of Circumcision hauing cut off that by which the sinne of the Fathers was deriued to the Children For in Regeneration which putteth off the old man and the body of sinne we are cut off from the stocke of the first Adam and graffed into the second Adam and from thence our pedegree is reckoned from the second into whom wee are ingraffed and not from the first from whom wee are cut off We are then beheld in him in whom God is wel pleased and not in him in whom God is offended Yea in stead of the guilt of the sinnes of our Fathers the righteousnesse of Christ Iesus descendeth vpon vs and we are so farre from the guilt of those whose corruption we haue put off that we are cloathed with the righteousnesse of Him whom we haue put on In the very conception of Christ Iesus the Holy Ghost stopped or cut off this streame of Corruption that it should not descend vpon him and that not descending neither did the guilt of old sins descend vpon him But what he had in his Birth wee haue in our New-birth when wee are New-borne of him For then is the guilt of old sins cut off the sinfulnesse being cut off by which it streamed downe vpon vs. Heb. 10. 17. And thus doe wee come to the New Couenant whereby the Lawes of God being written in our hearts not onely the sinnes of our Forefathers but our owne sinnes are put away for God forgiueth all iniquities and remembreth sinnes no more And indeede to this very Couenant doth God call vs in those places of Scripture where hee teacheth vs this way of putting off the sins of our Fathers For though he begins in the Law yet hee ends in the Gospell And we know that the Gospell is generally though secretly intimated in the Law Gal. 3. 24. which was a Schoolemaster to Christ. But here samewhat openly wee are called to the Gospell and New Couenant There are two places wherein God answers the Iewes that had set vp a Prouerbe against his Iustice. Ier. 31. 29. The Fathers haue eaten sower grapes Ezek. 18. and the childrens teeth are set on edge As if they should say Wee are righteous and haue not eaten the sower grapes of vnrighteousnesse but onely by our Fathers eating the teeth of vs their children must be set on edge Surely a terrible taxe and accusation of the Equalitie and Iustice of Gods waies That righteous Children should bee punished for the sinnes of vnrighteous Parents Heare the Force of their Argument standing vpon this Assumption That they were righteous God ioynes Issue with them iust in that point and tells them plainely that if they bee righteous they shall not dye but liue And because the Iewes by reason of the vaile on their eies still groped for a Legall Righteousnes Rom. 10 3. and as S. Paul saith being ignorant of Gods Righteousnesse goe about to establish their owne that is a Legall Righteousnesse God knowing their meaning talkes with them in their own language and accepts their challenge in their Legall termes Compare Ezek. 18. 5. 6. 7. 8 9. 19. with Leuit. 18. 4. 5. Gal. 3. 10. 12. Therefore he vseth the very words of the Law when he answers them setting forth to them a Legall Righteousnesse and with the very Legall condition Doe this and thou shalt liue But at length because hee knew that the Law made nothing perfect because it was weake and did not powerfully change the heart by the change and renewing whereof sinne with sinfulnesse may onely bee put off hee remoues their eies from the Law to the Gospell And therefore in Ezekiel he calls vpon them for a new heart and a new spirit without which all their legall Righteousnesse can neuer put off the sinnes of their fathers And in Ieremy Ier. 31. 31. c. God plainly tells them how this new Heart is to bee gotten euen by the grace of the new Couenant whereby the lawes of God are written in our hearts and the heart being changed by this grace by a blotting out of sinfulnesse and writing of holinesse the guilt of sinnes passed both ancient and moderne are all blotted out al-also for GOD forgiueth their iniquities and doth no more remember their sinnes for iustification is giuen together with sanctification where sanctification is not present iustification is absent Wherefore since God hath made known to vs this sound and sufficient remedy against the sinnes of our fathers let vs take it heartily and put away the sins and sinfulnesse of our fathers by putting on Christ Iesus in the new and second birth Rom. 8. 1. For there is no condemnation to them that are in Christ Iesus but in stead of the guilt descending from our fathers Rom. 6. the righteousnesse of Christ Iesus shall descend vpon vs for by the obedience of this one many shall be made righteous For as sinne aboundeth so grace superaboundeth the breadth of Mercy exceeds the depth of Iustice for as Instice goes down to the third and fourth generation of them that hate God so Mercie spreades it selfe abroad vpon thousands of them that loue God and keepe his Commandements The righteousnesse of one if wee be one with that one shall bee more auailable to our Iustification than the sinnes of many from whose sinfulnesse wee are diuided shall be powerfull vnto condemnation 16. But while we are speaking of the sinnes to bee put off A sinne of our Ancestors made ours and made worse the name of it is Gluttonie there presents it selfe to vs another sinne which also hath beene the sinne of this Nation and withall we may take notice that it was a sinne of Sodom This sinne in the Scripture goes vnder the name of Fulnesse of bread and in our Language is plainly called Gluttony And this sinne hath beene so proper to this Nation that one puts Voraces for an Epithete of Angli and another when he will say he is full euen to the brim expresseth it thus Si saoul comme vn Anglois He is glutted like an English man It may bee some men out of naturall Philosophy will gather an excuse that the cold Climates haue need of more food because the heate being stricken in and so by vnion made stronger expecteth more fuell to feed it and to draw it away from feeding on that stocke of naturall humidity which is the lampe of life But this only pleads for such a measure which preserueth life but we speake of a measure that oppresseth life A filthy and vnreasonable and vnmeasurable measure proceeding of a filthy cause and going on in a bruitish way to a dangerous end The roote of this sinne which we speake of is Concupiscence and this Concupiscence hauing conceiued infects both vs and our meate and doth so turne our table into a snare that it changeth wholsome meate into poyson euen into the poyson both of body and soule No reason in the world vseth meate beyond
in and by how many Prophets yet euen at the last cast when the sword was whetting and readie to strike a Doore was opened to them Amend your wayes Ierem. 26. 13. and your doings and obey the voyce of the Lord your God and the Lord will repent him of the euill that hee hath pronounced against you What could bee more peremptorie than the prophesie of Ionah against the Niniuites A day was prefixed which stood before them and seemed to inclose them that they should neuer goe beyond it Yet their faith had espyed this doore of Mercy as it were by a little Crany Ionah 3. 9. Who can tell if God will turne and repent and turne away from his fierce anger that wee perish not Behold a strange Faith that so much beleeued in Gods mercy that it seemed to doubt of his truth Nay far bee that from so excellent a Faith They beleeued both the Truth and Mercy of God for they so much beleeued and hoped in his Mercy to penitent sinners that they beleeued that the same Mercy had left some secret way of Truth by which it might passe vnto them and they goe forth vnto it And in this point their faith seemed to exceed the faith of the Prophet For the Prophet thought his owne honour would bee lost if so peremptorie a sentence were not peremptorily performed But these men beleeued it stood well with the honour of God that a peremptory sentence vpon penitence might be dissolued And indeede theirs was true faith and his thought was but an errour For the word of God whose Truth is a true ground of Faith is the very foundation of that which they beleeued At what instant Ier. 18. 7. I shall speake of a Nation and concerning a Kingdome to plucke vp and to pull downe and to destroy it if that Nation against whom I haue pronounced turne from their Euill I will repent of the euill that I thought to doe vnto them Thus we see in the denunciation of Gods Iudgements there is an implied Reseruation and this Reseruation is the Doore at which the Nineuites and other beleeuing penitents may finde a way to escape Yea the peremptorinesse of the sentence which seemeth to hedge vs in may be the very meanes to bring vs to the way of escaping For the peremptorinesse of a sentence strikes the sentence strongly as it were a spurre into the sides of resty and dull flesh and bloud and stirs vp mankinde hardly to labour for that Issue which seemes so hard and almost impossible to be found And indeede this finding God vsually proposeth as the scope of his warning He tells vs of Iudgements comming that wee may finde the way to auoid them If he meant to destroy his readiest way were not to forewarne It was Sauls case when he was neere to the period of Ruine The Lord answered him not neither by dreames 1. Sam. 28 6. nor by vrim nor by Prophets Let vs therefore account premonitions to bee Summons vnto Iudgement but yet by a silent and implied Reseruation offering vs Mercie And betweene the time of denunciation and full performance let vs thinke that offer continued to vs. For the Time of warning is commonly a time of Truce betweene God and Man and a time of Respite between Wrath and Punishment Therefore is it called The day of a person or people euen a day of Grace Luke 19. 42 wherin iudgement is suspended and may bee preuented And if in this their day those things are not hid from their eies which may make their peace with God the peace of God will preserue them from the Iudgements of God Wherefore let vs not thinke that euery forewarning is a binding for a prediction ordinarily bindeth no farther than mens impeni tence bindeth it For in it selfe a premonition is an offer of loosing as well as a sentence of binding There is a gate of Mercy in it and man hath a Key wherewith to open it Yea the Iudge himselfe who seemes to inclose vs in prison calls vpon vs to make vse of it and by the hardnesse and difficultie of escaping stirs and spurs vs vp to an earnest seeking of the meanes of our Freedom 4. If any man aske what is the Key by which this gate is opened Spirituall helpes are the true helpes to set vs at liberty from Iudgements 1. Sam. 10. 27. he may plainly see it in the places alledged In euery one of them it is Repenting and Turning from euill waies But flesh and bloud replies in the language of Belial For as the men of Belial said of the King whom God had annointed Shall this man saue vs So flesh and bloud saith of the meanes which God hath sanctified Shal such an ayerie and inuisible thing saue vs Yet most true it is that inuisible things must saue vs or wee cannot bee saued Spirituall things are inuisible and spirituall things must saue vs. And no wonder for spirituall things worke our eternal saluation and if they can worke the greater why should they not be able to worke out the lesser saluation When a question is made concerning the great Saluation Act. 2. 37. 38. Men and Brethren what shall we doe to be saued The first word of the Answer is Repent And why should not the same answer serue for a lesser saluation Againe if wee looke vpon the way wherein wee came to be bound wee shall finde a spirituall way to bee our onely way to loosing If wee looke to heauen we shall finde it is God that bindes vs there and God is a spirit Now Ioh. 4. 24. according to the reason of CHRIST himselfe if God be a Spirit it is a spirituall meanes that can only bee powerfull with a spirit And if wee looke below we shall finde it is sin that prouoketh God to binde man and sinne is a spirituall disease euen a deprauation of the Image of God in the soule and spirit of Man or a fruit of it Now it is plaine that a spirituall remedy can only cure a spirituall disease The soule will not bee fed by the food of the body neither by bodily physicke will it bee cured Wherfore in regard of God who is offended and in regard of thy sinne that hath offended him behold the word of God turning thee from carnall and visible to spirituall and insuisible Remedies Micah 6. 7 Will the Lord be pleased with thousands of Rams or with ten thousands of Riuers of Oyle shall I giue my first-borne for my transgression the fruite of my body for the sinne of my soule Hee hath shewed thee O man what is good and what doth the Lord require of thee but to doe iustly and to loue mercy and to humble thy selfe in walking with thy God Neither hath God herein giuen meere words but his deeds haue beene as good as his words The Scripture is full of examples that this meanes which the world thinkes to be weaknesse hath beene strong vnto
and comfortable thing when there is a zeale and feruency in this worke of Reconciliation and if it be taken to heart as a thing in earnest and especially by the Priesthood For when God stirreth vp the Priests to weepe between the Porch and the Altar and to say Spare thy people O Lord and giue not thine Heritage to reproach Ioel. 2. 17. 18. he heareth that which is spoken by his owne stirring and motion And so it followes Then will the LORD bee iealous for his Land and pitty his people But if any man withdraw himselfe the sicke soule of an afflicted Church or Common-wealth can haue no pleasure in him nor profit by him He that withdrawes himselfe from sauing his flock by publike indeauours euen in these workes of Humiliation and in his personall sanctity this man seemes to be a trespasser by destroying that which hee ought to haue built And for the late solemnities it is a griefe and losse if any able man should out of coldnesse of zeale or loue of ease performe the seruice of those dayes with that which cost him nothing Euen the obdurate Iewes when they saw Paul and Barnabas in the Sinagogue they called vpon them for a word of exhortation I deny not the Scriptures which allow the publike reading of the Scriptures neither doe I detract from the worth and value of that which Authorie sets forth deriued from Scripture But withall I know that when Christ ascended vp on high he gaue gifts vnto men and the gifts which hee gaue were giuen for the edification of the Church And I doe not know yea I beleeue not that it was the intent of men of higher place and authority by their paines and industry to exclude the indeauours and industrie of those of lower place or that they did labour that these might take their case An able Minister resident on his flocke can apply the present worke of humiliation to the sins and sicknesses of his flock which in euery flocke being somewhat different it is impossible so to comprehend them all in generall exhortations that the particular shepheard may not yet haue something left to say that may particularly concerne the flocke wherof God hath made him ouerseer Surely if preaching in season and out of season be enioyned this time must needs bee one of them and I take it in season For this day should bee a day of zeale of contending and striuing with God a day wherein the hearts of men should bee torne and broken that from broken hearts there may ascend vnto God the sweet and acceptable sacrifice of Inuocation Prayer Now the zeale of the Minister expressed both in his labour for the Word in the Word for which he labours prouoketh enkindleth the zeale of his people And the word of God being applyed to the root of those very sins wherewith a flocke is ouergrowne it is like a plough to turne vp those sinnes by the rootes and to breake vp the fallow ground wherein they lay and so to make broken hearts which onely can offer vp that acceptable sacrifice And now for priuate practice of holinesse and edifiing by conuersation without the word I wish there were no cause for God to say I haue a few things against thee Reu. 2. 14. 20. And I wish they were so few that few words needed to be said But if they bee not so few though speaking may be offensiue yet silence is more dangerous Wounds indeed doe paine when they are touched by the Healer but they kill if they bee not touched And there is no comparison betweene the offence that may bee taken by opening a sore in the cure of it and that which the sore giues when it opens it selfe to the world by visible corruption And then there is on this side also an odds and aduantage of mortall danger For wee know that whereof it is said it cannot long stand without which is ruinous within But if not of this time yet let mee speake of S. Pauls time Phil. 3. 18. There were some in that time of whom he spake weeping And surely if there bee such at this time hee that speakes duely cannot speak without mourning For is it not a lamentable thing to heare a good fellow complaine of good fellowship as if hee were put downe in his owne profession But I am affraid of Gath and Ashkelon Only I wish that such were so knowne that they might not bee knowne and that this Nayle may bee so fastned by the masters of the assemblies that if the children hold their peace the stones doe not speake But to the Aduersary I say What is the chaffe to the wheare Shee which is called barren and seemes to them to haue no husband because her husband is in heauen hath borne more children than shee that hath an husband on earth Psal. 68. 11. God gaue the Word and great was the assemblie of Preachers Preachers Deut. 33. 9. that haue obserued thy word and kept thy Couenant That teach Iacob thy iudgements and Israel thy law And let these holy Leuites and Ministers of the liuing God neuer leaue calling on the Father of mercy and God of all consolation vntill by his mercy they doe binde the hands of his Iustice so that Iustice it selfe be inforced to aske leaue of them to punish and to say Let mee alone Exod. 32. 10. Thus did Moses that excellent Leuite preuaile vpon God for the Israelites when they had committed that horrible sinne of Idolatry in the golden Calfe For vpon the prayer of Moses challenging God for his free goodnesse by which he freely began to bee good vnto them for his Names sake which should bee dishonoured among the Egyptians for his Oaths sake made to their fathers to be mercifull to them Vers. 14. The Lord repented of the euill which hee thought to doe vnto them And so did another Leuite euen blessed Samuel for when Israel had sinned and was therefore in feare of the Philistims 1 Sum. 7. 8. 9. Samuel cryed vnto the Lord for Israel and the Lord heard him And the power of such prayers is so preualent that God himselfe makes it the signe of a desperate estate when a Nation is come to that point Ier. 15. 1. that Moses and Samuel will not be heard Wherfore for Sions sake let them not hold their peace yea for their owne sakes also for besides their owne interest in the common good or euill it is a sinne in them not to pray for the people therefore Samuel saith 1 Sam. 12. 23. God forbid that I should sinne against the Lord in ceasing to pray for you 20. But because the same Samuel Thirdly the people must repent if the people wil be saued ver 24. 25. who accounts it a sinne not to pray for the people yet hath little hope of his prayers except the people repent hee addeth Onely feare the Lord and serue him in truth with all your