betrayed it had beene good for that man if hee had neuer beene borne Doct. It is a grieuous sinne to despaire of Gods mercie From whence wee may gather this inctrustion that it is a most grieuous sinne to despaire of Gods mercie As that wretched Kain did when hearing the iudgement which God had denounced against him for killing his brother hee cryed out in the horrour of his soule My sinne is greater then can bee pardoned Gen. 4.13 And indeede a Quid aliud est desperare quam Deum sibi comparare August de vera falsa paenit ca. 5. he that despaireth of the forgiuenesse of his sinnes what doth hee else but compare God to himselfe Which is a great derogation from the Lord that his high and glorious Maiestie should bee likened vnto a vile and sinnefull man Besides hee doth offer horrible indignitie and notorious iniurie vnto the Lord. For as much as in him lyeth hee denyeth many of his most glorious attributes and properties as namely his loue his truth his power his iustice and his mercie For his loue If it were such as our sinnes could hinder it it should bee inferiour to the loue of man For what offence can bee so great from one man to another but loue will easily procure the pardon of it As wee see especially betweene parents and children It is not possible for a childe to commit any offence so great but vpon his submission and reformation his Father will forgiue him Though his affection bee for a time estranged yet hee will easily receiue him into fauour againe And therefore the Prophet saith Can a woman forget her childe and not haue compassion on the Sonne of her wombe Isa 49.15 as if he should say it is not possible But the loue of the tenderest and dearest mother in the world is but like a droppe of water to the maine Ocean in respect of that loue wherewith the Lord our heauenly father loueth vs that are his children So that wee may say of our greatest sinnes as the Apostle saith of all outward afflictions Rom. 8.39 they are not able to separate vs from the loue of God that is in Christ Iesus If the loue of the church to Christ Iesus her blessed spouse Cant. 8.8 be so strong as much water cannot quench it neither can the flouds drowne it 1. Pet. 8.8 much more is his loue to vs so feruent as an Ocean of our sinnes cannot quench or drowne it If the loue of men doe couer euen a multitude of sinnes 1. Pet. 8.8 yea all trespasses that can be committed Prou. 10.12 surely the infinite loue of God will couer our sinnes be they neuer so many Besides the Lord is no changling in his loue to loue a man to day and vpon some dislike to cast him off to morrow but whom he loueth once to the end he loueth them Job 13.1 and it is not our sinnes though many and great that can alienate his affection Nay hauing out of the abundance of his loue giuen vs his owne sonne Rom. 8.32 how shall he not with him giue vs all things necessarie for our saluation Secondly for his truth He hath made many gracious promises vnto vs that if we confesse and forsake our sinnes Prou. 28.13 we shall haue mercy Ezech. 18.21.22 that if we returne from all our sinnes which we haue committed c. all our transgressions which we haue committed shall neuer be mentioned vnto vs c. but as the Prophet saith God will haue mercy vpon vs Isa 55.7 2. Tim. 2.13 1. Ioh. 1.9 for hee is very readie to forgiue Now hee is faithfull in the performance of his promises as the Apostle saith Hee abideth faithfull hee cannot denie himselfe But if wee confesse our sinnes as he requireth he is faithfull to forgiue vs our sinnes And therefore for a man to distrust the forgiuenesse of his sinnes after he hath truly repented of them is to make God a lyer If we haue but the word of an earthly Prince it is a disgrace not to trust vnto it Much more is it a disgrace vnto the King of heauen and earth not to stay and relie our selues vpon his word For as St. Paul saith Let God be true and euery man a lyer Rom. 3.4 Thirdly for his power Wee know it is infinite And though our sinnes were as crimson yet hee is able to make them white as snow and though they were red like skarlet yet he is able to make them as white as wooll Isa 1.18 Hence is it that the Lord himselfe saith I haue put away thy transgressions like a cloude and thy sinnes as a mist Isa 44.22 insinuating that though our sinnes bee neuer so many yet he can as easily take them away as he can scatter the clouds with the wind or disperse the thickest mist with the heat of the Sunne And the Prophet Micah expresseth the same with great force of wordes saying Hee will subdue our iniquities and cast all our sinnes into the bottome of the Sea cap. 7.19 where he alludeth vnto that great ouerthrow which the Lord gaue Pharaoh and his host in the red Sea Giuing vs thereby to vnderstand that though our sinnes did march neuer so furiously against vs and exercise most cruell tyrannie in our soules and consciences yet the Lord is able to subdue them as hee did Pharaoh and his host whom he ouerwhelmed in the bottome of the Sea To this purpose St Augustine hath a good saying a Qui de Deo non praesumit veniam non animadvertit plus peccato suo Dei posse clemētiam Si enim sentiret Deum magis bonum quam se malum quicquid in se iustitia non inueniret à Deo magis bono expectaret Et quidem diffidit qui summi boni bonitatë maiorem sua nequitia non sentit Ille enim solus diffidat qui tantum peccare potest quantum Deus bonus est Cum sit autem nullus qui hoc possit qui timet de se malo praesumat de meliore Adbuc qui diffidit suam nequitiam Dei pietati comparat finem imponit diuinae virtuti dans finem infinito perfectionem diuinitatis auferens deo Aug. de vera fall poenit c. 5. 1. Pet. 2.24 Isa 53.5.6 Collos 2.14 1 Iob. 1.9 that hee that hopeth not for pardon at Gods hands doth not consider that Gods mercy is more powerfull then his sinne For if he thought that God is more good then himselfe is euill whatsoeuer righteousnesse hee findeth not in himselfe hee would expect him from God that is better And surely he is distrustfull that doth not thinke the goodnesse of the Lord to be greater then his wickednesse For let him only distrust that is able to sinne so much as God is good But seeing there is none that can doe this let him that feareth because himselfe is euil presume of him that is better Moreouer
flocke that is committed to a shepheard Nay to say more though Adam in his innocency did beare the Image of God in righteousnesse and true holinesse as the Apostle saith and had strength sufficient to repel all assaults yet the Deuill set vpon him and gaue him such a wound as neither he nor any of his posteritie could euer haue recouered had not God in the riches of his mercy sent Christ Iesus that blessed seed of the woman Gen. 3.1.15 to breake the Serpents head Nay to say yet more though the Deuill knewe our Sauiour Christ to be God as well as man Mat. 8.29 4.1 c. and therefore by his diuine power to be able to crush him in peices yet hee entred the lists with him and assaulted him in a single combate hand to hand But there he met with his match and was forced to retyre to his shame So that we see the Deuill is no coward but of a stout and vndaunted courage And if hee were not afraid to deale with these persons before named much lesse will he be afraid to deale with vs that are weake and feeble in comparison of them Last of all as the Deuill is thus strong and valiant so is he furnished with exceeding pollicy and subtilty which maketh it a farre more dangerous thing to encounter him If men of greatest valour were also wise and politique and men of greatest wisedome were strong and valorous Sed mihi nec dicere promptum Nec facere est isti And Vlysses saith that Aiax was rudis sine pectore miles no men were able to resist them And therefore for the most part thefe properties in men are seuered and commonly wee see that they that are of greatest strength are not alwayes the wisest men and they that are indued with greatest wisedome are not alwayes of the greatest courage As Aiax confesseth of himselfe and Vlysses And againe tibi dextera bello Vtilis ingenium est quod eget moderamine nostro Tu vires sine mete geris Ouid. Metam Lib. 13. when they stroue for Achilles his armour But in the Deuill both these are ioyned and that in a high degree For as he is strong as a Lion so he is subtile and crafty as a Serpent And therefore he is called a Serpent and an olde Serpent Apoc. 12.9 § Quem astutuÌ„ fecit tam natura subtilis quam longa exercitatio maliciae huius Bern. Med. c. 15. VVhose subtiltie and crast is much increased by his long experience and continuall exercise hee hath a thousand wayes and fetches to deceiue and circumvent vs if wee take not heed as the Apostle saith we are not ignorant of his enterprises 2. Cor. 2.11 Yea he is very prompt and expert this way He hath the art and method of deceiuing he can doe that most compendiously which others must effect by many circumstances And therefore the Apostle exhorting vs to labour for the whole armour of God vseth this as a reason that wee may stand against the assaults or rather against the wiles and craftie fetches of the Deuill Ephesians 6.11 Yea the better to cloake his subtiltie and to bleare the eyes of men hee can and doth many times transforme himselfe into an Angell of light 2. Cor. 11.14 In a word a Sicut de Proteo dictum est formas se vertit in omnes hostiliter insequens fallaciter subuenieÌ„s vtrobique nocens Aug. de Ciuit Dei lib. 10. c. 10. like an other Porteus he can change himselfe into all shapes sometimes pursuing as an enemie sometimes pretending to helpe as a friend but both wayes hurting and endangering vs. b Vt tristes decipiat tristatur ipse vt gaudentes illadat singit se ipse gaudere vt spirituales defraudet in Angelum lucis se transfigurat vt fortes compri mat apparet agnus vt mites deuoret apparet lupus August soliloq cap. 17. To deceiue the sad he counterfeiteth sadnesse to beguile those that reioyce he counterfeiteth reioycing to defraud those that are spirituall he transformeth himselfe into an Angell of light to subdue the valiant hee appeareth like a Lambe to deuoure the meeke hee appeareth like a Wolphe c Quicquid rationâ—s naturaliter habet diâ—bolus ad sallendum decipiendum tanto acrius intendit quantò eum magis possidet nocendi cupiditas Aug de Ciuit. Dei lib. 9. cap. 6. Yea whatsoeuer wit and reason he hath naturally to beguile and deceiue he stretcheth and straineth it so much the more vehemently and fiercely by how much the more he is possessed with a desire to doe hurt And therefore hee is compared to a hunter Psal 91.3 being as Saint Bernard saith d Vâ—nator vtique pessimus nequissimus callid ssimus Venator qui cornis non sonat vt non audiatur sed sagittat in occultis c. Bern. in Psal 91. Sorm 3. a most lewd wretched and craftie hunter a hunter that windeth no horne least he should bee heard but shooteth in secret So that as the beast is before the hunter so is euen the subtilest man in the world before the Deuill easily intrapped vnlesse God open his eyes to see and to auoide the snare Now as the Deuill is thus malicious and thus furnished both with power and crast to doe hurt so he is much furthered by the corruption of our owne cursed flesh which is so prone of it selfe to sinne as hath beene said already as also by the allurements of the world He vseth the pleasures the profits and the honours of the world as so many baites to catch vs. As wee see the loue of the world made Demas forsake his profession And therefore 2. Tim. 4.10 the Apostle calleth it the present euill world Not simply in it selfe Gal. 1.4 but because of the manifold prouocations to sinne which it affoordeth Againe thâ— Deuill knowing that we are like dotterils easily following the examples of others and led with any euill custome therefore he setteth them also before our eyes and thereby many times seduceth vs. Yea he hath his baites for all humours and for all dispositions Hee diligently and cunningly obserueth which way our affections carry vs what we loue what we feare what wee hate and frameth his temptations accordingly And therefore wee see there is no place for securitie but wee stand in neede to keepe watch ouer our selues continually Hee that should lie all night in the vast wildernesse where were nothing but rauenous beasts and venemous Serpents hee had not neede to sleepe but rather hee had neede to haue the eyes of Argus and the faces of Ianus that hee might looke round about him on euery side for feare of danger So wee being beset with so many temptations stand in neede to be vigilant that we be not surprised at vnawares When we feare any inuasion of forraine enemies wee see there is watching and warding in all places Much more should wee watch and ward
affected that her very bowels were moued within her And the Apostle Peter as wee haue heard before seeing how grieuously hee had sinned in denying his Master went out Mat. 26.75 and wept bitterly If there had beene neither heauen nor hell neither reward nor punishment yet this very vnthankfulnesse to so kind a Master would haue caused him to sorrow as much as hee did when this affection is once in a man then hee beginneth truly to repent and neuer before Then hee is displeased with himselfe then hee loatheth and detesteth his sinnes whereby he hath offended God and then he beginneth seriously to bethinke himselfe what course he may take to please God So did Dauid being greiued because he had so hainously offended God he prayeth Psal 51.4.10 that God would create in him a cleane heart and renew a right spirit within him that so he might walke more acceptably before the Lord for the time to come So also the godly Israelites in Ezra his time Ezra 9. the whole Chapter 10.3 when they had with great griefe of heart bewailed their sinnes against God they resolue to make a couenant with God and solemnly to bind themselues to put away their strange wiues whereby they had so much dishonoured him And so is it withall the faithfull euen as a good child hauing by his vntowardnesse vexed his Father is carefull afterwardes to please him by all meanes possible There is another sorrow which the Apostle calleth a worldly sorrow which is alwayes ineffectual 2. Cor. 7.10 Oderunt peccare boni virtutis amore Oderunt peccare mali formidine paenae Sunt quos peccasse paenitet propter presentia supplicia displicet enim latroni peccatum quando agitur de paena desit vindicta reuertitur ad crimina Huic concordant qui consitentur inuiti non amore boni sed vt sagiant damnum incommodum saeculi vtilis ergo erit paenitentia si sit spontanea De vera fulsa paenit cap. 9. Gen. 4.11.12.13 Exod. 9.27.34 10 16.17.20 1. Sam. 15.24 25 for it ariseth only of feare of punishment and when that is once taken away they returne to their former sinnes as greedily as the dog to his vomit Whereupon Saint Augustine saith well There are some that repent that they haue sinned by reason of present punishments For the robber is displeased with his sinnes when hee is brought to punishment for them but take away the punishment and hee returneth againe to his former faultes Like vnto him are they that confesse their sinnes against their willes not for any loue of good but to auoide the losse and punishment of the world So that repentance will bee profitable if it bee voluntarie And on the contrary side that which is extorted and wrung from a man for feare of punishment is alwayes vnprofitable Kain mourned exceedingly and cryed out saying My sinne is greater then can bee forgiuen me but it was not for his hypocrisie in Gods seruice no for his cruell murdering of his brother but because of the punishment that God inflicted vpon him Pharaoh howled and tooke on and confessed him selfe a sinner but it was not in any detestation of his sinne but for the great plagues that God had brought vpon him and his land and therefore when they were remoued hee was as wretched and as disobedient as euer he was before Saul was sorrowfull and acknowledged his sinne but it was onely in regard of Samuels threatning that God had reiected him and would take his Kingdome from him and therefore hee was so far from amendment of life that he became euery day worse and worse as appeareth in the whole course of the story Achab also humbled himselfe and put on sackcloath as though he had beene very penitent 1. King 21.27 but it was for feare of the vengeance that Eliah had denounced gainst him and therefore there was no reformation in him as may appeare in that hee persecuted the Prophet for telling him the truth 22.8.26.27 Vse This end may serue to stirre vs vp to labour for godly sorrow that wee may mourne for sinne because it is sinne and because it displeaseth God And this will be exceeding forcible to expell our sinnes for when this affectation once commeth into the heart sinne goeth out it will not lodge nor settle there vnlesse it bee cockered and made much of Zech. 12.10 When a man once bewaileth his sinnes and lamenteth for them as he would doe for the losse of his onely Sonne then hee cannot choose but detest them then euen his dearest sinnes wherein he hath taken most delight will bee bitter as gall and most odious vnto him Now the meanes whereby this sorrow may be attained are these First to consider the manifold blessings of God towards vs and our vnthankfulnesse to him Lament 3.23 When a man shal consider how gracious God hath beene vnto him renewing his mercies towards him euery morning and withall how vnthankfull hee hath beene rendering euill for good and hatred for his good will it cannot choose but much affect him 2. Sam. 12.7.8 When Dauid called to mind what great things God had done for him that hee had aduanced him to be King ouer Israel and had deliuered him out of the hands of Saul and as Nathan told him if that had beene too litle he would haue giuen him much more that wrought remorse and sorrow in his heart Ezra 9.8.9 Nehem. 9.7.8.9.10 c. Iere. 5.25 The like wee see in the people of the Iewes in the time of Ezra and Nehemiah Secondly to call to minde and throughly to waigh the ill effects that follow vpon sinne Namely that they hinder good things from vs Zech. 12.10 and pull downe many curses vpon our heads but especially that by them we peirced and crucified Christ Iesus When a man shal be perswaded of this it will make him mourne more then any thing Iames 4.9 It will cause him to afflict himselfe to sorrow and to weepe to turne his laughter into mourning and his ioy into heauinesse Thirdly to attend diligently vnto the Ministery of the word that so our sinnes may be laid open and our heartes smitten with greife for them Acts 2.36.37 Thus was it with the hearers of Saint Peter when they heard their particular sinnes and the haniousnesse of them discouered by his preaching it is said they were pricked in their hearts But it is not the bare hearing of the word that will effect this it must bee laid vp in the heart that so the continuall remembrance of it may wound the soule when neede requireth As the Lord saith by the Prophet he will write his lawes in their heartes by his spirit Jere. 33.31 Ezech. 36.27.31 and then shall they remember their owne wicked wayes and shall iudge themselues worthy to haue beene destroyed Last of all to take heede of presumptuous sinnes otherwise our heartes will cease to smite