See the vast difference between worldly and godly sorrow 2 Cor. 7. 10. For godly sorrow worketh repentance to salvation not to be repented of but the sorrow of the world worketh death If we could mourn for sin much more and for the world less we should lead more comfortable lives for the future than ever we have formerly done CHAP. V. Of Sorrowing and Mourning for others Sins Sect. 1 A Fifth Character of a sincere Heart Charact. 5. Mourning for others Sins 1. is Sorrowing and Mourning for others Sins A true godly Mourner whose heart is upright with God doth not confine and terminate his sorrow within the narrow compass of his own â—rest and not let it extend any further but he laies to heart and unfeignedly mourns for the sins of others Though as it 's commonly said Charity begins at home yet it must not end there there must be a plus ultrà for our Charity it must be diffusive and extended to others And this is a great sign of love when we are assected with and affected for the sins oâ— others as well as for our own Every good man is not only grieved for his own sins but for the sins of others Of this excellent temper was David the man after God's own heart who from his heart professed Rivers of tears run down mine eyes because they keep not thy Law Psal 119. 136. But many there are whose motions Qui spiritu Dei aguntur hi sentiunt tales dolorum stimulos ut Loth cum videret sceleruÌ„ omnium colluviem regnare Sodomae c. Mollcrus are excentrick to that good man for they are so far strangers to mourning for other mens sins as they make their sins a matter of sport mirth and mockery However they would be loath to be branded for fools yet they cannot escape Solomon's censure Prov. 14. 9. Fools make a mock at sin When men make sin a matter of pleasure and jesting and make that a matter of laughter which should be a cause of mourning they shew themselves to be notorious fools Many there are who deservedly may be rank'd amongst the chiefest and worst sort of fools who when they see men drunk or hear them swear or curse or talk lasciviously and belch out such words as even the Heathen could say corrupt good manners 1 Cor. 15. 33. then 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 Menander those men are transported with laughter and merriment and they talk with delight and complacency pleasing themselves with the remembrance of others sins These have Solomon's brand for fools and their folly will appear to their shame when they shall mourn for their laughter and weep for their wicked pleasure and jollities When some wrote Books in a jesting and deriding manner concerning several faults of great men after Mr. Greenham a Reverend and Learned Divine had read those Books he was much offended at them saying That sins ought to be made V. Greenhams works odious and not onely made ridiculous Whatever sins we either discern in our selves or in any other we ought to mourn for them and not to make a sport of them A good Christian who is acquainted with the pangs of the New Birth and is sensible of that great filthiness and abomination that is in every sin and that every sin grieveth and vexeth God and is odious and abominable in his sight such a man I say where-ever he finds sin he hates it and mourns for it and therefore he is not an idle Spectator or over-curious Inquisitor but a real Mourner for other mens sins And whilst he mourns for others sins he reflects upon himself as a person made of the same mould and one of the same passions and having the same corrupt nature That excellent Father St. Bernard makes mention of an old man who when he had heard that one of his Brethren had committed a scandalous sin he wept bitterly saying He sin'd to day Vid. Bern. in Fest St. Martini I may sin to morrow We are all by nature children of wrath as others Ephes 2. 3. Nature makes no difference between us and the vilest of men Who art thou then that boastest of a good nature and a sweet disposition though these things are very commendable amongst men and much to be desired yet there 's much more required for the best nature without sanctifying grace is no better than poyson in a golden Cup. Hath then God endowed thee with a greater measure of grace than thy Brother remember that it is thy duty to acknowledg with all thankfulness that what grace thou hast is the free gift of God And what hast thou which thou hast not received now if thou didst receive it why dost thou glory as if thou hadst not 1 Cor. 4. 7. received it Not the goodness of thy nature but the free grace of God makes thee to differ from thy Brother O therefore with all thankfulness acknowledg God's restraining grace and sanctifying grace whereby thou kept from running with others into the same excess of riot All sorts of grace come from God as antecedent concomitant and subsequent and a Christian hath need of them all that so he may begin any good work proceed and persevere therein If the Lord should leave thee to thy self and let thee be fill'd with thy own ways and give thee up to thy own hearts lusts thou wilt quickly destroy thy self by breaking out into such horrid sins as the vilest of men give themselves to commit with delight and complacency It was a good Prayer in an ancient Letany Lord deliver me from my self That rare Father St. Bernard prayed Lord deliver me from the evil man i. e. my Eâ—ipe me a malo homine a me iâ—so Bern. de iâ—ter Domâ— self Thus he counted himself the evil man and thus he discovered singular humility Sect. 2 Let 's not neglect our duty in being both affected with and afflicted for the sins of others as remembring that we are men of like passions and we are dust and ashes frail creatures our Fathers being Amorites and our Mothers Hittites notwithstanding we are preserv'd from the commission of many sins which others ordinarily commit we have great cause of thankfulness but not the least cause of being proud If through riches of mercy we have hopes of a saving interest in Christ we not knowing the secret Decree of God for ought we know others may be fellow members of Christ's Body and fellow Citizens of the new Jerusalem we ought therefore to sympathize with them and be alike affected with variety of Dispensations towards them as the Apostle commands Rom. 12. 15 Rejoyce with them that do rejoyce weep with them that weep For any one to say as Cain Am I my Brothers keeper What am I concern'd in anothers matters let every one look to himself such speeches as â—â—â—elare scriptum est a Platone â—on a nobis solum nati sumus sed ortus nostri partem patria partem pareates veâ—dicant
14. complains that he was sold under sin He discover'd great renitency reluctancy and antipathies against every sin For saith he that which I do I allow not for what I would do that do I not but Rom. 7. 15. what I hate that do I. O how did this holy Apostle fight and struggle and exercise continual Combats and Conflicts fighting against Sin and Satan And thereupon he breaks forth into a doleful complaint But I see another Law in Verse 23. my members warring against the Law of my mind and bringing me into captivity to the Law of sin which is in my members And it 's observable that all this while and amidst all those sad complaints Paul was a regenerate man and a pregnant demonstration we have of our assertion because he delighted in the Law of God For saith he I delight in the Law of God Verse 22. Totus homo mento ratione regitur ab ca itaque Apostolo homo totus appellatur Bucer after the inward man And to delight in the Law of God in the inward man cannot be appropriated to any but to such only who are in the state of Regeneracy And that the words of the Apostle are not by a figure called 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 it 's evident that he speaks in his own and not in another person because he saith I my self And that the Apostle Rom. 7. 25. gives no allowance to himself 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 Idem ego vel ipse ego quod à Paulo emphaticè dictum est ad designandum seipsum ne quis eum sub alienâ personâ hactenus fuisse locutum suspicaretur Estius in Loc. Accipiamus hoc in suâ ipsius personâ protulisse Apostolum Zegerus Hac exceptione fatetur se it a esse Deo addictum ut reptans in terra muâ—tis sordibus inquinetur Calr in any sin is clear because he professeth For the good that I would I do not but the evil which I would not that I do And the Apostle was apprehensive of his own impotency and insufficiency to extricate himself out of those straits and difficulties wherein he was involved and therefore he cries out for a deliverer as appears in that pathetical exclamation O wretched man that I am who shall deliver me from the Body of Sin By the Body oâ— Sin he understands all sorts of Sin both Original and Actual both the Roor and Fruit the corrupt Fountain and the corrupt Streams And none but God caâ— deliver and set him free from them Hâ— alone can deliver him who delivers uâ— from the wrath to come 1 Thes 1. 10. Sect. 3 Moreover we are farther to considerâ— that there is a vast and a wide difference between the howling of Dogs and the crying of Children and there is as mucâ— difference between the roaring of Gally slaves and the crying of godly Mourners Wicked men Slaves anâ— such as feel the present smart of the lash cry out bitterly by reason of the great pain which they feel and thosâ— smarting blows which they groan under * Poe lit eat te quod tot tantis flagitiis involutus in luto faecis miseriae diutius jacuisti poeniteâ—tiam agens corpus tuum conteras furibunde carnis asello iacentivorum semina subtrahens c. Bern. p. 331. But as for all those who are true and unfeigned Mourners in Zion they are deeply affected with godly sorrow foâ— sin and therefore they grieve and mourn because they have been so hard-hearted as to kick a tender Father upon his Bowels and have been so unthankful as to sin against riches of mercy and loving kindness Hence comes theiâ— Heart-piercing Heart-breaking and Soul-melting Sorrows because they have been such undutiful Children as to reâ— bel against a gracious and merciful God the Father of all mercies and the God of all consolations No massie great Mountain no not the burthen of Aetna as the Proverb is no weight imaginable or expressible can be so heavy as is the burthen of sin to a Child of God And no manner of sorrow can be so bitter to a godly man as is the sense of Sin and sorrow for it Nothing in the World can be so grievous vexing torturing and every way afflictive to a good Christian as Sin is for Sin to him is like a Dagger sticking in his Heart and continually tormenting and putting him to pain Hereupon we read of David watering his Couch with his Tears For Psal 6. 6 7. saith he I am weary with my groaning I make my Bed to swim I water my Couch with my Tears Mine eye is consumed because of grief Further he expresseth an addition to his mourning because his Psal 42. 3. tears was his meat day and night To eat the bread of affliction and to drink the water of affliction is a sad calamity but to feed on tears must needs be much sadder but this is not all for the Psalmist confesseth further There is no Psal 38. 3. soundness in my flesh because of thine anger neither is there any rest in my bones because of my sin Diseases aches pains and broken bones are very grievous Omnium est utilissimum dolorem corporis ex morbo vel ulcere loco peccati habere peceati etiam vocabulo appellare ita vel hoc pacto ad detestationem peccatorum horrorem induceremur Musc in Loc. but sin is or should be more grievouâ— to us than all David was of a sanguinâ— complexion and such naturally are more chearful David was a great and potent King and an excellent Musicianâ— yet the sense of his sins caused great sorrows to him and made him goâ— mourning all the day long If then theâ— thorow sense of sin and the guilt thereof be set home upon the Conscience there will be weeping and mourning The eye will affect the heart and cause inward compunction and godly sorrow Thus we read of Ephraim smiting upon his thigh Of Ephraim's Conversion and Repentance which is the Fruit of Conversion the Prophet Jeremy makes mention I have surely heard Ephraim Jer. 31. 18 19. bemoaning himself thus Thou hast chastised me and I was chastised as a Bullock unaccustomed to the yoke Turn thou me and I shall be turned for thou art the Lord my God Surely after that I was turned I repented and after that I was instructed I smote upon my thing I was ashamed yea even confounded because I did bear the reproach of my youth We shall likewise find the Prophet Ezekiel â—zek 21. 6. sighing to the breaking of his loyns And Job 42. 6. Job abhorring himself and repenting in dust and ashes Many mourn for worldly losses and shed many a tear for any loss which befals them in their temporal estate but few there are which mourn for sin which produceth the greatest loss even the loss of God's favor Many have cause to repent for their worldly mournings and to mourn for their mournings
the propriety of the word it signifies * 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 est parâ— saciet quae oculis est subjecta contuendo suboctum seu dejectuÌ„ premo Beza to beat under the eye and to leave a mark there of redness and blueness The other word is 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 and this properly signifies to bring into subjection it 's a Metaphor took from Oxen whom we bring under the yoke or from any such Creatures whom we enslave or captivate and bring them into subjection for our use and service We should then indeavor so to bring down our bodies and subdue them as to make them serviceable to our souls and subject and obedient to the yoke of Christ if so we have well learn'd the Doctrine of Mortification A learned moral Heathen will condemn many dissolute livers who call themselves Christians and yet live without God in the world I am saith Seneca greater and born to greater things than to be a slave to my body Every Drunkard is a slave to his Cups and every Whoremonger a slave to his Harlot and every covetous Worldling is a slave to his Mammon But our design must not be to enslave our Souls to our Bodies but the design which we drive must be to make our Bodies serviceable to our Souls It was an excellent saying of Ephrem Syrus who flourisht in the third Century after Christ He that feasts his Body and starves his Soul is like him that feasts his Slave and starves his Wife CHAP. XII Vivification of the Fruits of the Spirit is a Character of a sincere Heart THe twelfth and last Character of sincerity Charact. 12. Vivification of the fruits of the Spirit Sect. 1. which I shall only mention is The Vivification of the Fruits of the Spirit After mortification of the deeds of the Body there must necessarily follow the Vivification of the Fruits of the Spirit for where Christ dwells in a Soul by faith and by the influence of his grace the Body is dead as the Apostle saith Rom. 8. 10. because of sin but the spirit is life because of righteousness A Learned and Judicious Writer thus interprets that Scripture Quam vis peccatum morfi nos adjudicet quatenus in nobis remanet primae naturae vitiosibus spiritum tamea Dei esse victore noc obstare quod tantum primitiis donati sumus quia vel una ejus sciatilla viâ—ae semen est Calv. in Loc. Although saith he sin condemns us to death so far as the remainders of corrupt nature and the vitiosity thereof remains in us yet the Spirit is Conquerour wherefore notwithstanding out primitive corruption one spark of the Spirit of God is a seed of life to us though in this world we receive only the first-fruits thereof All those who by nature are dead in trespasses and sins can never be brought from death to life and from the state of nature into the state of grace any other way but by the quickning virtue of Jesus Christ For saith the Apostle You hath he quickned who were dead in your trespasses and sins Such as are now through grace in a state of regeneracy were in their natural condition in a state of unregeneracy and such who are now quickned were formerly in a dead condition As it 's said of the converted Prodigal in the Parable Luke 15. 32. He was dead and is alive again and was lost and is found The Apostle discovers the great difference between the state of regeneracy and unregeneracy and the difference is great as great as the difference between life and death Let 's diligently review the words of the Apostle Wherein Ephes 2. 2 3. in time past ye walked according to the course of this World according to the Prince of the power of the Air the spirit that now worketh in the children of disobedience Among whom also we had our conversation in times past in the lusts of our flesh fulfilling the desires or wills of the flesh and of the mind and were by nature 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 the children of wrath even as others And what is the sole moving cause of all it followeth vers 4 5. But God who is rich in mercy for his great love wherewith he loved us even when we were dead in sins hath quickned us together with 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 Sect. 2. Christ by grace ye are saved Quest But the Question may be askt How may such who are regenerated and quickned by Christ be distinguished from such who are unregenerate and yet dead in their trespasses and sins Answ I Answer as a tree may be known by its fruits which it bears i. e. a good tree by good fruits and a bad tree by bad fruits so may regenerate be distinguished from unregenerate unregenerate bring forth the fruits of the flesh as adultery fornication uncleanness c. Gal. 5. 19 20 21. before mentioned but regenerate persons bring forth the fruits of the Spirit St. Paul gives us a double Catalogue one is short but very comprehensive Ephes 5. 9. The fruit of the spirit is in all goodness righteousness and truth The other is a large Catalogue Gal. 5. 22 23. The fruit of the Spirit is love joy peace long-suffering gentleness goodness faith meekness temperance against such there is no Law If then the fruits of the Spirit exert and manifest themselves in the holiness of our lives and conversations it 's an infallible sign of our vivification by the Spirit of Jesus Christ By those twelve forementioned Characters of a sincere Heart we may and must put our selves upon a strict search and enquiry whether our hearts be sincere and upright towards God We must then with all diligence and impartiality make a strict search into our hearts we must ask What have I done Jer. 8. 6. we must commune with our own hearts Psal 4. 4. and as the Church resolves Lam. 3. 40. Let us search and try our ways and turn again to the Lord. And I am perswaded that if we have one of those Characters forementioned in sincerity and in truth we have the rest for they are all Links of one and the same golden Chain and there 's such a concatenation between them as one cannot be separated from another CHAP. XIII Containing the Comforts pertaining to sincere Christians in their Lives in this World HAving laid down those twelve forementioned Characters and Signs of Sincerity I thence infer this Conclusion That it 's the grand Duty incumbent upon us all and every one in particular to propound the Question as in the presence of God to his own Soul Am I a sincere-hearted Christian yea or no Let us with deliberate thoughts consider of those twelve above-named Signs and Marks of Sincerity and examine our selves by them accordingly herein consists the grand Labour and Work to busie our selves with all frequent and serious self-reflections and heart-examinations and let us as one man every one particularly propound the Question
Papists of venial and mortal sins is to be discarded altogether as a rotten distinction The Papists may rather according to their own practice call sins venal because they set sins to sale and grant Indulgences for money and so hope to make a good Market of Peoples bad lives thereby intending to inrich the Popes Coffers and the Priests Purses But they in the mean time presumptuously derogate from the Merits of Jesus Christ by presumptuously arrogating to themselves a power of forgiving of sins upon the payment of moneys for Indulgences Against them may be justly retorted the same censure which the Apostle pronounced against Simon Magus Acts 8. 20. for offering of money Thy money perish with thee because thou hast thought that the gift of God may be purchased with money As for Popish Pardons and Indulgences both Givers and Takers are abominable because they undervalue the pardoning Mercy of God in Jesus Christ It 's an undoubted sign of all those who love God to hate evil So saith the Psalmist Psal 97. 10. Ye that love the Lord hate evil And this hatred must be an universal hatred of all manner of sins without exception and it must be a perfect and irreconcileable hatred Deadly fewds such as Chronicles mention between Family and Family were barbarous and abominable and tended to the utter subversion of many Families But here a deadly fewd is lawful i. e. to perpetuate our hatred and enmity against all manner of sins and corruptions David declares his utter hatred and indignation against all the Enemies of God Psal 139. 23 24. I hate them O Lord that hate thee And am not I grieved with those that rise up against thee I hate them with a perfect hatred I count them mine enemies David hated their sins rather than their persons though he loved their persons yet as they were God's enemies for their notorious rebellions against God he hated them with a perfect hatred It 's an universal charge enjoyn'd by the Apostle Rom. 10. 9. to all without exception Abhor that which is evil and cleave to that which is good Not only one Cockatrice but all the breed of Cockatrices are of a poisonous and destructive nature and mischievous to mankind and therefore not only such as come to maturity but those also which are in the Egg ought to be destroyed So every sin is of a poisonous and mischievous nature and therefore ought to be stifled in the firâ—â— conception and be prevented from proceeding to any ripeness For any Woman to stifle and destroy the fruit of her womb though the conception be very early is abominable murther in the sight of God and if such courses be practised they tend to the rooting out a succession of all mankind But as for all manner of sins and wickedness though newly committed and gone no further then a thought yet that very evil thought should be checkt and disallowed The School men have coyn'd quaint notions and amongst them are mention'd motus primo primi let them not mince nor extenuate sins by such Cob-web distinctions for those beginnings to speak more plainly which by them are call'd primo primi are sinful those first risings and motions as sinful are to be destroyed mourned for and never suffered to proceed to any further maturity Sect. 2 2. As there must be a refraining and 2. An endeavour to practise all Gods commands abstaining from all manner of sins so there must be an endeavour to obey all Commands and practise all Duties Hereupon the Psalmist professeth Psal 119. 6. Then shall I not be ashamed when I have respect unto all thy commandments It is an infallible and undoubted sign of a gracious heart neither to divide in duties nor in commands neither to make exceptions and distinctions as if one grace was to be got and not another Neither may we plead a dispensation from any duty whether it be commanded in the first or second Table For instance whoever he be that pretends a strict observation of the Sabbath day I mean only the Lords day Sabbath and pretends a hatred of swearing and lying and of all manner of Idolatry and yet this man is dishonest and unjust in his dealings he is without doubt an errand Hypocrite and likewise whoever he be that pretends to deal justly and uprightly between man and man and to pay every one his own which is both necessary and commendable and yet this man makes no conscience at all of observing the Lords day nor of keeping his Word or Oath nor of using the Name of God with reverence such a man is but a meer formalist and a stranger to the power of godliness For the same God who commands one duty commands another and laies an equal obligation to yield ready and chearful obedience unto both Tables For the whole Law of God is copulative and Lex Dei est uta tota copulativa Illyric one Commandment is joyn'd to another as a link of the same golden Chain Hence it appears in Deuteronomy Deut. 5. 18 19 20 21. that there is a concatenation and connexion between all the Commandments of God Neither shalt thou commit adultery neither shalt thou steal neither shalt thou bear false witness against thy neighbour neither shalt thou desire thy neighbours wife neither shalt thou covet thy neighbours house his field or his man-servant or his maid-servant his ox or his ass or any thing that is thy neighbours From which Scriptures we conclude That there ought to be an equal regard unto one Commandment Qâ—jcquid 〈◊〉 cum si equaliâ—er sit as well as another for there is one only holy Lord God who commands one Commandment in the Decalogue as well as an other This was the very trade or grand employment which St. Paul did drive Acts 24. 16. To keep a conscience void of offence towards God and towards man The Apostle did not shift and put off this grand negotiation from himself as if he were unconcern'd and therefore left it to others but it 's said herein do 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 I exercise my self Neither did the Apostle sit fast and loose and as we say exercise himself by fits and starts only but he made it his business exercise and imployment for it 's said alwaies Neither 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 will any sort of conscience at a venture serve the turn because there are many bad consciences but the Apostle only values and exerciseth a conscience 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 void of offence And such a conscience in its extent and latitude is a 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 or an infallible note of the sincerity of that heart which in the Apostles language keeps a conscience void of offence toward God and toward men Farther the said Apostle makes mention of three significant Adverbs which comprehend the whole duty of man viz. soberly 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 righteously and godly As to all commands and to all sorts of duties