin 6 7 Sin brings shame 303 304 305 Why Sinners not ashamed 306 Sufferings Of Martyrs 5 The red glass of Christs sufferings 124 More in Christs sufferings than in any 134 Speak For God 104 105 Strength Of Christ 133 Sin the strength of all evil 328 329 Striving Striving against God what 42
Temptation 96 Chap. 20 A Sixt Corollary If sin be thus sinful it should teach us not only to be troubled for our own sins but the sins of others 103 Chap. 21 A Seventh Corollary If sin hath done thus much against God then all that are now converted had need do much for God 109 Chap. 22 The Eight Corollary If sin doth so much against God hence see why God manifest such sore displeasure against sin as he doth 1 Against the Angels that sinned 2 Against all Adams Posterity 3 See it in Gods giving the Law against sin 4 See it in Gods punishing sins that are accounted smal 5 See it in Gods destroying all the world for sin 6 See his displeasure in punishing sin eternally 112 Chap. 23 A Seventh Discovery of Gods displeasure against sin opened from the sufferings of Christ First See the several expressions of Scripture 1 He was sorrowful to death 2 He began to be amazed 3 He began to be in an Agony Secondly See the effects of Christs being in an Agony 1 He fell grovelling on the ground 2 He swet drops of Blood 3 He cries to God if it be possible to let this cup pass from me Thirdly There is eight Considerations of Christs sufferings 123 THE SECOND PART Sin is most opposite to Mans Good and far more opposite to the Good of man than Affliction Chap. 24 First Sin make a man evil but no affliction can make him so 1 Those that are in affliction are not the worse 2 But those that are wicked are vile persons though they be the greatest Princes 140 Chap. 25 Secondly Sin is more opposite to the good of man than Afflictions because most opposite to the Image of God in man Three Particulars instanced and a Question resolved 145 Chap. 26 Thirdly Sin is opposite to the Life of God in Man 151 Chap. 27 Fourthly Sin is opposite to mans good because it is most opposite to the last End for which man was made 258 Chap. 28 Fifthly Sin is more opposite to mans good than Affliction because 't is a defilement of the Soul 1 It defiles all a man medleth with 2 Sin is the matter the worm shall gnaw upon to all Eternity 262 Chap. 29 Sixtly Sin is more opposite to mans good than affliction because sin is the object of Gods hatred but God hateth not any for affliction 265 Chap. 30 Seventhly Sin is more opposite to mans good than affliction because sin brings guilt upon the soul 269 Chap. 31 Eightly Sin is a greater evil to man than Affliction because it 's that which put the Creature under the Sentence of Condemnation 277 Chap 32 Ninthly Sin is a greater evil to man than affliction because it breaks the Vnion between God and the Soul 282 Chap. 33 Tenthly Sin is more against mans good than Affliction for that it stirs up all in God to come against a sinner in way of enmity 285 Chap 34 XI Sin is more opposite to mans good than affliction for that sin makes all the Creatures of God at enmity with a sinner 288 Chap. 35 XII Sin is a greater evil to man than affliction because it puts a man under the Curse of God 291 Chap. 36 XIII Sin is the Seed of Eternal Evil therefore more hurtful to man than affliction An Use thereof Then see that those men are deceived that think to provide well for themselves by sin Use 2 The Ministry of the Word is for our good as well as Gods Glory 293 Chap. 37 XIV Sin is worse than affliction because it hardens the heart against God and the means of Grace 297 Chap. 38 XV. Sin is worse to us than affliction because sin brings more shame than affliction 303 Chap. 39 He that sins wrongeth despiseth and hateth his own Soul Use 1 Then see the maliciousness that is in sin Use 2 To pitty those that go on in sinful wayes Use 3 Let sin be dealt hardly with 308 THE THIRD PART Chap. 40 Sin is opposite to all good and therefore a greater evil than any affliction opened in five things 1 Sin take away the excellency of all things 2 It brings a Curse upon all 3 Sin is a burden to Heaven and Earth and all Creatures 4 Sin turn the greatest Good into the greatest Evil 5 Sin if let alone would bring all things to confusion 319 THE FOURTH PART Chap. 41 That Sin is the Evil and Poyson of all other Evils shewed in several Particulars First It 's the strength of all Evils Secondly It 's the sting of Affliction Thirdly It 's the Curse of all Evils opened in Five Particulars Fourthly Sin is the shame of all Evils Fifthly The Eternity of all Evil comes from Sin 327 THE FIFTH PART Chap. 42 Sin hath a kind of Infiniteness in it Opened in Seven Particulars First Because nothing but an Infinite Power can overcome it Secondly Sin hath a kind of infinitness because it hath an infinite desert in it expressed in Three Particulars 1 The desert of the loss of an infinite Good 2 It deserves to put an infinite distance between God and thee 3 It deserves infinite misery Thirdly Sin hath a kind of infinite Evil because there is required an infinite Price to make an Attonement between God and Man Fourthly There is a kind of infinit Evil in Sin because we must hate it infinitely Fifthly Sin is an infinite Evil because it is the Vniversal Cause of all Evil. Sixthly The Scripture make use of Evil things to set out the Evil of Sin Seventhly There 's an infiniteness in Sin because the Scripture set out Sin by Sin it self 344 THE SIXT PART Chap. 43 Sin makes a man conformable to the Devil opened in Six Particulars First Sin is of the same Nature with the Devil Secondly Sin is from the Devil Thirdly Sin is a furtherance of the Devils Kingdom in the World For 1 By Sin we oppose Christs destroying the Devils Kingdom in the World 2 By Sin thou opposest thy prayers when thou prayest Thy Kingdom come 3 By going on in a way of sin thou becomest guilty of all the sin in the World Fourthly Sinning is a fulfilling the will of the Devil Fifthly Sin sells the Soul to the Devil Sixtly Sin it turns the Soul into a Devil 357 Corollaries and Consequences from all the former Particulars Chap. 44 The First Corollary It 's worse for a man to be sinful than to be turned into a Beast 370 Chap. 45 The Second Corollary It 's worse to be sinful than to be afflicted with Temptation from the Devil 372 Chap. 46 The Third Corollary It 's worse to be under sin than to be haunted by the Devil 374 Chap. 47 The Fourth Corollary It 's worse to be given up to any way of sin than to be given up to the Devil Quest How the delivering up to Satan can be for the saving of the Soul 376 Chap. 48 The Fifth Corollary It is worse to be given up to one sin than to be actually
their Choice Many of you when it comes to it wil be loather to loose a groat than commit a sin loather to endure the least shame or a nick-name than to commit a sin Are there not many Servants here or Children wil tel a Lye when they have done an evil rather than suffer a little shame in the Family from their Parents or Masters or fellow Servants and Children What a difference is there between thy heart and the heart of the Martyrs they could endure al tortures on their Bodys that could be devised rather than to commit any known sin against their Consciences and thou wilt venture to commit a known sin against thy Conscience rather than to be found out in some fault and have an angry word or a little shame If it be but to gain two pence they wil tel a Lye and are willing to chuse sin rather than endure the least trouble a mighty difference between thee and them You know how it was with Paul when he speaks of Afflictions these be his Expressions but light and momentary but for a moment but they work an exceeding weight of Glory mark light Afflictions what were they you would account them heavie if they were upon you Blessed Paul that great vessel to bear the name of God as great an instrument of Gods glory as any in the world except Christ himself and yet this Paul was whipt up down as if he had been a Rogue put into the Stocks had not Cloaths to cover his nakedness had not Bread to eat and was accounted the off scouring of the world and yet he accounts all this but Light But when he comes to Sin that is heavie Oh wretched man that I am Thus he gives a dreadful shreek at sin see what a difference he makes between Affliction and Sin and accounts it abundantly more evil to be in sin than in affliction And so Christ himself that is the Wisdom of the Father and therfore could not chuse but judge right and yet he was content for the sake of poor Souls to come and under go al kind of Affliction and Pain and Sorrow so as to be made a man of Sorrows according as the Scripture speaks How was he content to have his Body whipt and scourged was laughed at and scorned and though he was possessor of Heaven and Earth yet had not a house to put his head in yea to bear the wrath of God for the Sin of man to be made a Curse for man under the Curse of â—he Law and to be under that pain extremity through the wrath of his Father when he sweat great drops of Bloud all this Christ would endure But now if it had been to have committed the least sin to have saved al the World Christ would never have done it though Christ could be content to suffer all kind of Miseries yea the wrath of his Father yet had it been to have committed the least sin Christ would have let al the World be Damned eternally rather than he would have done that there is so much evil in it Afflictions taken in the strength and latitude of them yet they have no greater evil in them then Christ is capable of I say take them in the strength and latitude of them certainly there was never any Affliction since the world began endured like Christs and yet these be no other than Christ God and Man is capable of and it may stand with the blessedness of his Divinity That that person both God and Man could be under such Afflictions Christ was content with these He made his Soul an offering for Sin But sin is so great an evil that Christ is not capable of it Christ never entertained the least thought of it but cast it off if it came to him therfore certainly there is more evil in the least Sin than there is in the greatest Affliction The Afflictions that Christ indured though they were not every way the same with the damned in hell yet certainly there was the wrath of God as really and truly upon Christ as truly as upon the damned in hell as really though I say not in every kind in the same way and manner and therefore see Christ was Capable of that evil of the wrath of the Almighty upon his Soul and yet not capable of Sin he was willing to undergo that and yet not to have the least guilt of Sin applied to him and therefore certainly there is more evil in the least Sin than in the greatest Affliction CHAP. III. There is some good in Affliction but none in Sin First no good of Entitie Secondly No good of Causality Thirdly No good principle from whence Sin can come Fourthly No Good anexed as is to Afflictions viz. 1 Of Promise 2 Of Evidâ—nce 3 Of Blessing Also Five different workings of the hearts of the Saints under Sin and under Affliction Fifthly It 's not capable of any Good 1 Adde all the good to sin that all the Creatures in heaven and earth have yet it cannot make sin good 2 Good ends though 1. to help against temptation 2. to do good to others 3. to glorifie God cannot make sin good 4 God can not make sin good Sixthly It 's not comparitively good WEL for further Arguments though this one thing were enough to stop all mouths in the world and make every Soul subscribe and acknowledg that there is greater Evil in the least Sin than in any Affliction I shal be large in this Argument because it is of wonderful Concernment to stop men in their course of Sin and to humble them for sin and make them resolve against sin and to see their miserable estate in sin and so see their need of Christ First I shall fully make it out That Affliction is to be chosen rather than sin 1 First Because there is some good in Affliction but none in Sin 2 Because Sin hath more Evil in it than Affliction This Second I shal shew in the following Chapters First Affliction hath some good in it but sin hath none You know what David saith Ps 119 71. It is good for me that I have been Afflicted thus he spake of Affliction But when St. Paul speaks of Sin he saith In me that is in my flesh dwelleth no good Rom. 7. as if he should say So far as I am Unregenerate in my Unregenerate part there is no good at all he cals sin by the name of flesh there is no good at all in Sin First There is no good of Entity or Being all things that have a Being there is some good in them for God hath a Being and every thing that hath a being hath some good in it because it is of God but Sin is a Non Entity a no being It s rather the deprivation of a Being then any being at al here is a great mystery of Iniquity That that which is a Non-entity in it self yet should have such a mighty efficacy to trouble heaven
and earth This is a great Mystery Secondly It hath no good of Causallity that is Sin is so evil as it can bring forth no good Afflictions bring forth good Sin is such an evil as it cannot be made good not an instrument for good Afflictions are made instrumental for good Object No wil you say Cannot God bring good out of sin And doth not God bring good out of sin Answ To this I Answer True God brings good out of sin that is Occasionally but not Instrumentally He may take occasion to bring good out of sin committed but mark God never makes sin an instrument for good for an instrument comes under somwhat as an Efficiency for an instrument gives some power towards the Effect but thus God never useth sin God never made sin an instrument of any good that is that sin should have any power any influence into that good effect that God brings out of it as Afflictions have God doth not only take occasion by Afflictions to do his people good but he makes them Channels to convey the Mercies to their Souls And thus Afflictions have an instrumental efficacy in them to do men good Therefore saith the Holy Ghost in Heb. 12. He Chastens them for their profit that they might be partakers of his holiness The greatest good the Creature is capable of Affliction is made oftentimes the instrument to convey And in Isa 27. By this the iniquity of Jacob shal be purged That is by this as an instrument but sin is never thus Sin is never sanctified by God to do good to any Soul Afflictions are sanctified by God to do good therefore sin is a greater evil than affliction sin is so evil that it is not capable of any work of God to sanctifie it for good but no Afflictions are so evil but that they are capable of a work of God to sanctifie theâ—…r abundance of good This is the Second Thirdly Sin hath greater evil than Affliction in the rise of it there is no good principle whence sin comes but there are good principles from whence Afflictions arise as thus Whom he loves he chastens he chastens every Son whom he receives so that Chastisement hath a principle of Love but it cannot be said whom God Loves he suffers to fal into Sin that this can be a fruit of his Love it can never be said that it is a fruit of Gods love that such a man or woman commits sin but it may be said it is a fruit of Gods Love that such a man or woman is afflicted therefore there is more good in Afflictions than there is in Sin Nay observe this Many times God doth not afflict a man or woman because he doth not Love them but it can never be said God suffers not a man or woman to sin because he doth not love them I say There is many a man or woman goeth on in a prosperous Condition and they meet not with such Afflictions as others meet withal and the Reason is Because God hath not such a love to them as to other men but it cannot be said thus That there be such men that keep them selves from such sins that others do wallow in therfore they do it because God hath not such a love to them as to others it cannot be said so but it may be said such be not afflicted so much as others because God doth not love them as well as others It is a dreadful fruit of Gods hatred that he doth not afflict them but it is not a fruit of his hatred â—ot to let them fall into sin I remember a Speech an Ancient hath upon that place of Hosea I will not punish their Daughters when they commit Adultery Hos 4. 14. saith he Oh dismal wrath of God that God will not afflict them and punish them But now if this be so that want of afflictions may come from Gods wrath and the being put into affliction may come from Gods love certainly then there is not so much evil in affliction as is in sin for it can never be said so of sin Fourthly There is no good anexed to sin as is to affliction as thus 1 Not the good of promise 2 ly Not the good of Evidence 3 ly Not the good of Blessing anexed to Sin as is to Affliction 1. As now Afflictions hath abundance of Promises I wil be with you in the Fire and in the Water And by this shal the iniquity of Jacob be purged and I could spend the remainder of the Book to open the many great Promises God hath annexed to Afflictions but God hath not annexed any Promise of good to Sin when God afflicts then you may challenge Gods Promise Psal 119. 75. saith David In very faithfulness hast thou afflicted me O Lord this is but a fruit of thy Promise Afflictions and thou art faithful in Afflicting but sin hath no Promise annexed to it Yet it may be you wil say that all shal work together for the good of them that love God But this doth not go in way of a Promise this Scripture will not beat it though it be true God may occasionally work good to his people by Sin but this Scripture cannot bear it that there is any Promise for it in that place For First it is against the Scope of that Text for the Scope of that place is to uphold the hearts of Gods people in Afflictions For he saith All things but Sin is no thing and all things work together and so he speaks of that which hath an Efficacy in it that will together with God work for good but sin hath not any Efficacy to work on for God will not work by that That is one thing then Affliction hath the good of Promise annexed to it but so hath not Sin therefore there is some good in Affliction but none in Sin 2 ly Affliction hath the good of Evidence God makes our Afflictions signs of our Son ship and Adoption If you be not afflicted then are you Bastards and not Sons And Phil. 1. Be not troubled or terrified trouble of the Saints is an evidence of Salvation to them but a token of their perdition who are the terrifiers or troublers of them but a sign of your Salvation But it is not so of sin 3 ly Further There is a Blessing propounded to Afflictions Blessed be those that mourn and blessed be the man whom thou Chastisest and teachest in thy Law but there is no blessing allowed to Sin it is not capable of it there is not that good annexed to sin that is to affliction and therefore Affliction is to be Chosen rather than Sin And from hence see the different working of the hearts of the Saints under their Sin and under their Affliction That follows from this Head That there is some good annexed to Affliction that is not to Sin 1. First Hence it follows That the Saints can Cry to God with Liberty of Spirit under Affliction but they cannot
had need take heed to our selves and think certainly there is more evil in my heart more opposition in my heart against God than I have been aware of What say you now Will you venture to commit sin for a groat or six pence if there be so much opposition against God in it Were it not better to be under any Affliction than under the guilt of Sin if there be in it such opposition to God This is the First general Head nothing is so opposite to God as Sin I say Sin is most opposite to God CHAP. VIII The workings of Sin is alwayes against God The Scripture calls it 1 Enmity 2 Walking contrary 3 Fighting 4 Resisting 5 Striving 6 Rising against God SEcondly As the nature of Sin is opposite to God so in the workings of Sin there is a continual working against God A sinful heart that is alwayes stirring and working is alwayes working againk God And therefore you shall observe these several Expressions the Holy Ghost hath concerning Sin 1 The holy Ghost calls it Enmity to God Rom. 8. 7. The wisdom of the flesh the best part the flesh hath is enmity against God 2 Yea The holy Ghost saith it is a walking contrary unto God Levit. 26. you shall have it there in many places If you walk contrary unto me 21. and 28. vers and divers others 3 It is a fighting against God Acts 5. 39. and Acts 23. 9. in these two places rejecting of the Gospel is called a fighting against God 4 And in Acts 7. 51. You do alwayes resist the holy Ghost there is a company of men naturally walk contrary resisting and fighting against God We see we had need take heed of opposing the Ministery of the Gospel for while you do that you fight against God You think you do but oppose such and such men but half a dozen in the parish that you oppose but certainly the opposing the Golpel is not a fighting against us men but against God you may turn it off with what names you will and put what pretences you wil upon it let me tell you They that strike upon the lanthorn offer violence to the Candle therein 5 Sin in Scripture is called striving against God Isa 45. 9. Wo unto him that striveth with his Maker Let the potsheard strive with the potsheards of the earth So far as Sin doth prevail in thy heart or in thy life so far thou art guilty of striving with thy Maker 6 A rising against God By Sin the Soul doth rise against God And for that you have an Expression in the 2. Micah 8. Even my people of late are risen up as an Enemy these be strange expressions enmity walking contrary striving fighting resisting rising against God and yet this is in Sin But that I may open it further I shall shew how sin doth fight strive and rise against God CHAP. IX How sin resist God 1 It 's a hating of God 2 It 's rebellion against God 3 It 's a despising of God FIrst Sin doth resist God in his Authority in his Soveraignty in his Dominion over the Creature the language of Sin is God shall not reign It is the setting of the Will of a base wretched Creature against the will of the infinite eternal glorious God And is there not evil in this though it may be thou doest not on purpose do so set thy will against God yet it is so in sin there is the setting of thy will against the will of the infinite eternal God resisting the Soveraignty and Majesty and Dominion of the infinite God Yea thou doest resist-God in his Law thou resisteth and opposeth God in that righteous Law of his which he gave thee to obey Quest But how is this in every Sin It may be in some great and notorious sins this may be but is this fighting against God striving and rising and walking contrary to him and so of the rest is this in every sin Answ For that I Answer 1 That every Sin comes from the same root and look what venom there is in any one sin for the nature of it it is in every sin though not for its degree 'T is true one sin may have a higher degree of evil in it than another but every sin is invenomed with the same evil That which is the venom of any one sin is the venom of all all comes from the same root As in a Tree there is more Sap in an Arm of the Tree than in a little Sprig but the Sprig hath the same Sap for kind that the Arm of the Tree hath and it al comes from the same root So though there be more venom in some gross crying sins than in some others yet there is no sin but hath the same Sap and the same venom for the kind that every sin hath that the worst sin hath 2 Yea Consider further That God doth not account sin only according to mans intentions in sinning what man intends but what the nature of the sin tends unto not what I do aim at in my sinning but what my sin doth aim at There is the end of the agent and the end of the act now t is true though the end of a Sinner be not alwaies to strive against God and fâ—ght with God yet the end of his Sin is so though not of the Sinner I beseech you observe how God may lay grievous Sins to their charge and that he doth not account of a mans Sins according to his intentions but according to that which is in the nature of his Sin as now you would think it a strange Sin to charge any man in the world with hating of God come to any man though the greatest Sinner in the world the most notorious villain and charge him thus Thou art a vile wretch thou hatest the living God he would revile you and be ready to to spit in your face and yet it is said He hates God In the 1 Rom. the Apostle in the catalogue of Sins when he would shew the state of all men by Nature for the first Seven Chapters of the Epistle to the Romans are to shew the nature of the Jews and Gentiles and among others he tels them there were those that were haters of God among other notorious Sins haters of God is one But I will shew it in a more plainer wav in the Second Commandement the veriest villain in the Nation would spit in vour face if you should say he hates God What say you to him that will seem devoute and worship God in a more glorious way then he hath appointed the Scripture saith he hates God See the Second Commandement Thou shalt not make unto thy self an graven image nor c. Thou shalt not bow down thy self to them nor worship them c. for I will visit the Sin of the Fathers upon the Children unto the third and fourth generation of them that HATE me Why is this set in the Second Commandement rather than
strike at God and wrong God all that time of thy Natural Estate till God opened thine eyes and awakened thy conscience Oh think now what a deal of wrong have I done to God all my life if I have done nothing else well now God opens thine eyes Oh now thou hadst need to do much for God If God have shewed himself and given hopes of mercie and that he hath pardoned me this will certainly prevail with any heart that God hath turned What! have I done so much against God heretofore Oh I have cause to seek the honor of God upon my hands and feet all my daies that if I can do any thing for God What! I such a vile wretch and yet out of Hell yea and hope to be pardoned Oh any thing I can do for him though to creep upon my hands and feet all my daies in this world to suffer all the hardships in the world shame loss of estate any thing in the world no matter how great and hard the suffering be that God calls for There is infinite Reason I should do and suffer all for God for I have wronged God by sin and thus we shall turn sin to grace as it were and of Poyson make an Antidote against poyson by taking advantage by sin to be more obedient unto God You that have been swearers and wronged God that way now sanctifie Gods Name the other way You that have broken so many Sabbaths now sanctifie Sabbaths true all that you can do cannot make up the wrong but that will shew thy good will that thou wilt do what thou canst and manifest to God and all the world That if thou hadst ten thousand times more strength than thou hast thou couldest lay it out for God and certainly any man or woman that have been great sinners if God have humbled them and pardoned them they wil be great Saints for the time to come Carry this home with you any that have been vile perhaps you think you have grace because you are not so vile as heretofore you have been but certainly if you have grace there will be a proportionableness between the holiness of your lives now and your wicked life before you will take advantage I have wronged God so before now I must live thus and thus It will be so between man and man if one have wronged you and you have pardoned him you expect he should do what he can for you Thus it should be with God and you you have wronged God others have sinned as well as you and others sins have been furthered by you this now should inflame your hearts I have sin enough in my self and I have been the cause of it in thousand thousand sins in others my sins strike against God yea and I have caused others to sin and strike against God now if I could draw some from sin I should think it the happiest thing in the world I would creep upon my hands and knees to draw others from sin to God to be in love with the waies of God and of Religion Oh you that have been forward in sin don't think it enough that now you be troubled for your sins and leave them but know you must do for God now as much as you have done against him he requires it of you Oh go to your friends and acquaintance and kindred and labor to draw them off from sin tell your kindred and friends and acquaintance Oh Brother that you did but know what sin means Oh Sister that you did but understand what it is to sin against God God hath shewed me in some measure yea I that went on in such and such sins Oh I see how I struck at God and what an evil this is Oh that God would enlighten your eyes Come and hear the Word I thought lightly of sin before now I have gone and heard and God hath shewed me what it was Oh that God would make you see And pray for them and take no nay but to them again and again that so you may do somwhat for God as you have done abundance of wrong against God CHAP. XXII The Eight Corollarie If Sin doth so much against God hence see why God manifest such sore displeasure against sin as he doth 1 Against the Angels that sinned 2 Against all Adams Posterity 3 See it in Gods giving the Law against sin 4 See it in Gods punishing sins that are accounted smal 5 See it in Gods destroying all the world for sin 6 See his displeasure in punishing sin eternally EIghtly This is one Consequence follows If sin be so great an evil as you have heard so much against God wrongs God so much as it doth and strikes at God Hence then we see the reason why God manifests such sore displeasure against sin We find Brethren most dreadful manifestations of Gods displeasure against sin and the ground and bottom of them is in these things which you have heard opened unto you And indeed did you understand and beleeve what hath been opened unto you concerning sins opposition of God you could not then wonder at Gods manifestation of his displeasure against sin There are manifold Manifestations of Gods displeasure against sin which when they be spoken of and opened unto people that do not understand the dreadful evil that is in sin they stand and wonder at it and think Oh they be hard and severe things When Ministers reveal the threatnings of God against sin Oh say they God forbid we hope God is more merciful than so and all because they apprehend not what dreadful evil there is in sin That soul that apprehends and beleeves these particulars that have been opened unto you cannot but justifie God when they hear the revelation and the manifestation of the displeasure of God against sin As now in these Particulars That which hath been delivered is the bottom and ground of these that we shall mention and we see the reason of all these As First That dreadful manifestation of the displeasure of God against the Angels that sinned against him there is that revelation of the displeasure of God against the Angels that might cause all our hearts to tremble before the Lord at the very thought and hearing of it I beseech you consider you who think that God is only a God of Mercie and God is not so severe against sin as many Ministers would make him do but attend to what I shall say unto you how God hath manifested his displeasure against sin in the Angels Consider of these five or six Particulars I will but onlie mention them 1 That God should cast so manie glorious Creatures as the Angels are for ever from himself considering the Excellencie of their Nature 2 Consider their Multitude 3 Consider That the Chains of darkness that they be cast into are eternal Miseries 4 Consider That this was but for one sin 5 And consider That this was but the first sin that ever they committed 6 Lastly consider
That God should not now enter so much as into any parley with them about anie terms of peace nor never would nor never will This is the sore displeasure of God against them that God I say should not look upon the Angels that he hath made glorious Creatures the most excellent of all the work of his hands And when there were manie thousand millions of them for so the Scripture speaks of Legions even in one man Legions of Devils though there were thousands and millions of such glorious Creatures that God made and these were in Heaven about his Throne beholding his glorie and when these committed but one sin against him never but one before their Fall and the first that ever was committed they had no example before them of Gods wrath but upon the verie first sin though it were but one that all these glorious Creatures committed they were presentlie cast down from Heaven and of Angels made Devils and reserved in Chains of eternal darkness And so is God set against them all for that one first sin that he would never enter into any parley with them to be reconciled upon any terms never to consider of any terms of peace but cast them away from him unto eternal torments without anie recoverie this is the dreasul displeasure of God against sin Now Brethren this I speak of is that which there is no doubting or controversie about anie one that knows the Scripture knows this In some things there may be controversies about them but no Divine that hath knowledg of anie thing of Scripture but will confess this that I speak of and if you know not this certainlie you were never acquainted with the Scripture Though other Points be controverted yet none that know Gods Word make question of this this is cleerlie granted of all And the consideration of this might strike abundance of fear terror into the hearts of wicked and ungodlie men and women to think Lord how have I thought of thee al this while and have looked upon God as a merciful God that though I have sinned I have thought things would not be with me as I have heard by such and such Ministers but this day I have heard such was the sore displeasure of the infinite God against Sin that when he had to deal with those glorious Angels for one sin he cast thousands of them into eternal Miserie and upon no terms will be reconciled nor never will You think if you sin against God you will crie God mercie and so hope God wil pardon true there is a difference between Man-kind and the Angels because we have a Mediator and they have not but most people that speak of crying to God for mercie they look upon God as Gods Nature meerlie being merciful and not through a Mediator they do not understand the necessitie of a Mediator between God and them but they apprehend that that God that made them wil hear their crie Now God made the Angels and they were more noble Creatures than you abundantlie now the Angels that sinned but once for that one sin are cast for ever and God resolves though they should crie and shreek and shed thousands of tears for sin God wil never hear them Gods displeasure against sin is so great certainlie then sin is a dreadful evil Suppose a Prince were so wrath with a great companie of his Nobles that he casts a great multitude of them into a Dungeon and there they endure torment and the King would not vouchsafe so much as to enter into a parley to be reconciled upon any terms everie one would say surelie 't is some great matter that hath provoked the King if they understand this Prince is verie Just and withal verie merciful to be sure he would do none any wrong but were verie merciful above al men in the world and yet for but one offence he should cast these his Nobles down into a Dungeon to be tormented and would by no means be reconciled everie one would conclude certainlie there was much evil in that offence if it deserved thus much and certainlie for the Prince to deal thus with them there was much in it Would you not make such a conclusion from thence then learn to make such a conclusion from Gods dealing with the Angels That seeing God is Just and can do no Creature wrong yea God is infinitely merciful and yet he doth cast his noble Creatures those Creatures that were the highest that ever he made any Creature for one sin without any means of Reconciliation Certainlie Sin hath more evil in it than men are aware of for though God hath not dealt thus with Man-kind yet he might there is so much evil in sin that God might have done thus with anie of us and had it not been for the Mediation of his Son we had been thus irrecoverably miserable to all eternitie Secondly Consider That for one sin in our first Parents and not in our own persons that all the Children of men by Nature are put in such an estate to be Children of wrath and liable to eternal misery and that for the sin of our Parents that will shew the wonderful Justice of God How unsearchable are his Judgments and his waies past finding out Certainlie God is infinitelie displeased with Sin that when the first Parents of Man-kind did offend then upon that all their Posteritie to the end of the world are put into a damnable condition all of them are children of wrath and heirs of eternal perdition as in themselves Certainlie my Brethren this is a truth and none can denie it that understand Scripture and if you do not understand this you have not understood a great and necessarie Truth of the Word of God that is necessarie to eternal life That all Man-kind are by the sin of their first Parents put into a condemned estate so as they are all the children of wrath by nature as the Scripture saith so that we are not onlie in danger of Gods eternal wrath through the sin that we in our own persons do actually commit but though we had never committed any actual sin in our own persons yet the sin of our first Parents is enough to make us children of wrath and be our eternal ruine Certainlie there is a great deal of evil in sin more than the world thinks of when it shall so provoke God as that he shall have such displeasure to put all Man-kind to be in the state of Children of wrath for the sin of our first Parents This is a second Manifestation of Gods displeasure against sin Thirdly A third Manifestation of Gods displeasure against sin is in that fiery Law as the Scripture cals it that God hath given for forbidding and threatning of sin Consider the dreadful manner of Gods giving the Law that it was with Fire Lightning Thunderings and Earthquakes and Smoke so as the Scripture saith Moses did shake and tremble at the very sight of the dreadfulness
of the Law when it was first given That was only to set forth thus much to us That if the Law that God gave be broken that then God will be very dreadful to those that break it therefore he gives it at first in such a dreadful manner It may be many bold presumptuous sinners think it nothing to break the Law of the infinite eternal God but in that God gives the Law in such a dreadful manner as you may read in the 19. of Exodus how dreadfully God gave the Law God doth thereby declare to all the world how dreadful sinners are to expect him to be if they do break the Law But especially consider that dreadful Curse annexed to the Law Cursed is every one that abides not in every thing that is written in the Law to do that which the Law of God pronounces to be done a curse to every one that doth any thing at any time that shall break it That there should be such a dreadful Curse annexed this manifests the sore displeasure of God against sin Fourthly A fourth Manifestation of the sore displeasure of God against sin all this but to shew you further how Sin is a greater evil than Affliction the Manifestation I say of Gods displeasure against sin is seen in that we find in Gods word God hath so severely punâ—sh'd some sins that do appear to us to be very smal little sins and yet God hath been exceedingly severe against those sins which appear to us to be exceeding smal To instance in three 1 In 1 Sam. 6. 19. there you have this example that the men of Beth-shâ—â—esh when the Ark came to them they did but look into the Ark out of curiositie for ought we know for no other end but meerly out of curiositie Now because the Ark was a holy thing and none but the Priests of God were to meddle with it God did presently at an instant slay fiftie thousand and three score and ten men of them Upon this the text saith these men beholding this severitie of God for this offence they all said Oh! who shall stand before the holy God! If God be so holy that he cannot bear so smal a sin as this did appear to men that but for looking into the Ark so many thousands shall be slain presently who can stand before the holy Lord Many of you have slight thoughts of the Lord and his Holiness and think you may be bold and presumptuous you venture upon greater offences than this was but these men upon the venturing upon this one thing above fiftie thousand are slain presently This is the displeasure of God against sin though very smal to our thoughts 2 Again A second example you have in Uzzah that did but touch the Ark out of a good intention as being ready to fall yet that not being according to the Law God struck him with death presently it cost him his life he was struck with sudden death We are terrified when we see one fall down suddenly now upon that offence though he had a good meaning and good intention yet God brake in upon him with his wrath and struck him dead presently Consider this you that think you have good meanings and good intentions yet not doing according to the Law the least breach of the Law though we have a good meaning doth provoke the wrath of God and God when he pleaseth lets out this his wrath 3 A third example you have in that poor man that we reade of who did but gather sticks upon the Lords day and by the Command of God from Heaven this man must be stoned to death You would think these things little matters Alas poor man he might have need of them How many of you venture upon other manner of things upon the Lords Day profaning of it and yet God speaks from Heaven and gives command to have this man stoned to death Now Brethren though it be true that God doth not alwaies come upon men for such little sins it may be to make known his Patience and long-suffering Perhaps the Lord doth let others go on for a long time in greater sins but yet God by a few such examples doth declare to all the world what the evil of the least sin is and how his displeasure is out against the least sin If he do forbear that is to be attributed to his patience and long-suffering but not to the littleness of the sin or the littleness of the evil that is in that sin This is a Fourth Fifthly A fifth thing wherein God manifests his displeasure against sin is in those dreadful and hidious Judgments that the Lord executes abroad in the world that we have the stories of in the Scripture and all Ages As that God should come and drown a whol world except eight persons all the whol world swept away and drowned And so that God should command fire and Brimstone to come down from Heaven and burn and consume whol Cities Sodom and Gomorrah and the Cities adjoyning yea and all the men women and children but only Lot and those few with him And so the fire to come down upon those Captains and their Fifties 2 Kings 1. And the Earth swallowing up Corah Dathan and Abiram There is no Age but hath some one or other dreadful example of His Judgments against Sin The wrath of God is revealed from Heaven against all unrighteousness Now Brethren though some people have scaped and these manifestations of Gods Judgments are not so general and ordinary yet when they are but now and then God manifests what his displeasure is against Sin and what might be to all that Sin against him Sixthly A sixt manifestation of Gods displeasure against Sin is in those eternal torments and miseries in Hell that the Scripture speaks of the worm that never dies and the fire that never goes out when you hear Ministers speak of fire that never is quenched for poor people to lie burning in fire thousands of thousands of years in eternal flames scalding under the wrath of God you stand agast at the dreadfulness of these expressions Certainly these are only to reveal the displeasure of God against sin because there is no finite time can be sufficient to manifest to the full the displeasure of God against sin therfore those that perish must perish eternally CHAP. XXIII A Seventh discovery of Gods displeasure against sin opened from the sufferings of Christ First See the several expressions of Scripture 1 He was sorrowful to death 2 He began to be amazed 3 He began to be in an Agony Secondly See the effects of Christs being in an Agony 1 He fell grovelling on the ground 2 He swet drops of blood 3 He cries to God if it be possible to let this cup pass from me Thirdly There is eight Considerations of Christs sufferings SEventhly And that is greater than all that hath been said Put all the former six together His dealings with the Angels and with
Man-kind The dreadful giving of the Law His dreadful Judgments for smal sins And examples of his wrath abroad in the world And the eternal torments in Hell Put all these six together and yet I say all these six is not so much to manifest the displeasure of God against sin as this one that now I shall tell you of and if there be any thing in the world that should make us to see the evil of sin it should be this if any thing make our hearts to shake and tremble at the evil of that sin of which it is so much guiltie then this I say that now I speak of should do it and that is this The dealings of God the Father with his Son when Jesus Christ that was the second Person of the Trinity God blessed for ever came to be our Mediator and to have but our sins imputed unto him and according to Scripturs phrase to be made sin Do but then take notice how God deals with him how God manifests himself to his own Son when his own Son did but take mans sin upon him to answer for it do but then consider how God the Father did deal with him The Scripture saith he did not spare his Son but let out the vials of his wrath upon him in a most dreadful manner If we do but consider First that Christ God blessed for ever should come and be in the form of a Servant should be a man of sorrows as the Scripture speaks that in the whol course of his life should live a contemptible life before men and undergo grievous sufferings But because I must hasten do but look upon Christ in his Agony and upon the Cross at his death and there you will see the dreadful displeasure of God against sin and in nothing more than that True there is the bright glass of the Law wherein we may see the evil of sin but there is the red glass of the sufferings of Christ and in that we may see more of the evil of sin than if God should let us down to Hell and if there we should see all the tortures and torments of the damned in Hell see them how they lie sweltring under Gods wrath there it were not so much as beholding sin through the red glass of the sufferings of Jesus Christ and that of his Agony And give me leave a little to shew to you how God let out himself against his Son when he came into the Garden and a little before when he was to die and suffer upon the Cross And for this consider these two things First The several Expressions the holy Ghost useth in the several Evangelists for the setting out of those dreadful things Christ suffered as a fruit of Gods displeasure upon him 1 One Evangelist saith that Christ was very sorrowful even to the death Mat. 26. 38. he began to be the word in the Original signifies compassed about with sorrows to have sorrows round about him and as it were beset and besieged with grief and it was to the very death usque ad mortem sorrowful to the very death What was it for upon the apprehension of the wrath of his Father which he was to endure for the sin of man he was sorrowful to the death in the apprehension of it You it may be upon the sight of sin content your selves with some slight little sorrow You will it may be when you are told of sin cry Lord have mercy upon me I am sorry for it and so pass it away But Christ when God comes to deal with him he makes his soul to be compassed about with sorrows sorrowful to the death for our sins 2 Another Evangelist tels us he began to be amazed Mark 14. 33. that is when Christ came to drink the Cup of the wrath of his Father due for our sins he stood amazed at the sight of the dreadfulness of that Cup he was to drink of because he knew what Gods wrath was he understood what it was before he drunk of it and this made him stand amazed at it Many sinners hear Gods wrath and this makes them fear but they be not amazed at it they can pass it away and they be not affected with it afterward because they understand it not they know not what it is for a Creature to stand before the wrath of an infinite Deity Who knows the power of thy wrath saith the Scripture therfore they be not amazed But Christ that knew full well what the wrath of God was and saw to the bottom of it he understood to the dregs what that Cup was and he stood amazed at the sight of it when he was to drink it 3 Another Evangelist hath this Expression 't is in Luke 22. 44. Christ began to be in an Agony Now the word Agony signifies a strife a combat it is taken from the word that stgnifies a combate in Battel Christ was in an Agony in a Combate Combate with what with whom With the Wrath of God he saw coming out upon him to sink him he saw the Curse of the Law come out upon him he saw the infinite Justice of God of the infinite Deity come out upon him and he was in an Agony in combate with the infinite Justice and wrath of God and the dreadful Curse of the Law and so Christ came to be in an Agony These be the three Expressions of the Evangelists Secondly Consider the Effects of Christs being in an Agony and apprehending the wrath of his Father for sin 1 One Effect was this you shall find it in the story of the Gospel that the text saith he fell grovelling upon the ground upon the apprehension of Gods wrath and displevsure upon him for sin which he was to suffer he fell down grovelling upon the ground When he that upholds the Heavens and the Earth by his Power now falls grovelling upon the Earth having the weight and burden of mans Sin upon him he falls upon his face he falls to the ground Certainly Brethren Christ had that weight and burden upon him that would have prest all the Angels in Heaven and Men in the World down to the bottomless gulf of despair If all the strength of all the men that ever were since the beginning of the world and all the Angels in Heaven were put into one and he had but that weight upon him that Christ had it would have made him sink down into eternal despair for had not Christ been God as well as Man he could never have born it but would have sunk down eternally But the burden and weight was so great that he sinks down to the ground 2 A second effect of Christs bearing the wrath of God for Sin is this He sweat great drops of blood the word in the Original is Clodders of Blood Blood thickned into Clods Never was there such a sweat it was in the Winters night a cold night abroad upon the ground in a cold Winters
nothing else but the wrath of God working through that channel and let out through that though now thou die and the matter of the disease be gone yet when thou comest to hell there thou shalt meet with the same grievous pain only in another way That is The wrath of God shall let out this evil immediately through his wrath which was mediately through the Creature before and now it is immediately from himself And this meditation rightly considered is enough to bring down the proudest stoutest sinner on the earth to Consider how the Wrath of God is all that evil to a sinner that all the Creatures in Heaven and Earth are able to convey and much more And thus you have this opened how Sin is the evil of all evils THE FIFTH PART OF THIS TREATISE CHAP. XLII Sin hath a kind of Infiniteness in it Opened in Seven Particulars First Because nothing but an Infinite Power can overcome it Secondly Sin hath a kind of infiniteness because it hath an infinite desert in it expressed in Three Particulars 1 The desert of the loss of an infinite Good 2 It deserves to put an infinite distance between God and thee 3 It deserves infinite misery Thirdly Sin hath a kind of infinite Evil because there is required an infinite Price to make an Attonement between God and Man Fourthly There is a kind of infinite Evil in Sin because we must hate it infinitely Fifthly Sin is an infinite Evil because it is the Vniversal Cause of all Evil. Sixthly The Scripture make use of Evil things to set out the Evil of Sin Seventhly There 's an infiniteness in Sin because the Scripture set out Sin by Sin it self A Fifth General Head that was Propounded in the beginning is this Sin hath a kind of Infiniteness of Evil in it It is true we must acknowledg that nothing but God can be properly said to be infinite There is not an infiniteness in a strict sense in sin for then certainly all the Mercy of God and all the Power of God could never overcome it if properly and absolutely sin had an infiniteness in it therefore I do not say it is properly infinite Well but there is a kind of infiniteness it comes exceeding neer to infiniteness if we may so speak though it is somwhat improper to say it comes neer but we must speak so as we can to our own apprehensions you shall see in the opening what I mean As thus There is a kind of infiniteness of evil in sin beyond all bounds First Because there is nothing but infinite Power can overcome it Take the least sin that any man or woman lies under the power of nothing but the infinite Power of God can overcome that sin and this is the reason that many that have had many convictions of conscience of the evil of sin many resolutions against sin many Vows and Covenants and Promises they have made against sin Oh when they are sick now they see the evil of sin now they promise if God will restore them they will never do the like and they speak from their hearts they do not only dallie but they do verily think they will never come in companie more and commit sin more because it is so evil but when they be well they be under the power of sin as before and al their resolutions and experiences and all their own strength and power and all the means they have are nothing though sin be opened to be never so vile and they be convinced thereof yet al comes to nothing Certainly there is more dreadful evil in sin than we be aware of and all the pleasure and profit we have by sin can never countervail that evil that is in sin and this they see and therefore promise and hope they shal never commit such sins again Perhaps there hath been such thoughts in your hearts may be God hath had some beginnings to come in by his Power into your souls this is the way of Gods coming in to the hearts of men and women when he comes to convince and give them such resolutions But know all thy resolutions cannot overcome sin perhaps you may forbear for the present the acts of sin a while may be restrained but nothing but the infinite Power of an infinite God can overcome any one sin any one lust Sin shall not have Dominion over you Rom. 6. 14. for you are not under the Law but under Grace saith the Holy Ghost as if he had said if you be not now under the Grace of the Gospel in which the infinit Power of God comes upon the soul to deliver them from the Dominion of Sin Sin would for ever have Dominion over you but sin shall not have Dominion over you because you be not under the Law but under Grace It is the Grace of the Gospel through which this infinite Power of God comes upon your hearts that keeps sin from having Dominion over you This is the first there is a kind of Infiniteness in it because nothing but the infinite Power of God can overcome it Secondly There is a kind of Infiniteness in it Because it hath an infinite desert it doth deserve that which is infinite There is an infinite desert in it therefore a kind of infiniteness in it As thus the infinite desert of Sin may be set out in these three Particulars 1 The desert of the loss of an infinite Good all the good in God By every sin thou dost deserve to be deprived of that good there is in God that desert comes upon thee to lose all the good there is in the infinite God not in this or that particular good but in the Infinite God and all the good in him 2 Every Sin doth make an infinite breach between God and you not only you do deserve to lose all the good in God but it puts an infinit distance between God and thee Abraham could say to Dives when Lazarus was in his bosom there is a great gulph between you and us There is a great gulph between the sinner and those that are godly but what a gulf is there between God himself and a sinner If there be such a gulf between Abraham and Dives surely a greater gulf between God himself and a sinner 3 The desert of Sin is Infinite In regard of the Infiniteness of misery and pain and tortures that sin deserves which becaus they cannot possibly be infinit in degree for it is impossible for a finite Creature to bear any one moment pains infinite in degree But because it deserves infinite torment it must therefore be infinite in time because it cannot be infinite in degree and so it is infinite this way in duration because it cannot be infinite in degree thus sin is infinite Certainly that which makes such an infinite loss and such an infinite breach and brings such infinite tortures this must be an infinite evil in a kind Thirdly Sin is a kind of infinite evil Because
come to know what trouble of conscience for sin is and what the power and authority of the word is and how then doth the soul prise the word no man or woman ever comes to prise the word tell they have felt the powâ—er of the word troubling their conscience then they come to prise the word You have a famous place for this Job 33. 16. Then he opens the ears of man and seals their instruction That is God coming upon men in times of affliction opens their ears and seals their instructions that is makes the word come with power and authority As a thing sealed comes with more authority than a blank or a writing not sealed Sealed that is when the word comes with power That I may with-draw man from his purpose and hide pride from man That is Having Sealed instruction â—he humbles the heart First he causeth the word to come with power and then he humbles the heart He keepeth back his soul from the pit and his life from perishing he is chastened also with paine upon his bed and the multitude of his bones with strong pains and so forth And in vers 23. If there be a messenger with him an interpreter one among a thousand to shew unto man his uprightness Then he is gracious unto him and saith Deliver him from going down unto the pit That is when God comes to â—eal Instruction and to humble the heart â—and to cause pains to be upon the man and so make them sensible of their sin then let a messenger an Interpreter be found one of a thousand such a one doth account a Messenger and Interpreter that shal be able to declare the way of Righteousness and shew him a ransom how to be delivered from sin he accounts him a man of a thousand Oh he is a man of a thousand wheras if he should come thus before â—he were no body and the Word nothing a meer silly business but now he is a man of a thousand Oh such a Messenger let such a one come and welcome And therefore you shall have many men slight a consciencious Minister in their health and prise those that preach slightly but in their sickness when conscience is open they will not send to a slight vain Minister that preach and never touch conscience but they will have those that have preached most to Conscience they shall be most prised by them upon their sick and death beds when Conscience is awake such a one will be one of a thousand then This is the Sixt. Seventhly and lastly and indeed one of the Principallest and I desire all those that have had slight thoughts of trouble of conscience for sin to attend to it it is this Those slight thoughts of thine about trouble of conscience for sin they are a high degree of blasphemy against the Holy Ghost If I make this plain that they be guilty of a high degree of Blasphemie against the Holy Ghost this should â—…we the hearts of men and women and make them take heedâ— what they do in giving way to these vain thoughts about trouble of Conscience yea such a degree I will not say it reacheth the highest degree of blasphemie yet I shall make it out to you that they come neer it It is a high degree of blasphemie against the Holy Ghost it appeareth thus Because trouble of Conscience for sin it is an especial work of the Spirit of God upon the Soul of a man or woman wheresoever it is such a work of the Spirit of God as from thence the Spirit of God the Holy Ghost hath the denomination so as he is called the Spirit of Bondage no God hath no denomination from any light and slight work there must be some especial and great work of God in which God doth much glorie that he hath a denomination from it now Rom. 8. 15. the Spirit of God hath this denomination it is called the Spirit of Bondage For you have not received the Spirit of Bondage again to fear but you have received the Spirit of Adoption crying Abba Father Ye have not received the Spirit of Bondage again to fear as if the Holy Ghost should say there was a time when you had the Spirit of Bondage and what was this Spirit of Bondage It was no other but the Spirit of God discovering unto and setting upon the heart of a man or woman that bondage that they be in under the Law and corrupttion and Satan This is the Spirit of Bondage when Gods Spirit shall come to enlighten a man and convince the Conscience and so lay this upon the conscience of any man or woman thou art by reason of sin a bond-slave to the Devil under bondage of all the Curses of the Law by reason of sin yea a bond-slave to thy Lusts this the Spirit discovering and making the Soul sensible of this bondage is that which causeth this denomination to the Spirit of God to be called the Spirit of Bondage Now for thee to attribute that to foolish melancholly conceits that is one of the especial works of the HOLY GHOST in the SOUL and is the Spirit of Bondage Is not this Blasphemie against God This is Gods work and it is a work of Gods glory for all the works of God be his glory and that which the Spirit of God glories in as that work proper to him thou saiest it is but folly and melancholly conceits and the like is not this blasphemie and reproach to the Spirit God Certainly it is no other but reproach and blasphemy against the Holy Ghost in attributing the trouble of conscience to these conceits 2 Nay further It is a great degree towards the unpardonable sin if ye do it out of malice and knowledg by it you come to the unpardonable sin Take for that this one place of Scripture Mark 3. compare the 22. verse with the 24. 30. Verse 22. when Christ cast out Devils the Text saith of the Scribs and Pharisees that came from Jerusalem that they said he hath Belzebub and by the Prince of the Devils casts he out Devils they attributed the work of Christs casting out Devils to the power of the Devil he casts out Devils by the Devil But now it was by the Finger of God well Christ calls them to him and said How can Satan cast out Satan There he convinceth them Satan could not cast out Satan and told them it was by the Spirit of God they were cast out Mark how he goeth on in the 28. verse Verily I say unto you all sins shall be forgiven unto the sons of men and Blasphemies wherewith soever they shall blaspheme But he that shall blaspheme against the Holy Ghost hath never forgiveness but is in danger of Eternal Damnation Because they said he hath an unclean Spirit Christ tells them other blasphemies shall be forgiven but the blasphemies against the Spirit of God shall never be forgiven Why doth Christ speak of this how comes it in Mark the
you have wronged are dead you must not keep it if they have anie heirs or executors suppose you know not them then you must give it to the poor you must be rid of it So much stain and evil is in sin that anie thing that comes by way of sin must not be kept And this is not so strange a thing but that the heathen have been convinced of it I remember a storie of a heathen that did but owe to a Shoomaker for a pair of Shoos and no bodie knew he owed it when the Shoomaker was dead he thought to save it but his Conscience was so troubled though the man was dead and no bodie could charge him with it that he could not sleep or rest and be quiet but riseth with amazement and trouble in the night and runs to the Shoomakers house and throws the Money in and saith Though he be dead to others yet he is alive to me If a heathen had such convictions of Conscience that he must not keep that which was gotton by sin if he could see sin so sinful that what was gotten by sin must be cast out surely you Christians must be so wise Oh consider this you are a multitude come together is there never a man or womans Conscience now in the presence of God that tells them That there is something that they have gotten by such a sinful way Now this is the charge of God to you upon your spirits That as ever you do expect to find Mercie from God that you do forth with and immediatelie restore that which you have gotten by anie sinful way it will be your bane and your ruine you will venture your souls else that must be restored or your souls must go for it and all your sorrow and trouble will not do ezcept these be restored these be restored to your power either that or some other thing in lieu of it you must not think to live upon sin It may be servants in their Masters service pilfered and purloined whatsoever you got for your selves perhaps you have spent it but hereafter either your souls must perish or else you must if God have made you able restore it though it be all your estates you be bound to cast up those sweet morseâ—s you have taken There was once one that had wronged a man in five shillings and it was fiftie years after that wrong was done that he sent to these hands of mine those five shillings and desired me to restore it Conscience now did so sting him that he could not injoy it So though it be fortie fiftie or threescore years ago when you were yong that you did the wrong you be bound as you do expect mercie from God to restore what you have wronged because there can no prosperitie come in by sin no good there is so much evil in sin This is the First when a man comes to be prosperous by Sin then he may be miserable notwithstanding his prosperitie Secondly When a man comes to be sinful by Prosperity As when a man comes to Prosper by sin so when Sin comes in by Prosperitie And for this Three Considerations likewise Sin sometimes comes in by Prosperitie a man is more sinful because more Prosperous certainlie this man may be miserable notwithstanding his Prosperitie As First When Prosperitie is fuel for sin Secondly When it gives them further license and liberty to sin Thirdly When it more hardens them in sin Certainlie this man though he be freed from Afflictions all his daies yet is a most miserable man because he is delivered from Afflictions 1 He comes to have Prosperity fuel for sin That is matter for sin to work upon so that Prosperitie nourisheth and fattens up sin As manie men because they have Prosperitie their sins grow to a mightie height by Prosperitie Prosperitie is fuel for Lust fattens your malice and oâ—asions pride Were it not he had such an estate as he hath and a healthful lustie bodie then he could not be guiltie of so much Lust uncleanness drunkenness pride so much malice and revenge the more God doth deliver them from Afflictions sickness povertie the more feuel hath he for sin wickedness and the lusts of his heart to burn upon and grow up to a flame As it is with a bodie those humors of the bodie are matters for the disease to grow upon and feed the disease they be no good to the bodie but mischief to it some men have great big arms and legs but what bigness is it a bigness that comes by disease by dropsies such humors their bodies being full of them they feed the disease of the bodie now be these humors anie such things as that we should rejoice in do they make for the good of the bodie they make for the bigness but not the goodness of the bodie So anie mans estate that makes matter to feed lust upon and nourish and grow upon this such a man is so much the more miserable by how much the more Prosperous he is as usuallie wicked men through the malignitie in their hearts they do make all their Prosperitie to be nothing else but nourishment for lust to breed on As it is with a gracious heart it will turn al things he doth injoy to be matter for his grace to work upon and to further the work of grace so a wicked heart will turn all he doth injoy to be matter for his lust to work upon and to further his lust the excellencie of grace appears in the one and the malignitie of sin appears in the other Now if sin be so great an evil then whatsoever a man injoys if it be a furtherance of sin and nourish sin it makes him the more miserable a miserable creature though a prosperous man yet this man is miserable because his Prosperitie makes him more sinful 2 If his Prosperitie doth give him further liberty in Sin As thus Manie men that be poor be quicklie restrained they have manie restraints alas they be afraid the Law will get hold of them if they be drunk or unclean he is quicklie restrained may be he dares not for fear of the displeasure of some friend he depends upon a hundred things keeps in men in affliction from taking their libertie in Sin which otherwise his heart would have committed whereas a man Prosperous in the world takes libertie and who shall controule him he will be drunk and unclean and break the Sabbath and who dares controule and speak to him and I beseech you observe this manie men account that the greatest happiness of Prosperitie that by this means they may come to have their wils their sinful wills that they shall live without controul in the satisfying their sinful lusts this they account the happiness of Prosperitie This is a most abominable cursed happiness to account the good of Prosperitie to consist in this That it gives more libertie to sin Oh it is a most Pestelentious Power that inables to do mischief
should sin against and wound your own consciences therefore let them do what they will you cannot do what is required let masters rage and be angry and husbands be displeased you cannot yeeld your consciences will not suffer you Now that you may convince them that it is conscience and not stubbornness how shall this be known that it is consciousness and not stubbornness for we cannot see into your consciences I give you this Note to discover it to them be more pliable and yeilding in all other things and there to go beyond all other women or children or servants As now if there be a woman whose Conscience cannot yeild to some things and her husband is displeased because he beleeves it is stoutness now that her husband may beleeve it Conscience and not stoutness it concerns that woman to observe whatsoever gives content to her husband in everie thing else to be more yeilding and pliable and tractable and herein denying her own will to give content to her husband in other things and herebie he will be convinced sure she is not stout and stubborn in other things why because in this I find her more pliable and yeilding and willing than before So for Servants if you cannot yeild in that your Masters would have you strive to give him the more content in other things Children to your Parents in other things be more dutiful and one neighbor to another if neighbors would have you do that which is against your Conscience when you cannot do that yet in other things yeild to your own prejudice to convince them that in what you do not yeild it is meerlie out of Conscience and not stubbornness This is the Fourth Use I might here have gone further and if there be so much evil in Sin I would have labored with men and women to come to be sensible of all the evil of sin and to have stopped sinners in their sinful waies and courses and likewise to have drawn sinners to Christ and to have made men and women to prise Jesus Christ by whom all their sins may possibly come to be forgiven who is the onlie Ransom Propisiation for sin for this brethren is the ground of all I have said that we might be made to esteem Christ and prise Christ And in this regard though what I have said seems legal yet certainlie it is a fond unistake in people that think Christ is not preached except the word Christ be named But know all that hath been said about the Sinful ness of Sin hath been a Preaching of Christ for it hath been in way and order to bring Souls to Christ that I might cause Souls to flie to Christ and go to him that is the onlie Propisiation for Sin and the onlie Ransom for Souls And certainlie brethren if once these things I have delivered concerning the Evil of Sin come to be apprehended and the Soul made sensible of them Oh! how sweet and precious and dear will Christ be to such a Soul and the Name of that great God will be honored in such a Soul But I shall prosecute this in the following Discourse CHAP. LVI Use 5. If there be such Evil in Sin hence then is justified the dreadful things spoken in the Word against sinners THere is more Evil in Sin than in all Affliction That 's the Argument we have been long upon and have made some good entrance into the Application of it there hath been Four Uses made of this Point already that hath flowed naturally from the Evil of Sin There are yet divers more Uses which are of great Concernment wherefore we proceed to it Vse V. If there be such dreadful Evil in Sin Hence then the Word of God that speaks such dreadful things against sinners cannot but be justified of all those that know what sin is There are verie severe and fearful things revealed in the Word against Sin Now such as understand not what the Evil of Sin is are readie to think them verie hard For indeed it is onlie by the word we come to understand wherein the true Evil of Sin lies Paul to the Romans tels us That before the Law came he knew not Sin And had I Preached these Sermons concerning the Evil of Sin before the Athenians the wisest of Phylosophers they would have said as they did concerning Paul What new What strange Doctrine is this And so it is like it hath been unto all those who have no other rule to judge of things by than carnal Reason and Sence Those who are not acquainted with the mind of God revealed in his Word they perhaps have strange thoughts concerning all that hath been delivered and think I have been but an hyperboler al this while but certainly those that judg of things according to the word they see that there is a realitie in all that hath been delivered and they justifie the Word in all yea they justifie the severitie of the word against sin when they see it even against themselves for their own sins that 's a good sign when the heart of a man or woman doth not onlie justifie the word in general but when the word comes most powerfullie and sharplie against his own sins yet he lies under the power of the Word and saith It is good and holy and righteous the word of the I ord though it speaks bitter things against his own sins There are many men and women that have some seeming good affections and some tenderness of spirit and would seem to melt at a Sermon when some truths be delivered to them but when the severitie and strictness of Gods Justice in the word is presented before them their hearts flie off and they seem to be verie hard things We have a notable example for this in Luke 20. if you read in the storie before you shall find the people spoken of were much stirred with many things they heard of in the Word but in the 16. verse when Christ told them he would come and destroy those husband-men that had used the messengers so ill that were sent for fruit and the Kings only Son too He shalâ— come and destroy those Husbandmen and give the Vinyard unto others and when they heard it they said God forbid Oh God forbid that there should be so much severitie those people in this particular discovering a slightness of spirit that though they were people that seemed to have tender hearts and were much stirred and their hearts melted at some truths delivered well but yet when they heard of the severe Judgments against evil men Oh they had more compassion in them than God had said God forbid that things should be so hard What is not God a merciful God and we hear of nothing but severity that there should be such severitie in God utterly to destroy God forbid Thus people now a daies when they hear Arguments of Gods goodness and mercy their hearts be ready to melt and yeild and they be
when they seek to make one another drunk or swear and speak wickedlie and rejoice in it 't is just like that sport 2 Sam. 14. Abner saith to Joab Let the yong men arise and play before us and observe what play this was then there arose and went over twelve men of Benjamine which pertained to Ishbosheth the Son of Saul and twelve of the servants of David and they caught every one his fellow by the head and thrust his sword in his fellows side so they fell down together and this was their play So it is with yong men many times when they come into companie yong prophane men they come to play and make sport but it is in the furtherance of Sin one in another and they do but as it were take the sword and thrust it in one anothers bowels and what in them lies to be their ruine and eternal destruction for ever CHAP. LIX Use 8. If there be so much Evil in sin than every soul is to be humbled for sin Use VIII IF there be so much Evil in sin as you have heard Hence the Consideration of what hath been delivered should cause al your hearts to be humbled for the sins your Consciences tels you you be guilty of not onlie those that are so full of sin but everie womans Child hath cause to apply what hath been said and to be humbled in their souls before the Lord for that woful guilt they have brought upon themselvs And now I speak to every soul for there is none here but have much sin they be guiltie of Now Oh thou sinner whosoever thou art charge upon thy soul what thou rememberest concerning the evil of sin charge it upon â—hy own heart labor to bring it with power upon thy own spirit bring thy sin with all the aggravations of it that possible thou canst and lay it upon thy heart and labor to burden thy heart to make thy spirit sensible of it open thy conscience and let in all these Truths thou hast heard suffer the Law to come with power and though it doth slay thee as Paul saith when the Law came sin revived and I died though it slay thy soul open thy bosom and let it come go to the verie pits brink that sin endeavors to plunge soul and bodie in eternallie be willing to go to the pits brink and see what there is in the verie pits brink and upbraid thine own heart for the hardness of it and think with thy self thus Lord what a heart have I I can be troubled for everie little loss and affliction but Oh the hardness of my heart for sin I cannot be affected it yeilds and stirs not for anie pettie loss or if anie cross me what a disturbance is there in my spirit then but little or nothing for my sin Oh what shall become of this heart of mine what shall I do with this heart of mine thus hardened from the fear of the Lord what wil sin bring confusion upon the whol Creation what shall then become of my soul if ever I come to answer for my sin my self Certainlie my Brethren God must have glorie and therefore we must be humbled for Sin seeing there is so much evil in it it cannot possibly be but that God must expect to see all his poor Creatures that have been so guiltie to lie down abased and humbled as poor wretched miserable forlorn undone Creatures by reason of sin It is a mightie dishonor to God that ever we have sinned thus against him as we have done but that we should not be sensible of it this ads as great dishonor unto God as the former Sin did When a man or a woman commits Sin they dishonor God in that but being not sensible of it after committed is a greater dishonor to God than the commission of it was and the longer they continue unsensible of their sin the more desperate their Sin against God grows for if thou hast not anie sence of Sin but goest on in a little time thou maiest come to be past feeling as the Scripture hath the Phrase being past feeling So manie men and women first they begin not to be troubled for sin and put it off at length they come to be past feeling and if thy heart be unsensible of the evil of it then sin grows exceedingly So saith the Scripture Being past feeling they give up themselves with greediness to all lasciviousness and wantonness What is the reason men and women give up their souls to sin to lasciviousness and wantonness with greediness Because they be past feeling Oh the hardness of the heart in Sin the stone in the heart is worse than the stone in the bladder Object But you will say If I labor to bring the weight of sin upon my soul you have told us there is so much evil in sin that if God should but bring and set it upon my heart it would sink my heart and bring me to despair we had need labor to put off the weight and burden of it then and yet now after you have told us the heavy weight of it do you labor now to bring the weight and burden of it upon our souls Answ Yes Brethren To bring the weight and sence of Sin is that I labor for not to bring more guilt but the sence and burden of sin and this is not the way to bring you to despair But first learn what I mean by this that you may learn not to be so shie of bearing the weight of Sin as before you have been but to be willing to take up the burden for there is no danger of despair in this If there come despair it is rather when God shall force the burden of Sin upon your souls but if God see a man and woman free and willing to lay the weight and burden of sin upon themselves to that end that they may be humbled before the Lord and give glorie to God Certainly God will take care of that soul it shall never sink under the burden of sin This now as in the name of the Lord I pronounce to you everie soul that is willing to bring the weight of Sin upon himself to that end that it may be humbled and give glorie to God my life for that soul that soul shall never sink under the burden of sin certainlie God will take care of such a soul that it shall not sink under that burden therfore be as willing as you will to let as much weight of Sin as will be upon your heart and the more willing you be the greater is the care of God over that heart that it shal not perish But 't is the way to despair if you upon the hearing of these things come to be shie of meditating upon sin and be loth to entertain those meditations that may work the weight of Sin upon your own souls Now it is just with God when he shall come and force the weight of sin upon you
Christ said to the Pharisees Who hath forwarned you to fly from the wrath to come So God will say Why what is the matter who told you this I hope some poor soul will have experience of this when you go to pray for Christ and you shall Pray after another manner than formerlie when your Prayers shall be even cries to heaven when God shall say Why what is the matter why cry you more than before I hope some poor souls can give a good account of it and say I see my self lost and undone without Christ better be a Dog or a Toad or anie thing than a man if I have not Christ because they are not capable of sin and my heart is full of sin and I have heard the evil of it and therefore Oh give me Christ or I am undone Oh! such a Soul will be exceeding acceptable unto God And therefore to such a soul I propound in the name of the Lord the Doctrine of Life and Salvation and Peace be it known therefore to you God the Father looking upon the sinful Children of men and seeing them all in a perishing condition by Sin out of infinite bowels of tender compassion he hath provided a glorious way of Mediation of Propisiation for Sin and to that end he hath sent his onlie beloved Son out of his bosom that hath taken mans Nature upon him united in a personal union to that end that he might be a fit Mediator to stand between a provoked God and sinful souls and this Christ hath born the full vials of the wrath of his Father the curse of the Law due to sin satisfied infinite divine Justice made a full Attonement between God and sinful man Onlie upon these terms now he doth tender and offer to everie poor wearied distressed soul al that his Son hath purchased by his blood all his merits that they might be an attonement for thy sin a Propisiation for thy soul to discharge all thy sin that thou mightest come through him to stand acquited before the father for ever more This is the sum of the Gospel and this I present and Preach it and offer it to you and this not onlie to the least sinner but to the greatest sinner in the world this I present as in the name of God that is the message we have in the name of God to deliver unto you and now whatsoever your sins have been heretofore God onlie requires that your souls should now stand admiring at the infinite riches of his Grace in his Son and that your souls should be taken off from the Creature and Sin and live upon Christ surrender your souls to him and cast your souls on that infinite rich grace of God in him and upon that instant every one of your sins though never so great and hainous yet I pronounce in the Name of the Lord everie one of them is pardoned and all done away as if they had never been committed This is the Sum of the Gospel unto those that come to see their Sins and be sensible of their need of Christ by their Sin Object But you will say This makes all you have done but a little matter if Sin may be done away thus what need all this discovery of the evil of Sin it is not so great an evil if it may be thus wash't away Answ Ah poor carnal heart that speaks thus Is this a light or little matter True it is in a few words in the end of a Sermon but be it known to you There is more in these words I have spake in this last half quarter of an hour there is more of the glorie of God in them than in Heaven and Earth beside not because they come from me but because I have spoken that which is the Sum of the Gospel and in truth in one Sentence of the Gospel there is more of the glorie of God than in all Heaven and Earth besides You must be convinced of this and know it is so and if ever you come to be partakers of the good of the Gospel you will see it to be so Oh Brethren in that I have said there is the glorious Mysterie of Godliness great is the Mysterie of Godliness God manifest in the flesh the great Counsel of God working from all Eternitie is in this in the Sum of the Gospel The greatest work that ever God did was in sending his Son and in the offer of his Son to Sinners that their sins might be pardoned Therefore think it not a smal thing and hear when I call upon Sinners to come and cast their souls upon Christ It is one of the gloriousest works that ever was done for a sinful soul to come and close with Christ the Mediator and if once you come in your hearts will be so full of the glorie of God that presentlie all the glorie of the Creature will be darkned in your eyes and you will be so filled with the glorie of God that you wil come to see the filthiness of Sin this way as much as in anie way All the Sermons I have delivered concerning the evil of sin will not set out the filthiness of Sin to you as that glorie of God that your hearts will be filled withal as soon as you come to close with God in this Mysterie of the Gospel Perhaps it is not so apparant to everie soul but wait a while and there will more of the evil of sin be discovered in this than in anie way Vse XI And then the Use that I shall make of it is this If there be such evil in sin then bless bless God for Christ Blessed is that man and woman whose sin is pardoned Psalm 32. Oh blessed is he whose sin is forgiven Certainly it is a blessed thing that sin should be forgiven this requires a whol Sermon by it self I shall but name it now because I shal it may be hereafter speak of this particularly of the great Blessedness of the Pardon of Sin onlie take notice of it any that hath a comfortable assurance of their sin being pardoned go away rejoycing Son Daughter rejoyce your sins are pardoned there is enough in that word to bring comfort and joy to your souls CHAP. LXII Use 12. If there be so much evil in sin then it is of great concernment to be Religious betimes and there by prevent much sin Use XII AGain One Use more If there be such evil in Sin Then it is of great use to begin to be Godlie and Religious betimes for yong ones to come to be godlie betimes why Because they may come to prevent so much evil and so much Sin Oh happie those that begin to be godlie when yong you prevent a thousand sins that others commit by their not knowing sin betimes True if there were no other use of Godliness than meerlie to bring you to Heaven then you might stay till your sick and death beds and then be Religious it were enough but besides bringing
you to Heaven there is use of Godliness to keep you away from Sin and Ungodliness and there is enough in that to countervail anie pleasure suppose you yong people abstain from some pleasure or joy that others have the truth is you have greater and better pleasures but suppose you had none but keeping of your souls from sin this meerlie were enough to countervail whatsoever you suffer in the waies of God There are manie converted when they were old and what would these give for to be delivered from the guilt of some sins committed when they were yong When they look back to their lives Oh this sin I committed in such a familie and when I was an Apprentise in such a place Oh that I were delivered from them Oh they lie upon my heart Oh that vanitie and wickedness Oh those oaths I swore in such a companie among yong men Oh those Sabbaths I brake Oh those lyes I told and the drunkennesse I was drawn to Oh I cannot look back to these but my thinks I could even tear my heart from my bellie to think what a heart I had to sin against God and multiplie Sin against Him Thus at the best when God awakens their hearts they would give ten thousand worlds to be delivered from the Sins of their Youth And therefore now you yong ones seeing there is such evil in Sin Oh prevent it You know how the Sins of Youth lay upon David Remember not against me the sins of my youth therefore now prevent those Sins that otherwise will lie so heavilie upon you as that you will be forced to crie out Oh remember not against me the Sins of my Youth Oh it is a happie thing to see yong ones good and it is the greatest hope that God will shew mercie to England in that God begins to draw yong ones on in the waies of Godliness so that we hope there will not be so manie Sins committed in the Age to come We have cried out of the Sins of yong ones and one Generation that hath followed another hath been but like the Kennel the lower and further it goeth the more filth it hath gathered and so the lower Generations have gone the more filthie they have been But we hope God intends to turn the course and to make Godliness as much honored as it hath been dishonored heretofore and that there should not be so much Sin in the next Generation Heretofore yong people when they had daies of Recreation what did they but multiplie Sin what abundance of wickedness was committed by Youth then and on Shrove-Tuesdaies abundance of wickedness committed by Youth then and so the Generation was filled with Sins of Youth But now God is pleased to stir up the hearts of yong ones that instead of multiplying of Sin they be got together on such daies to Fast and to Pray and make daies to attend upon the Word and so avoid Sin It is that certainlie that doth encourage the hearts of Gods People to pray to him and to seek him for mercie that God gives hearts to yong people that they multiplie not Sin as heretofore If there be anie here that have begun this Oh go on in that way and when others multiplie wickedness upon such daies get alone and attend upon the Word and recreate your Souls in the Word and holie conference true God gives libertie to recreate but let it he as it was wont to be with the Companies in London though they did recreate they would have their Sermons too So instead of horrible wickedness that was wont to be upon those daies as I suppose some of you can remember upon Shrove-Tuesdaies infinite wickednesses was committed in the Citie and thereabouts we hope instead of wickedness and joyning together in wickedness there will be joyning together in the Waies of God And thus doing you wil encourage us in the Waies of God and Peace and Mercie will be upon you CHAP. LXIII Use 13. If there be so much evil in sin Then it s a fearful thing for any to be instrumental to draw others to sin WEE are now to finish that Tractate about the greatness of the evil of Sin It hath been an Argument that hath much encreased in our hands like unto the bread the Loaves that Christ did break unto the People that in the verie breaking did multiplie and so hath this Argument done but we are now to put a period to it Manie Uses you know hath been made alreadie as Corollaries and Consequences from that great Doctrine of the evil of Sin that Sin is a greater evil than Affliction The last day the especial aim and intention of the Application was Therefore to drive Sinners to Jesus Christ seeing there is so much evil in Sin more than in all Affliction Oh what need have we who are such great Sinners of Jesus Christ that is the Propisiation for Sin I have only one Note to ad further on that and we shall proceed it is an Excellent Expression I find in Luther saith he There is a great deal of difference between the Consequencia Legis and Consequencia Evangelii There is a Consequence of the Law and that is this Thou hast sinned and therefore thou must be damned But the Consequence of the Gospel is this Thou hast sinned therefore go to Jesus Christ that is the Argument the Gospel uses from Sin But passing by all we have said concerning that Use we proceed to further Applications that are behind Four or Five Uses we are to speak of and then we shall have done with the Point I will be brief upon the first Two or Three and the Two last we shall stick most upon Vse XIII If there be such evil in Sin as you have heard Hence then it is a fearful thing for any one to be instrumental to draw others to sin All that hath been said in the opening of the evil of sin must needs speak very terribly unto all that ever have been any way instruments to draw others to sin in all their lives Now Oh that God would speak to every man and womans Conscience in this Congregation that are conscious to themselves that ever they have been any cause to draw others to sin Is there not one whose Conscience presently at the naming of this Use doth even tell you well now God speaks to me for certainlie there hath been some that I have drawn to sin that I have been a means to further sin in If any one of you have ever been a means by counsel or advise by approbation by perswasion by encouragement by abetting of any by joyning with any in anie sinful course to draw them to sin know that God speaks to you First God tells you this That if you had been born to do mischief you could not do a greater mischief than this is if you had been the means to undo men and women in their outward Estate it had been nothing so much but thou hast what in
of trouble that may follow and yet not his Nature changed as a Wolf chained up may be the same that he was before he was chained up his nature is not changed 2 If meerly for fear of trouble thou forbearest sin then know thy service and obedience is forced service and obedience and so not accepted when meerly forced 3 If thou avoid sin meerly for fear of affliction then thou art not yet unbottomed off from thy self not quite taken off from thy self 4 If thou avoid sin meerly to prevent affliction then thou art not like to hold out that is a principle in Nature nothing is perpetual that is violent and this is violent to avoid sin meerly for fear of affliction such men and women will not hold out if there be no other principle than this they will fall off at last they will abate at last and so they will come to fall off But you will say Oh Lord this is my condition I am afraid There are I suppose many in this Congregation may and do apply these things and it strikes to their hearts to think Lord then I am afraid I have no grace at all for it is true I have avoided sin and have not gone on in the same sins others have done but for my own part for ought I know meerly out of fear of Hell and Affliction and trouble that will follow rather than from any other evil in sin What is there no grace in me that avoid sin for fear of affliction For the helping of them that apply it otherwise than it should be to conclude there is no grace at all Therefore 1 Know That though the Sensitive part may not be so much stirred from the beholding the evil of sin as of affliction yet the Rational part may more work against sin as sin than from affliction that follows How will this follow will you say that the Rational part is not ordered by the Sensitive Thus If I put my finger in the fire there will be more pain to Sence than if I endured that which is a hundred times worse as suppose a Prince should lose his Kingdom that is a greater evil than to have his finger a little burnt yet there would be more to sence for the instant than can be in the other But if he come to the Rational part to chuse which he will take he will rather take that which is most painful for the present So the troubled soul though to sence it find more from the fear of evil but if it were put to its choice he will chuse any affliction rather than sin so that the Rational part fears its sin more than its affliction For if it were thus that it might have its choice that it might commit such a sin without any affliction or such an affliction without sin which will you take Certainly that soul in the rational part will chuse the affliction without sin rather than the sin without the affliction But yet I have here more to say to such to satisfie the Consciences of those that are troubled and that say they be afraid that they avoid sin from fear of affliction To see if there may not yet be grace 2 Know therefore That man or woman that avoids sin meerly from fear of affliction though he avoids the sin he never comes to love the command that forbids that sin but is weary of Gods Command But now a soul that doth not only avoid sin through fear but withal hath a love to that command that binds his Spirit also if thou find it thus that thou hast a love to that command that forbids that sin that thou doest avoid certainly thou doest not avoid it meerly from fear of affliction Those that avoid sin meerly from fear of affliction they do not commit sin because they dare not but in the mean time would be glad if there were no command against it As it was the Speech of one that cried out Oh that God had never made the seventh Commandement He had an inlightened conscience but a filthy heart but conscience now stood in his way he hates therefore the Command that forbid that sin Oh that that Command had never been made saith he So those that meerly refrain sin from fear of trouble and Hell though they keep from the sin yet they never love the Command that forbids sin But if thy heartclose with the Command and saith it is good holy and righteous and blessed be God for this holy Law peace be to thy soul it is not thy case to avoid sin for fear of affliction but for sin it self 3 To satisfie those Consciences Those that avoid sin meerly from fear of affliction they are willingly ignorant of many sins they do willingly turn their eyes from the Law of God that forbids sin True they dare not go on in the commission of those sins directly against Conscience Conscience will not suffer them now because they have a mind to sin they wink with their eyes and be loth to be convinced that it is a sin because that they have a heart delighting to close with the sin there is a great deal of deceit this way But now when a mans or a womans Conscience tels them this It is the desire of my soul to know any sin and if I find there be a sin that I am ignorant of in the way I walk I could spend night and day till I come to know it and when I have found it out I hope my Soul should come to rejoyce that God hath revealed that to be sin that before I knew not to be sin But now one that avoids sin for fear of affliction if he know it not he can go on quietly and therefore is willing to go on in that ignorance and therefore is loth to take pains to know a sin to be sin if he have any fear of or suspition that such a gainful way or pleasant way be sin if he fear it saith he give me time to examin whether it be sin or no he is willing to pass over examinatiō that so he may go on injoy his lust without fear But now wher the heart is right if there come to be suspition that such a way is sinful though I have got never so much by it yet it must be left off I must if this be sin come to live lower than I have done yea my conscience tells me if this be found to be sin I must come down yet my heart tells me I would with all my heart know it and ask counsel of them that know the mind of God and beg of God that he would discover to me whether this be a sin or no. But now those that avoid sin for fear they when they ask counsel will be sure to ask their advice whether such a sin be a sin or no that be of their mind 4 Those men that are willing to avoid sin not out of fear but because of the evil of
Nation wherein is shewed how to Cure a mans self of most Diseases incident to mans Body with such things as grow in England and for three pence charge 5 The Anatomy of the Body of Man wherein is exactly described the several parts of the Body of Man illustrated with very many large Brass Plates 6 A New Method both of studying and practising Physick Six Sermons Preached by Doctor Hill viz. 1 The Beauty and Sweetness of an Olive Branch of Peace and Brotherly Accommodation budding 2 Truth and Love happily married in the Churches of Christ 3 The Spring of strengthning Grace in the Rock of Ages Christ Jesus 4 The strength of the Saints to make Jesus Christ their Strength 5 The Best and Worst of Paul 6 Gods eternal preparation for his dying Saints The Bishop of Canterbuâ—â—es Speech on the Scaffold The Kings Speech on the Scaffold King Charles his Case or an Appeal to all Rational Men concerning his Tryal A Congregational Church is a Catholick visible Church By Samuel Stone in New-England Mr. Owens stedfastness of the Promises Mr Owen against Mr Baxter A Vindication of Free Grace By John Pawson The Magistrates support and Burden By John â—ordel The Discipline of the Church in New-England by the Churches and Synod there A Relation of the Barbadoes A Relation of the Repentance and Conversion of the Indians in New-England by Mr Eliot and Mr Mayhew An Exposition on the Gospel of the Evangelist S. Matthew by Mr Ward Clows Chyruâ—geâ—y Marks of Salvation An Exposition of the whol first Epistle of Peter by Mr. John Rogers of Dâ—… in Essex Christians Engagement for the Gospel By John Goodwin Great Church Ordinance of Baptism Mr Love's Case containing his Petitions Narrative and Speech Vox Pacifica or a Perswasive to Peace Dr Prestâ—â—s Saints Submission and Satans Overthrow A Treatise of the Rickets Published in Latin by Dr Glisson Dr Bate and Dr Regemorter now translated into English Mr Symsons Sermon at Westminster Mr Feaks Sermon before the Lord Major Mr Phillips Treatise of Hell Of Christs Geneology Mr Eaton on the Oath of Allegiance and Covenant shewing that they oblige not THE ALPHABETICAL TABLE A Addition NO addition to sin can make it good Page 18 Affliction Affliction is better than sin 3 It 's light ibid Christs the greatest 8 Some good in it 11 It is instrumentally good 12 It is sanctified to the Soul ibid A fruit of Gods love 13 Good annexed to it 14 Good of Promise ibid Good of Evidence 15 Good of Blessing ibid Affliction cannot make a man evil 140 Affliction may stand with Gods love 266 Affliction to sinners the beginning and forerunner of all evil 336 337. Ripens them for destruction 337 It is not mercy to be delivered from affliction when we are in a sinful way 439 It is sometimes a judgement not to be afflicted 443 Approve God approves no sin 38 Abstain Some abstain from sin for fear of Affliction only 523 Avoid Some sin to avoid affliction 526 Authority Sin resists Gods Authority 65 Attributes Sin wrongs God in his Attributes 58 They plead against sinners 67 Alsufficiency Sin wrongs God in his Alsufficiency 59 B Beams Beams of Gods wisdom in the light of nature 63 Bitterness Sin makes affliction bitter 330 Bless Saints bless God for afflictions 16 Not for sin ibid Bless God for Christ 482 Burden Christs burden 127 Sin a burden to heaven and earth 321 Beast A sinner worse than a beast 370 371 Bondage Sinners in bondage to the Devil 264 265 Bounds No bounds to be set to our love of God and hatred of sin 350 351 352. C Capable Sin is not capable of good 17 Men and Angels only capable of sin 73 Charge Job's false charge 1 Saints must charge their hearts 54 Choice Sin a worse choice than affliction 2 The wicked choice 60 Conscience Conscience must not be strain'd 21 Trouble of Conscience being overcome if men return to sin they are worse 91 Make Conscience of all sins 450 Conscience troubled for sin what 385 c. It is the beginning of the second death 399 409 Cry Saints cry unto God 16 Creator Sin wrongs God as a Creator 69 Contrary Nothing contrary to God but sin 35 Contraries seek the destruction one of another 53 Cause God no cause of sin 37 Creature Creature comforts in order to God 38 All Creatures against sinners 289 The Devil the lowest Creature 364 Curse Christ made a Curse 131 Sinners under the Curse 291 Sin is a Curse ibid Sin brings a Curse upon the whole world 321 Sin brings a Curse upon al evil 331 Comforts Of wicked men what 279 No comfort by sin 432 Confusion Sin would bring all to confusion 323 Conformity To Christ in sufferings to the Devil in sin 355 356 357 358. Condemnation Sin brings men under the sentence of it 277 Condemnation not recalled but transmitted to Christ 278 Communion With God what 254 Converse They fit to converse that live the same life 254 255 Covenant The Covenant of Grace keeps sin from taking away the Image of God in the regenerate 256 Consequence Of the Law and Gospel 492 Course Some get from affliction by sinful courses 534 D Death Sin the Death of the soul 255 Deliberation Sin needs no deliberation because wholly evil 29 Disease Sin compared to a disease 257 Despise Sin is despising of God 46 Who despise their souls 310 Destruction Sin seeks Gods destruction 54 Devil The Devil better than a base lust 61 Sin is Originally from the Devil 358 359 Lay not all upon the Devil 360 Sins reference to the Devil 357 358 359 360 361 362 363 Do Few men know what they do when they sin against God 8 Deceive The way of the wicked deceiveth 294 Deliver Delivering up to Satan what 377 Some bless themselves in sins after their deliverance from Affliction 536 Dealings God 's dealings with the wicked and godly are different 440 Draw Draw not others to sin 492 Defile Sin defileth the soul 262 It defileth all things man meddleth with ibid Delight vide Joy Delight in sins dreadful 462 463 c. God takes delight in the souls that converse with him 255 Departing Sin a departing from God 285 Despair Despair is not from the depth of humiliation 86 But from want of it ibid Divorce It is hard to make a divorce between sin and the soul 90 Displeasure Gods displeasure against sin 113 Against Angels 114 Against Men 117 Manifested in his law 118 In its Terror and Curse 119 In his severity against smal sins 119 120 121 His Wrath Hell 122 Gods dealing also with his fore-shews his displeasure against sin 123 124 c. Gods displeasure with his people 438 439 Deceit Against deceit 466 E Enemy Who Gods enemies 48 To whom God an enemy 285 286 All the Creatures are enemies to sinners 288 289 Encourage Saints encouraged to bear afflictions 17 End Men think of three good ends in committing of sin 18 No good