that a Cretian which is a filthy beast by a sound reproose may come to bee a glorious Saint and whereas the Jewes had loaden the Lord with their sinnes therefore it was just with God to ease himselfe of his burden and so send them and their sinnes downe to hell together Thus a man would think but the Lord did not so as we may see in Esay I am he that blotteth out all thy transgressions for my owne name sake I will remember your sinnes no more and as the Apostle saith the Gentiles were full of all unrighteousnesse worse then they almost could be for all kind of degrees of sinne and yet many of them became full of all holinesse Such were some of you saith the Apostle and in another place we may see that a Scarlet sinner may become a Saint in nature we know this scarlet is such a deepe die that all the art under heaven cannot alter it Yet the Lord can make of a Scarlet sinner a milke white Saint I doe not say it will ever be and it doth alwaies come to passe but it is possible The reason is taken from the Lords Almighty goodnesse and power the Lord is able to supply all wants and amend that which is amisse nay he is able to do more then that thou standest in need of When the Lord made heaven earth he did not spend all his strength that he was able â—o help no more No no he is All-sufficient still he is not onely able to continue that good which the creature hath but to make a glorious supply of whatsoever is wanting as David saith He pardoneth all thy iniquities and forgiveth all thy sinnes not some but all otherwise he were not All-sufficient unlesse he had a salve for every sore and a medicine for every malady if our sinnes were more then God could pardon or if our weakenesses were more able to ouerthrow us then his strength to uphold us he were not All-sufficient Indeed there are some things which the scripture saith God cannot doe but it is not because of the want of power in God but because there is a weakenesse in the creature As God cannot deny himselfe but the more and greater our sinnes and wickednesse are the more will the strength and glory of his power appeare in pardoning of them and where sinne abounds there grace abounds much more in the pardoning of the same Christ is All-sufficient in power to procure mercy for all thy sinnes and the Spirit is all-sufficiently able to apply the satisfaction of Christ to thy soule and therefore be thy condition never so fearefull the sinne against the holy Ghost onely excepted there is power and mercy in the Lord to pardon thee and it is possible for thee to finde mercy The first use is for reproofe and it checks the desperate discouragement that harbours in the hearts of many poore sinners that if they finde no power in theÌ„selves no succour in the meanes they doe question in this case and presently conclude an impossibilitie to receive mercy and they thinke there is no hope of pardon as heretofore they have had no care in sinning because they cannot see how it may be they suppose it cannot be This bringeth a great indignity to the Lord Jesus Christ and a great discouragement to themselves why the Lord hath hardnesse and difficulties at command When the seige about Jerusalem was marvellous sore and every man did despaire of any comfort or succour the Prophet said before to morrow this time shall a measure of fine flower be sould for a shekle and then a Lord on whose hand the King leaned said If the Lord should make windowes in heaven how can this thing be and the Prophet said unto him thou shalt see it but not eat of it so it is with many that begge often and the Lord answereth not so that the soule is marvellously starved and the flood of iniquitie comes in amaine upon the soule and all his sinnes come to his view and the heart beginnes to reason in this manner If the depths of Gods mercies should be opened can all these sins be pardoned and can this damned soule of mine be saved Surely this cannot be It is just with God wee should seeke mercy given to others as bad as wee and yet wee not taste of it because wee distrust the Lord. Cains sin was so much the greater because hee said it could not be forgiven so it is a horrible sinne to say the Lord is not so mercifull as the Devill is malitious and that the world and a sinfull heart 〈…〉 able to damne me then God is to save me if 〈…〉 so God were no God and Christ no 〈…〉 and the Spirit no comforter this is a 〈…〉 sin our selves and the devill above God the Lord Jesus Christ. Oh therefore check all those discouragements of soule which too much prevaile with us Secondly it is a ground of great incouragement to provoke the hearts of all wicked men under heaven to looke out of that condition wherin they are for some mercy because the most wicked of the world may be wrought upon and the most prophane heart may be pierced Who therefore would not have his heart quickned up to seeke out for recovery from that estate wherein he is All you poore creatures if there be any here present as I doubt not but there are Oh you poore and ungodly sinfull creatures my soule pitties you you that have had your hands imbrewed in the blood of Christ and whose sinnes are written with a pen of Iron and are seene in every corner of the street you that are thus in the gall of bitternesse and yet in the kingdome of darkenesse though your case for the present be very desperate yet here is a little twigge in the middest of the maine sea whereupon you may lay hold And this may make you looke up the Lord may shew mercy unto you as proud as stubborne and rebellious as you have had mercy If you have the hearts of men looke for mercy though your estate be fearefull for the present yet it may be good God hath not set the scale of condemnation upon your sinnes he hath not yet sent you to hell Consider this whatsoever thou art thou yet livest upon the earth and enjoyest the meanes and it is possible yet to have all thy sinnes pardoned oh lay about thee goe home say Good Lord were they pierced in their hearts that pierced the Lord Iesus and were their soules wounded In conclusion then why may not my prophane sinfull heart be humbled and pierced It may be so if the Lord say Amen it will be thus that disease is not past remedy that hath beene cured in others therefore let this stay thy heart as bad as thou have been humbled and brought home and therefore why not thou But the soule will say Can all these abominations be removed and is it possible
of sin as it is sinne he cannot lay aside his sorrow so long as sin prevailes and gets head against him and dogges him up and downe nothing will content him but the removall of his sinne That soule which was cured by any other meane save onely by Christ was never truly wounded for sinne If ease cures him then horrour was his vexation If honour cure him then shame was his burthen If riches cure him theÌ„ poverty did most of all pinch him but if the soule were truly wounded for sin then nothing can cure him but a Saviour to pardon him and grace to purge him for what is that to the soule to have ease and liberty nay to be in heaven if he have a naughty rebellious heart nay if it were possible for him to be in heaven with his sinfull heart it would tyre him and burthen him there Therefore those soules that are cured by any thing saving by Christ those soules were never truly wounded for sinne as sinne It may be horror and vexation lay heavy upon theÌ„ but it was not the stroke of sinne that did trouble them Then gather up all he that which out of the vilenesse which he seeth in sinne is content to take shame to himselfe and will not meddle with his sinne neither carelesly nor willingly and is not cured by any thing saving by Christ this man behaveth himselfe truly in the first place Thus much of the tryall Secondly againe the soule is restlesse in importuning the Lord for mercy and will not be quieted till it get some evidence of Gods favour the soule will take on nay it will not be contented unles it can finde some glimps of acceptance through the goodnesse of God in Christ. This is plaine if a man be burthened with a weight or some heavy load that is laid upon him if that he be fallen under his burthen he lyeth there like to die and if there be none neere to succour him all his care is to cry out for helpe and though he seeth no man yet he cryeth out O help help for the Lords sake Saul was without sight three daies and no doubt he prayed to God all that while as if he had resolved to give him no rest till he had found mercy this is the nature of true sorrow it ever drives a man to God whereas reprobate sorrow drives a man from God Nay it may be though the heart thinkes it shall never finde mercy yet the Lord carryeth on the soule in an earnest desire and using the meanes and wil not off from God and from his word and sacraments and ordinances Nay though he sometime concludes that he shall never get mercy nor get power against his corruptions and then one saith You had best leave off all Nay saith the soule I cannot be worse then I am if I goe to hell I will goe this way There is a kinde of sorrow in the heart which is heavenly and godly but reprobate sorrow even drives a man from God and maks him say if I am damned I am damned if I be a reprobate I am so O â—hou wretch is this all If a poore creature that is pressed under his burthen cryeth for helpe when almost nature strength doth faile he crieth still for helpe and that is all he can say and so he dyes and this is the last word that he speaks with a soft still voice O help help So it is with the soule of a poore languishing sinner when the heart is burthened with the vilenesse of the nature of sinne and the separation from God by the same he doth not now cry ease and liberty and riches Lord No he cries mercy mercy Lord on this vile heart of mine and give me power against these mighty lusts after many means using when he is going the way of all flesh his last word is mercy Me thinkes I see this poore soule slyding away and saying how many sinnes have I committed Oh mercy mercy Christ. And this is the last word he speaketh and so he dies and no question but mercy shall be given him It is not a Lord have mercy upon me and God forgive me will serve the turne No it is otherwise if ever God set home this worke he will make you restlesse in seeking mercy and nothing shall content you but mercy to pardon your sinnes and grace to subdue them and the soule thinkes if mercy would but shine upon him and if his sinnes were taken away that they might never hinder him in a ChristiaÌ„ course he were a happy man this is the frame of the soule that is truely weary of sinne When the young man came to Christ and played fayre and a farre off and said he could do any thing Well said Christ if thou canst doe any thing then goe and sell all that thou hast and give it to the poore but he went away sorrowfull from Christ saith the text he did not come to Christ sorrowful but weÌ„t away sorrowfull from Christ whereas if he had beene burthened with sinne as sinne he would have come to Christ sorrowfull and say Now I see Lord the world is a heavy burtheÌ„ O Lord help me against it give me mercy to pardon me and grace to remove it But our Sauiour heard no more of the young man and as it is in the text this pricking of heart made the Jewes come to Peter sayingâ— Men and brethren What shall wee doe They did not as a great many say now a dayes if the minister were far enough off from me and I from him I were happy I cannot be quiet for him these are reprobate speeches but the sinner that is truly humbled and burthened with sinne as sinne he comes home and is resolved to wait for mercy till the Lord sheweth mercy to him Carnall sorrow sent Iudas and Achitophel to the gallowes but godly sorrow ever drives a man to God When Ionah was in the Whales belly he said Lord though I cannot come to thy temple I will looke towards it so a sorrowfull soule that is truly burthened with sinne will say though I cannot come to heaven yet I will looke up to heaven and though I never finde mercy yet for mercy will I wait thy mercy onely Lord shall content me The next thing is this we thinke of all things our sinne most pleasant and nothing so grievous as Gods commandements and therefore will these sinnes wherein we have taken so much content will these so wound the soule why should sinne so wound and pierce the soule The reasons are these three The first is this the soule must be pierced with sinne because it is the greatest evill of the soule and therefore if the heart doe but truly apprehend it it cannot but it must be most of all burthened with it If a man beare two weights on his backe that is most grievous which is most heavy if he feele the burthen as the nature of it requires it will most
all these rebellions of my heart should be pardoned and all this loosenes and security should be cast behind the backe of the Lord I say it cannot be It is possible onely labour thou that it may be and that thou maiest not be puffed up with presumption consider these three Cautions in thy seeking The first caution is First consider in thy seeking a little mercy will not serve the turne thou that hast been an old weather-beaten sinner and hast wallowed in thy filthinesse when thou goest to God for grace consider it is not a little grace or a small worke that will doe the deed it is not a few spoonfulls or buckets-full that will cleanse a fouleskinne so if thou hast had a filthy prophan heart which hath been a through-fare to all wickednesse and thou hast thus given thy selfe liberty thereunto and hast continued therein there must be a well of mercy to purge such a miserable wretch as thou art When David had committed those two sins of adultery murther had continued in them long he was forced to beg for much mercy and to say purge me wash me cleanse me O Lord these staines are marvelous deepe therefore purge me with hisope nay he had never done with it because his sinnes were more then ordinary So it will cost a great deale of worke before a loose prophane drunkard can be made cleane Secondly thou must expect it with much difficulty and hardnesse in thy selfe thou that hast beene rivetted in thy base luâ—ts and corruptions the Lord will make all cracke before thou shalt finde mercy thou that hast out-braved heaven with thy prophanesse the Lord will make thee a mirrour of humiliation as heretofore thou hast beene a spectacle of filthinesse A man that hath had a bone long out of joynt it is now festred it will make him cry many an oh before it be brought into his right place againe So it is with a man whose heart is full of filthines it will cost him much paines and difficulty and heart-smart before the Lord will bring the soule to a right set againe Manasses humbled himselfe mightily before the Lord because he had bin a mighty proud rebellious man the Lord made his humiliation as miraculous as his sinnes had beene and so David when he had given his sinnes ease in bedding with them the Lord brake all his bones and did awaken him with a witnesse Lastly you must resolve to bestow the utmost of your endeavour to get this mercy at the hands of the Lord It is not a dipping of a foule cloth in water will cleanse it but it must be soaked and rinced in it so you must not thinke to have the foule staines of sinne washed away with a few teares No no you must rub your hearts over over and awake your consciences againe and againe it is not a little examination nor a little sorrow will serve the turne the Lord will pull downe those proud hearts of yours and it may be let you goe a begging for mercy all your dayes and well you may have it at your last gasp when all is done The maine point in hand is this It is for the first part of contrition for the sight of sinne This hearing is not barely the sound of a mans words but the sense and meaning of the words by which the mind is inlightned and he begins seriously to ponder the nature of his sinnes that were so layed open unto him thus hearing they came to be pierced The first doctrine is this There must be a true sight of sinne before the soule can be broken for the text saith They did first heare and then apprehend the evill that was done by them thus they were brought to a saving remorse for their sinnes Ezek 36.31 the text saith Then shall you remeÌ„ber your owne evill waies your doings that were not good and shall loath your selves for your abominations First they shall remeÌ„ber their works and then loath themselves it is the course that Ephraim takes in Ieremiah After that I was instructed I smote upon my thigh and after I was turned I repented I was ashamed and confounded because I did beare the reproach of my youth And it is Gods Course which he takes with his as in Iob. When the Lord had once gotten his people into fetters he shewed them their Wickednesse and makes their eares open to discipline And in another place the Prophet shewed the ground reason why the people repented not they understood not the grouÌ„d and reason of their sinne For no man saith What have I done As a horse rusheth into the battaile and feareth nothing so a wicked man continues in a sinfull course never considering what he hath done the drunkard doth not say How have I abused Gods creatures and the despiser of Gods ordinances doth not say How have I rejected the Lord Jesus Christ And therefore no wonder though he be not affected with that he doth Now for the better clearing of this doctrine I will handle these three things First I will shew what this true sight of sinne is Secondly I will shew the reason why there must be a true sight of sinne before the soule can be broken for it thirdly I will make use of the point First it is not every sight of sinne will serve the turne nor every apprehension of a mans vilenesse but it must have these two properties in it First he must see sinne clearely Secondly convictingly First he that will see sinne clearly must see it truly and fully be able to fadome the compasse of his corruptions and to dive into the depth of the wretchednesse of his vile heart otherwise it will befall a mans sinne as it doth the wound of a mans body when a man lookes into the wound overly and doth not search it to the bottome it begins to fester and rancle and so in the end he is slaine by it so it is with most sinners we carry all away with this We are sinners and such ordinary confessions but we never see the depth of the wound of sinne and so are slaine by our sinnes it is not a generall slight confused sight of sinne that will serve the turne it is not enough to say It is my infirmity and I cannot amend it and we are all sinners and so forth No this is the ground why we mistake our evils and reforme not our waies because we have a slight and an overly sight of sinne a man must prove his wayes as the goldsmith doth his gold in the fire a man must search narrowly and have much light to see what the vilenesse of his owne heart is and to see what his sinnes are that doe procure the wrath of God against him as the prophet David saith I considered my waies and turned my feet into thy testimonies the phrase in the originall is thus much I turned my sinnes upside
downe he looked all over his waies And as Zachary saith When the people shall looke unto him whom they have pierced and consider the nature of their sinnes then shall they mourne Note that this clear sight of sin may appeare in two particulars First a man must see his sinne nakedly in its owne proper colours we must not looke upon sinne through many mediums through profits pleasures and the contentments of this world for so we mistake sinne but the soule of a true Christian that would see sinne clearely he must strip it cleane of all content and quiet that ever the heart hath received from any corruption and the heart must looke upon sinne in the danger of it as the adulterer must not looke upon sinne in regard of the sweetnes of it nor the drūkard upon his sinne in regard of the contentment that comes thereby nor the covetous man in regard of the profit that comes by his sinne you that are such the time will come when you must die and then consider what good these sinfull courses will doe you how will you judge of sinne then when it shall leave a blot upon thy soule and a guilt upon thy conscience what wilt thou then thinke of it we must deale with sinne as with a serpent we must not play with a serpent as children doe because it hath a fine speckled skinne but fly from it because of the sting so must we deale with sinne a prophane gallant will prophane the Sabbaths because otherwise he should be counted a puritane Looke not at the speckled skin of sinne but how thou canst answere for thy sinne before God especially seeing the Lord saith I will not hold that man guiltles that blasphemes my name of what place or condition so ever he be Looke now on the nature of thy sinnes nakedly Secondly we must looke on the nature of sin in the venome of it the deadly hurtfull nature that it hath for plagues and miseries it doth procure to our soules and that you may doe partly if you compare it with other things and partly if you looke at it in regard of your selves First compare sinne with those things that are most fearefull and horrible As suppose any soule here present were to behold the damned in hell and if the Lord should give thee a little peepe hole into hell that thou didst see the horror of those damned soules and thy heart begins to shake in the consideration thereof then propound this to thy owne heart what paines the damned in hel doe indure for sinne and thy heart will shake and quake at it the least sinne that ever thou didst commit though thou makest a light matter of it is a greater evill then the paines of the damned in hell setting aside their sinne all the torments in hell are not so great an evill as the least sinne is men begin to shrink at this loath to go downe to hell and to be in endlesse torments Now I will make it good by three reasons that sinne is a greater evill then those torments and plagues which the damned in hell do indure The first reason is this That which deprives a man of the greatest good must needs be the greatest evill nature saies so much that which deprives a man of all that comfort and happinesse wherein the soule finds most content that must needs be the greatest euill of all but sinne onely deprives a mā of the greatest good for the good of the soule is to have an heart united unto God and to have fellowship with him to have him salvation through him to be one with the Lord this is the chiefest good of the soule All things here below are made for the good of the body and the body is made for the good of the soule and the soule is made for God and these things here below are only so farre good to us as they are meanes to make us enjoy a nearer communion with God and contrarily riches and honours and profits and pleasures are as so many curses to us if by them our hearts be withdrawne from God The reason why God is estranged from us it is not because we are poore or pursued or imprisoned or the like but it is sin that breakes the union betweene God and us as the prophet Esay saith Your sinnes have separated betweene you and your God Now that which separates from God which is the chiefest good it is our sinnes it is not punishment that takes away the mercy of God from us but a proud rebellious heart and the contempt of Gods ordinances Therefore sinne is farre worse then all the plagues that the damned doe or can suffer Secondly because there is nothing so contrary and opposite against the Lord as sinne corruption and this is the reason why God is the inflicter of all the punishments of the damned in hell it is through the Iustice of God that they are damned because God is of such a pure nature that sinne cannot be in him nor practised by him Thirdly because it is sinne that doth procure all plagues and punishments to the damned and therefore being the cause why they suffer it must needs be greater then all punishments for all punishments are made miserable by reason of sin therefore sinne is a greater evill then all the miseries of the damned If a man were in prison and had the peace of a good Conscience his prison would be a pallace unto him and though a man were in shame and disgrace and yet have the favour of God there were no misery in him so it is with sinne if no man suffer but for sinne then sin is a greater evill then all other punishments as being the fountaine from whence they flow Now let us looke upon sinne through these things and when our corrupt heart provokes us and the world allure us the devill tempts us to take any contentment in a sinfull way suppose we saw hell fire burning before us and the pit of hell gaping to swallow us and sinne inticing of us and let us say thus to our soules It is better for a man to be cast into the torments of hell amongst the damned then to be ouercome with any sin and so to rebell against the Lord. Now therefore if those plagues and punishments make the soule shake in the consideration of them Oh then blesse thy selfe so much the more from sinne which is the cause all plagues whatsoever Were a man in hell and wanted his sinnes the Lord would love him in hell and deliver him from all those plagues But if any man were free from all punishments and in honour and wealth if he were a sinfull and wretched creature the Lord would hate him in the height of all his prosperitie and throw him downe to hell for ever Secondly we must see sinne simply as it is in it selfe in regard of the proper worke of it it is nothing else but a
profest opposing of God himselfe a sinfull creature joynes side with the devill and the world and comes in battaile array against the Lord and flies in the face of the God of hosts they are called haters of God Psam 83. That is when they see grace in another man in such a man and in such a woman and hate them for it little doe they thinke that they hate the God of heaven and his holy nature and if it were possible they would have no God in heaven to take notice of their sins call theÌ„ to account for them as the wise man Gamaliel said to the Pharesies and elders refraine your selves from these men and let them alone for if this Counsell or worke be of men it will come to nothing but if it be of God you cannot destroy it lest you be found fighters against God you make nothing of opposing the Gospell and preaching thereof I tell you that there is never a creature that lives in any such sinfull course but he is a fighter against God and he resists the Lord as really as one man doth another And as Stephen saith You stifnecked and uncircumcised in heart you have resisted against the holy Ghost You must not thinke that you resist men onely no poore creatures you resist the Spirit and so aime at the Almighty in opposing of the meanes of grace What a fearefull condition is this I pray you in cold blood consider this and say thus Good Lord What a sinfull wretch am I that a poore damned wretch of the earth should stand in defiaÌ„ce against the God of hosts and that I should submit my selfe to the devill and oppose the Lord of hostes And as you resist the Lord so you doe also passe the sentence of condemnation upon your selves and seale up that doome which one day shall be executed upon the wicked in hell at that great day of accompt that looke what God shall do theÌ„ the same thou dost now by sinning this is the doome or as I may say the necke verse of the wicked and the last blow as now thou doest depart from God by sinning so then thou shalt depart froÌ„ God for ever A wicked man forsakes God and pluckes his heart from under the wisdom of God that should inform him in the way of life and the soule saith God shall not blesse me God shall not be God unto me but I will live as I list and I will run down post hast to hell and when our hearts beginne to rise against God and his ordinances and your soules beginne to goe against the Lord I tell you what I would thinke with my selfe suppose I heard the voice of the Archangell crying Arise yee dead and come to Iudgement and the last trumpet sounding and the Lord Jesus comming in the heavens with his glorious Angells and did see the Goats standing â—â— the left hand and the Saints on the right hand and with that I did heare the terrible sound Depart ye cursed would you be content to heare that sentence passe against your soules Oh what lamentation and woe your poore soules would make in those dayes and therefore consider it well and say that I doe that in sinning which the Lord will doe in the day of Judgement shall I depart from the Lord and withdraw my selfe from mercy and say Christ shall not rule over me and save me shall I doe that against my selfe which the Lord shall doe in that day God forbid There are two things hardly knowne what God is and what our sinnes are or else we hardly apply the knowledge of them to our selves Objects But some will object and say if sinne be so vile in it selfe then why doe not men see it Answ. To this I answer the reason why men see not their sinnes though it be so vile it is mainely upon these two grounds First because we judge not of sinne according to the word and verdict of it but either in regard of the profit that is therein or the pleasure that we expect there from The Usurer lookes on his profit that comes by sinne and the adulterer his pleasure and Iudas saw the money but he did not see the malice of his owne heart nor the want of love to his Master and this made him take up that course which he did but when he threw away his thirtie pence the Lord made him see the vilenesse of his sinne it came cleerly to his sight and therefore he cryed out I have sinned in betraying innocent blood As bribes blind the eyes of the wise and pervert judgment so sin bribes the eyes of the soule and therefore the Tradseman seeth much profit come by cozening false measures and so gives way to himselfe therein but he sees not the sin so the oppressor seeth the morgages pawnes that come in but he cannot see his sin till he be laid on his death bed and then the Lord sheweth him all the wrong that he hath done Secondly another reason why we see not the vilenesse of sinne is because we judge the nature of sinne according to Gods patience towards us as thus a man commits a sin is not plagued for it and therefore he thinkes God will not execute judgements upon him at all all things continue a like saith the wicked man as if he had said you talke of the wrath of God that shall be revealed froÌ„ heaven against all ungodlines where is the promise of his comming doe you not see that such a man is an oppressor a prophane persoÌ„ yet growes rich and thrives in the world and because God spares a wicked man still for the present therefore he thinkes all are but words he shall be free from the punishment to come as the Prophet saith in the name of the Lord These things hast thou done and I kept silence when thou wast upon thy Ale-bench and there thou didst speake against holinesse and purity and because I did beare yet and say nothing therfore thou speakest wickedly that I was even such a one as thy selfe The wicked man takes Gods patience to be a kinde of allowance to him in his sinne as the wise man saith because sentence against an evill worke is not speedily executed therefore the hearts of the sonnes of men are wholy set in them to doe mischiefe as the Prophet saith they call the proud happy ye that worke wickednesse are set to doe evill they that tempt God are delivered As who should say you say that the wrath of God is incensed against swearers and drunkards and the like but we see them prosper and because they doe prosper thus their hearts are set to worke wickednes but howsoever it is true the Lord doth sometime beare with wicked men the longer God staies the greater account they shall make and the heavier judgements they shall receive from God See what Iob saith thou sealest up my transgressions in a bagge and
soule as it befell the drunkard that was asleepe on the toppe of the mast who feares no harme because he sees it not So it is with a sinfull heart he is resolved to goe on still in his sinne because he seeth not the danger take a man that hath his heart stabbed with a stilletto and the wound is so narrow that it cannot be searched there is no meanes to come to it Just so it is with a blind ignorant heart there is much meanes whereby good might be done to it but an ignorant heart barres all out so that nothing can doe good to the soule All counsels admonitions reproofes cannot prevaile all mercies allure not because they find no sweetnesse in them a Minister is as able to teach the stoole whereon he sits as to doe them good Me thinks it is with a world of men that live in the bosome of the Church as it is with such as have suffered shipwracke they are cast upon the waves and their friends are standing upon the shoare and see them and mourne for them there they see one sinking and another floating upon the waves even labouring for his life and they sigh and mourne but cannot helpe him Just so it is with ignorant people that are swallowed up with the floods of iniquitie here is one man going and there another in the broad way to destruction we pitty them and pray for them that God would open their eyes and give them the sight of their sinnes but alas they are not able to conceive of any thing We cannot come at them thus they sinke in their sinnes Our Saviour looking over Jerusalem said Oh that thou hadst knowne at least in this thy day the things that belong unto thy peace but now they are hidden from thine eyes As if he had said oh now they are sinking they will not be reformed nor reclaimed now they are going the way of all flesh and to hell too the way of peace is hidden from their eyes they refuse the meanes that may doe them good I might here condemne the Papists that say ignorance is the mother of devotion whereas it is the breeder of all wickednesse and the broad way to hell and everlasting destruction The use is this as you desire the comfort of your soules and to be prepared for mercy and to pertake of that rich grace that is in Christ as you desire to have the rich promises of the Gospell put over to you as ever you would have the Lord Jesus Christ a guest to your soules you are to be entreated to give your soules no content til you have your eyes so opeÌ„ed to see your sins that you may be convicted of them Now it may be some will say it is good that you say but what meanes must we use to come to this sight of sinne Answ. I answere to such poore soules give me leave to doe three things First I will shew some meanes how we may come to see sinne convictingly Secondly I will take away all the lets that may hinder a man from it Thirdly I will use some motives to stirre us up to use the meanes and set upon the service though it be somewhat harsh and tedious to our Corruptions The meanes are three First we must goe to God for knowledge the Lord knowes our hearts therefore we must goe to him that he would make us able to know them too the Church of Laodicea thought none like her selfe as it is the fashion of many in this age so to doe and therefore the Lord said thou thoughtst thy selfe rich and full and that thou didst want nothing It is an argument of a proud sinfull heart that he is alwaies wel conceited of himselfe and of his owne wit grace and sufficiency but marke what the Lord saith to this Church I counsell thee to buy of me eye-salve She thought all her compters to be good gold all her appearances to be good Religion but the Lord bids her buy of him eye-salve As if he had said you see not your sinnes and therefore goe to God and beseech him that dwels in endles light to let in some light into your soules When the poore blind man Bartimeus sate begging by the way saying O thou son of David have mercy upon me and pressed earnestly on our Saviour in so much that when his disciples rebuked him he cryed so much the more O thou sonne of David have mercy on me and when Christ said what wouldst thou have me to do for thee he answered Lord that I may receive my sight If he did so earnestly seeke for his bodily eyes much more should we for the eyes of our soules that we may see our sinnes A blind mind brings a wicked heart with it and laies a man open to all sinnes and therefore we ought to be more pinched for the want of this sight Object then of our bodily eyes and if the question be asked what wouldst thou have honour riches or the like Answ. Answere O Lord the sight of my sinnes I know sin is a vile loathsome thing O that I could see sinne convictingly and clearely Secondly labour to acquaint your selves throughly with God and with his law and to see the compasse and breadth of it the words of the commandements are few but there are many sins forbidden in them and many duties required therefore labour to see thy sinnes convicted and thy many duties neglected The Apostle Paul thought himselfe once alive without the Law and who but he in the world he was able to carry all before him he thought his peny good silver but when the Law came saith the text then sinne revived when God had opened my eyes to see my sinne and the corruptions of my heart then I saw my selfe a dead man yet Paul was a Pharisie and brought up at the feet of Gamaliel and one that did keepe the Law of God in a strict maner Whence we learn that a man may be an ignoraÌ„t man be his parts never so great for humane learning and the â—ame Apostle saith I had not knowne lust except the law of God had said thou shalt not lust by which is meant the tenth commandement which forbids the secret distemper of the heart though there is no delight and consent to it who but Paul and yet he knew it not and therefore no wonder though many otherwise well learned are ignorant in Gods Law therefore looke your selves in this glasse of the word all you that say how ever you are not able to talke so freely as others yet you have as good a heart to God as the best I tell you if you could but see the filthinesse of your hearts you would be out of love with your selves for ever An ignorant heart cannot but be a naughty heart Thirdly binde your hearts to the peace and good behaviour and be willingly content to take every truth that is revealed without quarrelling
at any time God would give repentance that they may acknowledge the truth and come to amendment of life out of the snares of the Devill It is onely but peradventure it is a rare worke and few have it Thirdly some will say God may give me repentance Quest. Christ came into the world to save sinners and why may he not save me Answ. I answere is that all is it come to this and who knows but that God may damne thee too if that be all why may you not say more truly what know I but that God may give me up to a hard heart and a blinde minde for ever and I may for ever be cast out of the presence of God is it but It may be all this while And therefore for a full answere consider these two things to shake off this carnal security wherby men resolve to pin their salvation Gods mercy though they purpose to oppose his mercy First know this that there is a time wheÌ„ God will not shew mercy Behold saith God I gave her a time of repentance but she repented not therefore I will cast her upon the bed of sicknes and as our Saviour saith to Ierusalem Oh that thou hadst knowne in this thy day the things belonging to thy peace but now they are hid from thy eyes God had sealed up hâ—s mercy and the day of salvation was past and when the day is over though Noah Daniel and Iob should pray for a people they should save neither sonne nor daughter And if thy father did pray for thee that art a childe if mercy be past the Lord will not spare that man saith the text as if the Lord had said I have abundance of mercy but thou shalt never tast of it nay for ought I know the Lord may set a seale of condemnation upon thee and so give thee over to all evill to all sinne to all curses and blot out thy name from under heaven Are you yet perswaded that this is Gods word if you were but perswaded of the sorrow some have had it would make you looke about you The Wise man saith that wisedome professeth to poure out abundance of mercy saying Oh you simple ones how long will you contemne and despise puritie and holinesse Now marke when a people hath had this mercy and wisedome offered to them and yet they will despise it then shall the cry and call but I will not answere saith God they shal seeke me early but shall not finde me The period of Gods patience is come to an end and there is no expectation of mercy call and call you may but God will not heare you you whose consciences flie in your faces tel you that you have despised mercy you would none of Gods Counsells you hate the knowledge of his wayes Do you think to get it now by crying when the date of mercy is out No no you would have none of Gods mercy before and now he will none of you Doe you think it fit that grace and mercy and the spirit should still stand and waite upon you and strive and alwayes be despised Is it not marvellous just that that word which you have despised should never worke more and that mercy you have refused should never be offered to you any more It is just and you shall finde it so in the end and take heed the termes of mercy be not out Lastly if we cannot avoyde it then we are resolved to beare it as we may if we be damned we shall undergoe it as we are able This is that we poore ministers finde too often by woefull experience that when we have taken away all cavills from wicked men and then if we could weepe over them and mourne for them and beseech them to consider of it aright Marke what they say Good sir spare your paines we are sinners and if we be damned then every tub must stand upon his owne bottom we will beare it as well as we can What is the winde in that doore Is that all you can say O woe to thee that ever thou wert bone O pooâ—e creature if I should cease speaking all of us joyne together in weeping and lamenting thy condition it were the best course It is impossible thou shouldest ever beare Gods wrath with any comfort And let these three considerations be remembred retained which wil make any man come to a stand even the vilest wretches who will blaspheme and sweare and if they be damned they say they have borne something and they will also beare this as well as they can First judge the Lyon by the pawe judge the torments of hell by some little beginnings of it and the dregges of Gods vengeance by some little sipps of it And judge how unable thou art to beare the whole by thy inabilitie to beare a little of it in this life In the terrour of conscience as the Wiseman saith a wounded spirit who can beare When God layes the flashes of hell fire upon thy soule thou canst not indure it what soever a man can inflict upon a poore wretch may be borne but when the Almighty comes in battaile array against a poore soule how can he undergoe it witnesse the Saints that have felt it as also wittnesse the wicked themselves that have had some beginnings of hell in their consciences When the Lord hath let in a little horror of heart into the soule of a poore sinfull creature how is he traÌ„sported with an insupportable burthen When it is day he wisheth it were night and when it is night he wisheth it were day All the friends in the world cannot comfort him nay many have sought to hang themselves to doe any thing rather then to suffer a little vengeance of the Almighty And one man is roaring and yelling as if he were now in hell already and admits of no comfort If the droppes be so heavy what will the whole sea of Gods vengeance be If he cannot beare the one how can he beare the other Secondly consider thine owne strength and compare it with all the strength of the creatures and so if all the creatures be not able to beare the wrath of the Almighty as Iob saith Is my strength the strength of stones or is my flesh as brasse that must beare thy wrath As if he had said It must be a stone or brasse that must beare thy wrath Though thou wert as strong as brasse or stones thou couldst not beare it when the mountaines tremble at the wrath of the Lord shall a poore worme or bubble and a shadow endure it Conceive thus much if all the diseases in the world did sease on one man and if all the torments that all the tyrants in the world could devise were cast upon him and if all the creatures in heaven and earth did conspire the destruction of this man and if all the devils in hell did labour to inflict punishments upon him you
First the ground on which our meditation must be raised Secondly the maner how to follow it home to the heart Thirdly how to put life and power to it that it may prevaile and worke that end in our soules which we would have it First concerning the former we must consider the grounds whereupon meditation must be raised and them I referre to these foure heads First labour to see the mercy goodnesse and patience of God that have beene abused and despised by that unkinde dealing of ours and that marvelous carelesnesse those duties God hath required of us the height of Gods goodnesse to us lays out the height of all our iniquities coÌ„mitted The greater the kindnesse and mercy of God is the greater are our sinnes that esteeme not of this mercy but abuse it and despise it This adds to our rebellions this makes our sinnes out of measure sinfull because God hath beene out of measure mercifull There are many sinnes in one when a man sinneth against many mercies and walkes not worthy of them we may observe that this is the course that God takes to breake the hearts of the Israelites when they had neglected his wayes and broken his commandements what was his message when the Lord humbled the people and brake them kindly The Lord by the Angell thus speakes I made you to goe out of Aegypt and brought you to the land which I sware to your fathers and I said I would never breake my covenant with you and ye shall make no league with the inhabitants of the land But ye have not obeyed my voice why have you done this worke Now the Lord presseth this his kindnesse upon them and labours to melt their hearts in the apprehension of his goodnesse to them and their unthankefulnesse to him in the eight verse the text saith When they heard this the people lift up their voice and wept The consideration of Gods kindnesse to them and their unkindnes to God He did all for them and they did all against him the Lord was gratious to them for their comfort but they did not walke worthy of it Why have you done this saith the Lord Why was my mercy despised Why was my goodnesse slighted Why was my patience and long suffering abused When they heard this they wept in the consideration of their unnaturall dealing Nay this is the thing remarkeable in Moses he stabs the heart and workes effectually upon the Israelites by this meanes Doe you thus requite the Lord O foolish people and unwise Is not he thy father that hath bought thee Hath not he made thee and established thee and will you thus reward the Lord Thus carelesly and thus proud and disobedient Why Remember saith he the dayes of old and then he reckons upon Gods gratious dealing with them I applie this in particular there is never a soule here present there is never a man in the basest estate and lowest condition but hath had experience of Gods goodnesse and mavelous loving kindnesse this way Were you ever in want but God supplied you were you ever in weakenesse but God strengthened you in sicknesse who cured you in misery who succoured you in povertie who relieved you hath not God been a gratious God unto you every poore soule can say never a poore sinner hath had a more gratious God then my soule all my bones can say Lord who is like unto thee this heart hath been heavy and thou hast cheared it this soule hath beene heavy and thou hast relieved it many troubles have befallen me and thou hast given a gratious issue out of them all And shall I thus reward the Lord shall I sin against his goodnesse and this kindnesse Then what shall I say heare O heaven and harken O earth the Oxe knoweth his owner and the Asse his masters crib and Israel knoweth not Gods kindnesse nor acknowledgeth his goodnesse towards them the consideration hereof one would thinke should break the hardest heart under heaven if men be but ingenious men if they have received any great kindnes from a friend they were never in want but he relieved them he tooke theÌ„ into his house and they might freely goe to his purse or any thing he had If a man should deale thus kindly with another and this man should deny him an ordinary favour he will be ashamed to come into his presence he will say his house was mine and his purse was mine and to deale thus unkindly nature would have taught me otherwise what are your hearts to God that hath been gratious to us all he hath created us doth preserve and keepe and afford many blessings unto us he gives us our houses that cover us it is God that affords us all this and shall we sinne against such mercy therefore goe to the beasts of the field and they will tell you and to the birds of the ayre and they will discover unto you Gods mercy goe to your beds and tables who gives these and continues these doth not the Lord yet sinne against this God O foolish people and unwise all love on Gods part and all negligence on ours God exceeds in goodnesse towards us we doe exceed in unkindnesse and unthankfulnes towards him this is the first ground upon which meditation must be raised The second ground secondly if it be so that mercy will not prevaile with you if you have no good nature in you then secondly consider that this is a just God that hath beene provoked by your sinnes if mercy cannot prevaile with you you shall have Iustice enough and that without mercy you must not thinke to slight Gods mercy and carry it away in that fashioÌ„ But God is a just God as he is a gratious God he will be revenged of you If there be any stubborne heart shall say God is mercifull and what then therefore we may live as we list and be as carelesse as we please Take heed that just law that hath been condemned and those righteous statutes that hath beene broken and God hath beene provoked by you will be revenged of you did ever any provoke the Lord and prosper and shall you beginne first thinke you where is Nyâ—rod and Nebuchadnezer and Pharoah and Herod and those proud persons that set their mouths against God and their hearts against heaven they that provoked the Lord what is now become of them they are now in the lowermost pit of hell God sent Pharoah into the red sea and for ought we know his soule may now be roaring in hell this is certaine that whosoever resisteth him shall find him a swift Judge to condemne him The Apostle saith Hebr. 12. and last our God is a consuming fire and in Deut. 22. and 32. If my fire be kindled it shall burne to the bottome of hell That Iustice of God will not be appeased without satisfaction that Justice is wise and connot be deceived that Justice is powrefull and cannot be resisted and not only
there doe not let it grow loose againe and carelesse againe for then you had as good never have beene melted And that is the reason why many a poore sinner that hath sometime beene in a good way and the Lord hath come kindly and wrought powerfully on the heart and yet at last it hath grown cold dumpish as hard as ever he was againe and the worke is to beginne againe And take notice of it looke as it is with the cure of the body if a man have an old wound and a deepe one two things are observable it is not enough to launce the wound and draw out the corruptions but it must be tented also for if the wound be deepe it must not be healed presently but it must be kept open with a tent that it may be healed soundly and thoroughly so it is here meditatiō whē it is set on doth launce the soule it launceth the heart of a man and it will goe downe to the bottome of the belly When a man seeth his sinne and weigheth his sinne it will goe downe to the bottom sometime and when your heart is thus affected do not heale it too soone but hold the soule in that blessed frame disposition For as meditatiō doth launce the soule so attention doth tent the soule keepe the soule therfore so troublesome and sorrowfull that so you may be healed soundly thorowly and comfortably I use to finde this by experience a City that is be leaguerd and wonne he that hath won it sets a Garison over it that he may keepe it for ever under So when the soule hath beene wonne by the stroke of meditation affecting the heart with sinne then set a garison over the soule and keepe it in awe set a garison over the Conscience and keepe all downe keepe all under that it may submit it selfe and that kindly under the stroke of the truth for it were a blessed frame if we could alwayes be so in that temper that we are in when we are first humbled for our sinnes The third rule which is marvelous usefull is this when the soule hath beene affected with sinne by meditation and kept to sinne by attention then know how you must stint your soules know therefore that the soule must be so farre kept to the consideration of sinne that it may seeke out for pardon for sinne This is a point of marvelous use and you must give the leave to be inlarged because there are many deceits this way in the spirits of a man for marke it this is the cunning of the Devill if it be possible he will keepe a man that he shall never see muse nor be troubled for sinne and therefore he doth plucke him off and sends him to company on one side and merriment on the other side that by this meanes he may keepe him from serious meditation of the evill But if it be so that God wil make a man meditate of his sinnes and that the heart of a sinner is fully resolved to muse and ponder and consider of his corruptions If he will pore upon his sinnes then he shall see nothing else but sinne and thus the Devill hath hindred many a poore soule from comming unto Christ and frō receiving comfort of him he shall now be alwayes poring upon his corruptions and therefore here lies the skill of a Christian not to neglect meditation and therefore here is the stint of meditation of our sinnes you shall thus discover it So farre see thy sinnes so farre be affected with them so farre hold thy minde to them that they may make thee see an absolute necessity of a Christ and that these sinnes may drive thee to the Lord Iesus Christ for succour here is the maine thing observable and thus farre we may goe and must goe if ever God intend to doe good to our soules and therefore when thou settest thy soule and bestowest thy selfe to muse and meditate upon thy corruptions and lay them to thy heart when thou findest thy soule to bee affected with them and humbled under them labour then to see an absolute necessity of a Lord Iesus Christ and so farre see them that they may drive thee compell thee to seeke unto Christ for mercy and this is all God lookes for all the Lord requires and cares for in this preparation or preparative worke And therefore take notice of it see thy sinnes so farre as they may make thee meerely looke for a Christ and to fall upon the armes of Gods mercy in and through Christ. For it is not sorrow for sinne nor humiliation nor faith it selfe that can justifie us in it selfe but onely these must make way for us to a Christ and through him we must receive comfort for these two be the speciall extreames that the Devill seekes to drive a man into If a man presume of a mans owne sufficiency then he thinkes he is well and he will not goe to Christ because he thinkes he doth not stand in need of Christ and if he despaire of his owne abilitie he will not goe to Christ neither and here is the ground why a sinner despaires it is not by reason of any sinne excepting onely the sinne against the holy Ghost despaire is not grounded there for Cain despaired yet Manasses committed greater sinnes then Cain and despaired not but the soule despaires out of stoutnesse of heart because it hath not sufficiencie in it selfe it will not looke out for helpe and comfort from another presumption saith I have sufficiencie in my selfe and need not goe unto Christ and despaire saith I have not sufficiencie and therefore will not goe to Christ here is the property of despaire to cast away hope when a man hath no hope that God will helpe him now all the while the soule lookes for sufficiencie from Christ there is hope for though our sinnes bee never so hainous that 's nothing all the question is whether we can hope in Christ For if all the sinnes that ever were are or shall be committed ranne into one man as all Rivers runne into one Sea Christ could as easily pardon his sinnes as ever he pardoned the sinnes of any Saints in heaven but here is the ground when we looke into our selves we can see there is no sufficiencie to comfort us and we will not goe to Christ that we may be comforted and so we come to be voide of hope and to despaire a despairing heart is a proud stubborne heart because he cannot have what he would of his owne therefore he will not goe to another to receive it and so sinkes downe in his sinnes And therefore let this be the period and stint of meditation when the soule so farre seeth sinne and the punishment deserved by it that the hart is resolved that none but Christ can take away these sinnes and the punishments due to them and is resolved to seeke to Christ and be beholden to him for all when it is thus with
saved I conclude this naturally all men are locked up under infidelity now the Lord opeÌ„s their hearts severally you know some lockes are new and fresh and therefore an easie key may open them but some lockes are old and rusty and therefore must be broken open by force of hand so it is with some mens hearts howsoever sin prevailes over the hearts of civill men and they are full of pride and the like and yet their hearts are kept cleare froÌ„ rusting by restrayning grace now the Lord will draw that man by the key of his spirit and kindly withdraw him from his sinne But if a man have beene an old rusty drunkard or adulterer no key can open his heart alas it is not a little matter will doe the deed it is not now and then a gratious promise that will breake his heart But the Lord must come downe from heaven and breake open the doore by strong hand by awaking his conscience that all the countrey rings of him You know all mens hearts are compared to stones some stones are soft you may crush them to pieces with your hands and some are flints which must have many blowes before they will breake so it is with the heart while it hath not beene melted and softned by humility the Lord must breake it open by maine force and as it is with a tree some branches are young and smooth without knots and some are old ones and full of knots now if a man come every day and give a little cut at the tender branch at last it will off easily but it is no cutting of an old tree with a pen-knife but a man must take an axe and give many a sore cut that all the people in the towne may heare it All men grow upon the root of sinne which is Adams rebellion some are young and have not growne knotty in a rebellious course every Sabbath day the Lord gives a cut at him by his counsels and by his threatnings and by his promises at last it falls off kindly and they are content to part with their sinnes and to rest upon Christ for mercy Another man is an old sturdy vile wretch an over-growne adulterer and drunkard and his heart is blinded in sinne I tell you if ever the Lord cut off this man from his base course hee must come with a mighty hand and with his book of the Law God is ever laying at his soule blow after blow and so at last hee begins to forsake his wicked courses What saith one is such a man turned hee was as heavy a persecutor as ever the Sunne saw his father was an enemy to all goodnesse and hee was as bad Like father like sonne Hath the Lord brought him home Yes now hee sends to the faithfull Ministers and to Gods people for comfort and direction The third and last part of the answer is this That when God workes gently with Christians they hardly perceive the worke though wise Christians may approve that which is done for this is certaine wheresoever Christ is there preparation was if ever man be saved Christ hath made him see his lost estate Sometime the worke is secret and the soule apprehends it not because it is so and though he doe yet it is an unknowne worke to him hee knowes not what to make of it he can finde in his heart to hate those and those sinfull courses yet he cannot see how this was wrought in him Mans spirit is such that he misjudgeth the worke but give me a Christian that God doth please to worke upon in this extraordinary manner and to breake his heart soundly to throw him downe to some purpose though it cost him deare this man walkes with more eare and conscience and hath more comfort comming to himselfe and gives more glory to God wheras the other doth but little good in his place and hath little comfort comming to him Therefore labour for soundnes in this worke and then for ever sound but if once deluded here then for ever cozened and everlastingly damned The first-Use is for instruction It is so that the soule of a man is thus pierced to the quicke and runne thorow by the wrath of the Almighty Then let this teach the Saints and people of God how to carry themselves towards such as God hath thus dealt withall Are they pierced men Oh pitty them let our soules and the bowells of commiseration and compassion bee let out towards them and let us never cease to doe good to them to the very uttermost of our power and strength And to the performance of this not onely reason perswades us but Religion bindes us and pitty moves us See what the Lord saith by Moses If a man see his neighbours oxe or asse fall into distresse by the way the Lord commanded to ease him and succour him nay to lay all businesse aside and not to hide himselfe from him Thus the Lord commands mercy to the unreasonable creature that is thus wearied with the weight that he carrieth hath the Lord care of oxen As the Apostle saith in another case It is for our sakes that the Lord requires this duty The meaning is this shall not the heart of thy brother be eased that is tired thus with the wrath of the Almighty shall not this poore fainting creature be succoured are you men or are you beasts in this kinde If a hogge be but in distresse it is strange to see how folke come about it are we divels then that we can see poore creatures burthened with the unconceivable wrath of the Lord and not pitty them doe you see these and not mourne and succour and pray to heaven for them See what Iob saith and let him speake in the behalfe of all distressed soules O saith hee that my sorrowes were all weighed they would prove heavier then the sand Marke how he cries for succour oh you my friends have pitty upon me for the hand of God is heavy upon me for the hand of God hath touched me Imagine you saw him sitting upon the dunghill mourning it is not the hand of a man or an enemy but the heavy hand of God and therefore all you my friends that see my anguish and my sorrowes have pitty upon me Those palefaces and blubbered cheekes and feeble hearts and hands of theirs say thus much unto you have you no regard of a man in misery have you no pitty saith the Lamenting Chuâ—ch so doth every grieved humbled soule their sighes and sorrowes in secret say thus much oh all you that walke in the streets have you no remorse of a poore desolate forlorne creature Had I beene only wounded or had my nature growne weake some Physitian might have eased me had I been poore some friends might have enriched me had I beene disgraced the King might have advanced me to honours but was there ever sorrow like to my sorrow of soule It is the God of mercy that shewes
let us admire and blesse this good God and not quarrell with his ministers nor providence and say other men have comfort and therefore why am I so troubled and disquieted how now It is endlesse mercy that thou livest therefore downe with thy proud heart and stifle those distempers of Spirit and say The Lord hath broken and wounded me but blessed be his name that I may come to Church and that he hath not dealt with me as I have deserved but in goodnesse and mercy I hope God in his season will doe good to my soule Secondly let us be wise to nourish this same blessed worke in our hearts for ever let us have our hearts more and more strengthened because thereby our hearts will be more more inabled to beare and undergoe any thing if you have but a little glimpse of hope cover it and labour to maintaine it and if ever God let in any glimpse of mercy into your hearts let it not goe out it is ever good to take that way that God takes the Lord sustaines our hearts with hope hope is the sinewes of the soule therefore strengthen it As a marriner that is tost with a tempest in a darke night when he sees no starres he casts anchor and that cheares him this hope is the anchor of the soule whereby it lookes out and expects mercy from God the poore soule seeth no light nor comfort nothing but the wrath of an angry God and he saith God is a just God and a jealous God even that God whose truth I have opposed is displeased with me then the soule is tossed and troubled and runnes upon the rockes of despaire how shall the soule be supported in this condition you will finde this true one day therefore looke to it before you vile drunkards are now sayling in a faire gale of pleasure and carnall delight but when the Lords wrath shall seaze upoÌ„ you wheÌ„ he shal let in the flashes of hel fire then you are tossed sometimes up to heaven now downe to hell therefore cast anchor now and this hope will uphold you for this hope is called the anchor of the soule Thou dost not yet see the Lord refreshing of thee but it may be otherwise The people of NiniviÌ„e said Who knowe's but God may repent this upheld their hearts and made them seeke to the Lord in the use of the meanes and the Lord had mercy on them If you belong unto the Lord he will come against those drunken proud hearts and rebellious hearts of yours and dragge them downe to hell and make them sorrow for their sinnes And remember this against that day Who knowes but the Lord may shew mercy and therefore yet heare and pray and fast and seeke unto him for mercy We fence those parts of our bodies most that are most pretious and the hurt whereof is most dangerous Hope is called the helmes of salvation and the assurance of Gods love is the head of a Christian now take away a Christians head and he is cleane gone the devil ever labours for that and saith You come to heaven prove it Loe you thinke God hath need of drunkards and adulterers in heaven and will God provide a crowne of glory for his professed enemies Hath God made heaven a hog-fâ—ie for such uncleane wretches as you are No no there is no such expectation of mercy this wounds the head of the soule but hope is the helmet that covers the head of a Christian makes him say I confesse I am as bad as any man can say of me heaven is a holy place and and I have no goodnesse at all in me yet there is hope the Lord may breake this proud heart of mine and take away these distempers of Spirit Now by this meanes the head of a Christian is kept sure Quest. But some will say how shall we maintaine this hope in our hearts and by what meanes may we feed this hope Answ. The meanes are especially three First take notice of the Al-sufficiencie of God as he hath revealed himselfe in his word say not as many do I cannot conceive it or I cannot finde it but what doth the word say Is not God able to pardon thy sinnes away then with those I cannot conceive it and the like Is there any thing hard for me saith God Whatsoever thy estate is there is nothing hard to him that hath hardnesse at command when our Saviour said It is as easie for a camell to goe through the eye of a needle as for a rich man to goe into heaven Good Lord said they Who can be saved But Christ said with God all things are possible if you looke unto man how he is glued to the world so that all the ministers under heaven cannot pull him away but still he will lie and cozen Reason and Judgement cannot conceive how this man should be saved but with God all things are possible See what the Apostle saith Abraham above hope beleeved under hope that he should be the Father of many nations this he did because he knew he which had promised was able to performe it and this did feed his hope he did beleeve above hope in regard of the creature under hope in regard of God As if he had said I have a dead body but God is a living God and Sarah hath a barren wombe but God is a fruitfull God It may be thou sayest Object if any exhortatioÌ„ would have wrought upon me then my heart might have beene brought to a better passe but can this stubborne heart of mine be made to yeild And can these strong corruptions of mine be subdued Howsoever thou canst not doe it Answ. yet God can quicken thee and although thou art a damned man yet he is a mercifull God this all-sufficiencie of God is a hooke whereon our soules hang when the Apostles had prayed that the minds of the Ephesians might be opened and that they might be able to know the love of Christ because some one might say how shall we know that which is above knowledge the text saith Now to him that is able to doe abuÌ„dantly above all that we can thinke or aske according to his mighty power that worketh in us to him be glory As though he had said though you cannot thinke or aske as you should yet God is able to doe exceeding abundantly more then we can thinke or aske so then no more but this we are not able of our selves to thinke a good thought yet there is sufficient power in God and though we are dead hearted and damned wretches yet there is sufficient salvation in God Let us hang the handle of hope on this hooke Secondly the freenesse of Gods promise marvelously lifts up the head above water as the beggar saith The doale is free why may not I get it as well as another This sometimes dasheth our hopes when the soule begins to thinke what mercy is offered he saith
take shame to himselfe for his sinne his confession never comes to the bottome Secondly confession is a matter of great safety I take this to be the only cause why many a man goes troubled and gets neither comfort in the pardon of the sinne nor strength against it because he comes not off kindly in this worke of confession When you doe nakedly open your sinnes to a faithfull minister you goe out in battaile against sinne and you have a second in the field to stand by you but especially there is comfort in this particular for the minister will discover the lusts and deceits and corruptions that you could not finde out and he will lay open all those holds of Sathan and that meanes of comfort that you never knew I am able to speake it by experience this hath broke the necke of many a soule even because he would goe out in single combate against Sathan and doe what he could not revealing himselfe to others for help was overthrowne for ever As it is with the impostumed part of a mans body when a man lets out some of the corrupt matter and so skins it never healing it to the bottome at last it cankers inwardly and comes to a gangrene and the part must be cut off or else a man is in danger of his life so when you let out some corruptions by an overly confession but suffer some bosome lust to remaine still as malice or uncleannesse c. Then the soule cankers and Sathan takes possession of it and the soule is carried into fearefull abominations Many have fallen fouly and lived long in their sinnes and all because they would not confesse freely therefore as you desire to finde out the deceitfulnesse of your corruptions confesse them from the bottome of your soules Thirdly this open and free confession may maintaine the secrecy of the soule for the onlâ— way to have a mans sinnes covered is to confesse them that so they may not be brought upon the stage before all the world Object Oh saith one this is contrary to common reason we are affraid to have our sinnes knowne that is our trouble we keepe our sinnes close because we would preserve our honour Answ. I say the only way for secrecie is to reveal our sinnes to some faithfull Minister for if we confesse our sinnes God will cover them if you take shame to your selves God will honour you but if you will not confesse your sinnes God will breake open the doore of your hearts and let in the light of his truth and the convicting power of his Spirit and make it knowen to men and Angels to the shame of your persons for ever If Iudas had taken notice of his sinne and yeilded to Christs accusation and desired some conference with Christ privately and said Good Lord I am that Iudas and that hell-hound that have received mercy from thee in the outward meanes and have been entertayned among thy people yet it is I that have taken the thirtie pence Lord pardon this sinne and never let this iniquity be laid to my charge I doubt not but though Iudas his soule could not be saved because that now wee know Gods decree of him yet God would have saved him from the publike shame that was cast upon him for it but he did not doe so but hidde his malice in his heart and professed great matters of love to Christ and kissed him and thus he thought to cover his sin wisely but what became of that the Lord forced him to come and to indite himselfe in the high priests hall before the temporall and spirituall counsell So you that keepe your sinnes as sugar under your tongues and will be loose and malitious and covetous still well you will have your thirtie pence still and they are layed up safe as Achans wedge of gold was remember this God will one day open the clossets of your hearts and lay you upon your death beds and then haply yee will prove mad and vomit up all were it not better to confesse your sinnes to some faithfull minister now If you will not give the Lord his glory he will distraine for it have it from your heart blood as Iulian the apostata said when the arrow was shot into his heart he plucked it out and cried saying thou Galilean thou hast overcome me the Lord distrained for his glory and had it out of his heart blood Now I come to the second fruit of contrition which is here plainly expressed and it is this A restlesse dislike of themselves and their sinnes as if they had said Men and brethren we care not what we doe against those evils of ours whereby the Lord hath beene so much dishonoured and we indangered command us what you will we must not rest thus so loathsome are our sinnes that we will doe any thing rather then be as we are So from hence the doctrine is this The soule that is truly pierced for sinne is carried against it with a restlesse dislike and distaste of it or thus Sound contrition of heart ever brings a thorow detestation of sinne this they professedly proclaime before the Apostles As if they had said thus much in more words You say we are they that have crucified the Lord of life and we confesse it oh happy had it beene for us if we had never listened to the plots of the Scribes and Pharisies but that which is past cannot be undone or recalled What must now be done if we rest here we perish forever can nothing be done against these our sinnes that have done so much against the Lord Jesus we must loath ourselves and our sinnes and we must get out of this eâ—â—ate or else we are undone for ever Now for the further opening of this point I will discover these three things First I will shew what a distaste and dislike this is Secondly wherein this hatred and dislike of sinne consists Thirdly I will shew the reason why it must be so For the first namely what dislike this is for the clearing of which you must looke backe to that which I spake before of godly sorrow For of the very same stampe and nature is this dislike and hatred of sinne and it is thus much in effect First there is a hatred in preparation and secondly a hatred in â—sanctification both are saving workes but both are not sanctifying workes vocation is a saving worke but not a sanctifying worke they are two distinct workes This hatred in preparation is that which the Lord workes upon the soule and smites upon the soule and thereby puts this kinde of turning into the heart not that the heart hath any powerfull inward principle of grace before for this is the first that the Lord workes so that as before the soule was forced to see sinne and to feel the burthen of it so the heart is now brought to dislike sinne this is a worke wrought upon the soule rather then any
THE SOVLES PREPARATION FOR CHRIST OR A TREATISE OF CONTRITION Wherein is discovered How God breaks the heart and wounds the Soule in the conversion of a Sinner to Himselfe PSAL. 51.17 The sacrifices of God are a broken spirit A broken and a contrite heart O God thou wilt not despise LONDON Printed for ROBERT DAVVLMAN at the signe of the Brazen-serpent in Pauls Churchyard 1632. A TABLE OF THE CONTENTS A ALl-sufficiencie in God a meanes to enlighten our dead hope 214. Application of particular sins a way to make us see them 64. How the word affects when applied 65. then hitting soonest 65. sinking deepest 67. for this it is ministers are so hated 68. B Bondage the spirit of bondage how it helps to the sight of sin 124. Broken heart is made by meditatioÌ„ of the word preached C Carnall men can give no comfort to wounded consciences 220. 240. Christ three grounds why the soule flies not to Christ 118. Labour to see the necessitie of Christ 122. sight of sinne a meanes to drive us to Christ. 117. Common depravation of our nature no plea for us to slight sinne 40. Confession of sinne needfull for the cure thereof 57. It must be open and free 219. a large confession may come from a wicked man 221. when hypocriticall 225. the difference betweene true and false confession 227. popish confession what 230. To hide our sinne a fearefull and dangerous sinne 235. To what persons how they should be qualified that we must confesse unto 239. Motives 241. Companions when evill a great hindrance to the working of grace and bow 95. Conscience a help to meditation 123. Consideration of Gods goodnesse a meanes to breake our hearts 101. Contrition what 2. a contrice heart acceptable 163 164. this contrition is wrought in all though not in the same manner and measure 170. Conviction of the soule for sinne â—ow 23. why God convinces 31. meanes of conviction 36. other meanes to worke sound conviction 200. D Death of sinne must be in us 256. Delight in sinne damnable 190 191 192. F Freenesse of Gods promises revives our hope 215. G God is All-sufficient 6. mercifull 6.210 Gods goodnesse considered a meanes to breake the heart 101. so also his justice 103. Gods abundant mercy a meanes to revive our hope 217 H Heart which feares discovery is evill 79. It is broken by meditation on the word preached 81. so also by consideration of Gods goodnesse 101. so also of his justice 103. what is meant by heart here 130. when our hearts are like stones 181. an ignorant heart is a naughty heart 33. Hatred of sin what 246. differences betweene sorrow for him and hatred of sinne 241. wherein this hatred consists 250. Help must be conveied to a wounded soule 190. Hearing the word how we may with profit 76. Hell torments how in some sort to judge of them 55. Hiding sinne a fearefull sinne 80. Hope supports the hearts of the sorrowfull 205. an antidote against despaire 208. It incourageth our indeavors 209. the soules anchor 112 how it is maintained and fed 214. I Ignorant heart is a naughty heart 33. Iustice of God a meanes to breake the heart 10 K Kindnesse of God a meanes to breake the heart 101. Knowledge of our sinne a meanes of conviction for it 377. L Law a meanes to convince us of sinne 38. M Meditation of Gods word preacht a meanes to breake our hearts 81. what it is and how to be done 83. it brings the word more powerfull to the heart and there fastens it 88. the lamentable neglect of this duty lamented câ—nsured 93. the comfort that ariseth from this duty 98. the ground the manner power thereof 100. how to be followed 109. when damped in us how revived 122. Mercy with what cautions a prophane person may seeke it 5. abundant mercy in God a meanes to revive our hope 217. God is mercifull 210. Ministers must first humble before lift up 61. they are much based for speciall application 6â— playn preaching is the best way 71. they should be skilfull mercifull faithfull men 240. N Nature no plea to help us to lessen our sinnes 41. Nature of God is tender and mercifull 210. O Opposites to the word deeply plagued 127. P Pitty belongs to wounded and troubled consciences 183. c. Popish divices cannot help a wounded conscience 191. Pricking or piercing the heart wherein it consists 129. Promise of God being free lifes up the head and revives hope 215. R Repentance not in our owne power 52. Reprehension 〈◊〉 sharpe a meanes to move us to see our sinnes 64. S Shifts a sinner uses to beate backe the power of the word 40 Sinne must be truly seene before the heart is broken 11. what this sight of sinne is 12. the properties thereof 14 the evill of sinne is farre greater then the evill of punishment reason thereof 15. It is a departing from God 19. why men cannot see the vilenesse of their sinne 20. how to see them convictingly 36 grounds why we slight our sinnes 40. particular sinnes closely applyed a meanes to see them 64. sight of sinne a meanes to drive us to Christ 117. sinne wounds the soule why 158. when we make sinne our God 174. all are not alike wounded for sinne 178. A truly sorrowfull soule hath a restlesse distast of sinne 245. Sinners in an high degree may be reconciled 4 All sinners are fighters against God 18. open and scandalous sinners commonly have a greater measure of sorrow 179. Soule how prepared for Christ 247. when it is said truly to be broken 255. Sorrow if godly it is a deep sorrow 134. how wrought 135. how procured 142. how the soule should behave it selfe under this sorrow 150. It is restlesse till it have obtained mercy 155. It drives unto God 157. this makes us highly to prize Christ 164. whether sorrow for sinne is a worke of saving grace 165. how sorrow of preparation is knowne and how sorrow of sanctification 167. whether this sorrow is wrought alike in all 170. not in the same manner 177. when sorrow is made a maske to cover sinne 193. It must not be slight but solid 198. the fruits thereof 203. Spirit of bondage how it helps to see sinne 1â—4 T Thoughts that are sinfull how produced 44. how and in what respects sinne in thought is more vile 44. W Word must be submitted unto 39â— and never shifted off 40. the threats must not be shifed off 48. when closely applyed it much affects 64 65. the word preacht must be meditated on 81. the opposers of the word in great danger 127. Worthinesse in our selves none to moue Christ to pitty us 119. Wrath of God is an insupportable burthen 56. Places of Scripture inlightned Cap. ver pag. Deut. 1.14.51 32.6.102 Iosua 7.24.211 1 Ki. 20.21.64 2 Cr. 36.16.127 Iudg. 1.12.101 Iob 5. last 85 6.12 â—6 7.20.30 13.27.25 14.17.22 19.23.184 22.13.48 36.6.126 9.12 10. ib. 40.3.39 Ps. 39.24.255 38.2.2 Ps. 58.8.77 74.4.2
thou sowest up mine iniquities Wicked men doe treasure up vengeance against the day of the Lord the profane person treasures up wrath and in the eighteenth verse he saith The mountaines falling come to nothing as if he had said good Lord who can beare all those sinnes that I have committed Are they all sealed up and shall all the judgements due unto them fall upon me heavier then the mountaines Good Lord what rock or mountaine can beare the weight of my sinnes thus sealed up setled and laid close to my heart And so God seales up an hundred thousand oathes in one bagge and an ocean of pride and mischiefes done to Gods people and Church are barrelled up in another and the Lord shall one day lay all these upon thy necke Who is able to beare all these sinnes Now it falles out with a sinner as it is with a banckrout debtor one man throwes him into prison and when he is there every one comes against him and so he shall never come out but die and rotte in the prison so though the Lord will not execute judgement on thee speedily yet in the end the Lord will be paid for all thy sins and when thou art in hell then mercy and justice and patience will cry all to heaven for justice and vengeance then happily a drunkard is cast into prison for his drunkennesse and for his blasphemy and then all his filthinesse comes in as so many bills of inditement against him Oh therefore labour to see sinne alive we play with sinne as if it were dead when children see the picture of a dead lyon upon a wall they labour to pull him in pieces but if there were a live lyon in the place it would make the strongest to runne So thou paintest thy sinne and sayest it is thy infirmity God forgive your swearing the like and thus you dally with your sinnes but brethren labour to see sinne alive and to see sinne roaring upon you see the pawe of sinne and the condemnation that shall be throwne upon the soule by it and this will awake the soule in the apprehension of it Secondly we must see sinne convictingly that it may be so to us as it is in it selfe that looke what sinne is in it selfe we may so conceive of it in our soules being guilty of it and this discovers it selfe in these two particulars First when we have a particular apprehension in our owne person that looke what we confesse to be in sinne in generall we confesse the same in our owne soules and that our sinnes are as bad as the sinnes of any this is the cursed distemper of our hearts howsoever we hold it to be truth in generall yet when we come to our owne sinnes the case is altered and we never come to the right seeing of them as they concerne our owne particular As the adulterer can easily confesse the danger and filthynesse of that sinne in others but he thinkes not his sinne to be so vile as the Wise man saith He that enters into the house of an harlot doth he ever returne againe doth he ever take hold of the path of life The Lord is pleased to set such a heavy stamp on this sinfull distemperature These are truths and a man in his cold blood wil easily confesse it in the generall that he never returnes againe Take the words as they are in the letter of them and howsoever they have some other interpretations yet in the letter it is thus read he is euer hardly recovered Howsoever it may be yet with much difficulty David had let his soule loose in that he did hardly recover himselfe againe scarce one of a thousand yet ever tooke hold of the way of life And the drunkard will confesse the danger of his sinne in generall when he sees his drunken mates lie grovelling in the dust he will be ashamed of it and say Now no adulterer or drunkard shall ever come into the kingdome of heaven but here is the wound of it when he comes to his owne particular drunkennesse and uncleannesse that he must looke into them then the sight of a mans knowledge hath not so much power as to judge himselfe rightly or to make a particular application to himselfe but he thinkes his adultery and drunkennesse is not like to another mans or else his knowledge is but weake or else he seeth as a man in the twylight when the sun is downe and the heavens begin to withdraw their light though a man can see to read abroad yet he cānot see to read in the house or in the chamber So it is with a weake knowledge and with a feeble understanding in a wicked man he is notable to see the vile nature of sinne in himselfe when he comes to read his owne closet sinnes and his bosome abominations then he hath not so much light as to perceive them so fully in himself as he thought to doe therefore the rule is this Arest thy soule in a speciall maner of those sinnes whereof thou standest guilty that phrase in Iob is to good purpose thou lookest narrowly to my pathes thou settest a print upon the heels of my feet so God followed Iob to the hard heeles and did narrowly observe his waies so deale thou with thy owne soule and set a print upon the heele of thy heart arest thy heart in particular for thy sins and I would have you perceive your owne particular sinnes and follow them to your hearts and make huy and cry after your sinnes and dragge your hearts before the Lord and say Is murther pride drunkennesse and uncleannesse such horrible sinnes and doth God thus fearefully plague them Lord it was my heart that was proud and vaine it was my tongue that did speake filthily blasphemously my hand hath wrought wickednesse my eye was wanton and my heart was uncleane and filthy Lord here they are it is my affections that are disorderly and it is I that doe delight too much in the world Thus bring thy heart before the Lord you shall observe the same in David so long as Nathan spake of sinne in generall he conceived of it truly and confessed the vilenes of it and the heart of this good King did rage against the man saying It is the Sonne of death but as soone as the prophet had said Thou art the man though he never saw his sinne kindly before yet now his heart yeelded and he began to see himselfe and his sinne in the naturall colours of it So the Apostle Iohn saith Hee that hateth his brother is a man-slayer and you know no man-slayer hath eternall life abiding in him Then play thou the part of Nathan and say I am the man it is this wretched heart of mine that hath hated the Saints of God and therefore if I be a murtherer will not my sinne keepe me from the kingdome of heaven as well as another mans Yes that it will if pride
therefore it is just with God to harden my heart for ever the Lord hath come ofteÌ„ with many loving perswasions to allure me draw me to him If the devill had had the meanes that I have had he would have been moved and more bettered by theÌ„ then I have beene and have done more then I have done I have hated and despised all and to this day I have not beene brought upon my knees shall not Christ rule over me and yet save me No it cannot be except I can bring my necke under the yoke of the Lord Jesus Christ it is not possible I should be â—aved by him I excuse not my selfe Lord nay I confesse I know more then all the men in the world can speake by me and I yeed to all this and more what shall I say I have sinned O thou preserver of men The reason why and how it comes to passe that God deales thus with poore sinners is taken from the office which the Lord hath placed between the heart the man the ground lies thus There are two things in the soule First you conceive and understand a thing Secondly you will and choose it The first is the inlet of the heart so that nothing can affect the heart but so farre as reason conceiveth it and ushers it home to the soule thereupon the heart as the King hath his Councellors which call all matters before them and consult about businesse then they bring them before the King to have a finall sentence from him to know what he will have and what he will not have So the understanding is like the Counsellors and the will is the Queene the understanding saith this or that is good then the will saith let me have it the understanding saith these and these duties are required and the will imbraceth them the understanding conceives what sinne is and the will saith these and these evills have I done and they will cost me my life if I repent not As it was with Iob when his Oxen and Cattell were taken it never troubled him because he never knew it but when he heard of it by the messengers he said Naked came I out of my mothers wombe There must be a messenger before he can be grieved for the evill So it is with the soule of a sinfull creature the Devill hath made a prey and a spoile of him thou camest into the world in Adam wise holy and gratious but he hath made thee unholy and ignorant and thou considerest not this till God by his Ministers opens thy eyes and makes thee see plainely that the Image of sinne and Satan is upon thee and that God is now become thy enemie and that now thou goest on in the way to destruction and art become the heire apparant of hell And when these evill-tydings come to the understanding that leaves them upon the heart and will of a man and so lets it worke effectually upon it as God doth blesse the same as Paul saith I know that through ignorance they did it if they had knowne the Lord of life they would never have crucified him This is the cause why we commit sin because we see it not and therefore we sorrow not for it As it is with some hot Clymates in the world though there be never so much heat in the sun yet if there bee no entrance for the heat into the house it will not scorch nor heat any so the understanding is like the doore or entrance into the house and sin is of a fiery scorching nature if there be no passage and if the minde know not and if the will affect not sin it will never scorch his conscience though a man carry sin enough in his bosome to sinke his soule for ever yet wee suffer it not to worke upon us and wee attend not to it because the brazen wall keepes it off as the proverb is that the eye never sees the heart never rues Because we see not our evills and discern not our sinnes so clearly as we should therefore it is impossible we should be touched for them as we ought to be The first use is for instruction from the former truth delivered we may learne that an ignorant heart is a naughty heart and a miserable wretched heart whether it be out of ignorance that cannot or out of wilfulnesse that men will not apprehend their conditions both are marvelous sinfull and miserable I desire to deale plainly in this point because I know there are many that doe flatter themselves in their conditions and thinke all is well with them I will say nothing of the cause but I appeale to the hearts of all that heare me this day your selves shall be judges in these particulars Imagine you did see a poore sinner come before you and lay open his condition and bewaile it with bitternesse saying that for his owne part he never did find his heart touched for his sinnes nor sorrow for his corruptions did ever enter into his soule but he hath lived senselesse and carelesse for this wounding of spirit he counted it a wonder for this humblenes of heart it was ever a ridle unto him let any one passe sentence upon this man now and tell me seriously what do you thinke of such a person I heare me thinkes every man reason thus and every mans heart shakes at it saith Good Lord what a senselesse poore ignorant creature is this If no humbling for sinne no pardoning for sinne and no share in Christ no salvation What is this a good heart that is not in the way to receive any good If a man be never broken for sinne God will never bind him up and if never humbled and burthened for his sinne God will never ease him of it Therefore woe to that soule that is thus miserable and accursed I beseech you passe this sentence against your selves Oh brethren the hearts of men are past this brokennesse of spirit nay they are enemies to it they never had their judgments cleared and convicted of their sinnes and therefore their hearts were neuer broken and this brokennesse is so farre from their heart as it never came into the head we thinke not of the foule nature of sinne Doest thou thinke this to be a good heart that was never humbled prepared for Christ alas it is so farre from being truly wrought upon that it was never in any way to pertake of mercy from God therefore thy condition is marvellous miserable thy misery is as great as thy sinne if not greater because when a sinfull creature is wounded and gauled for his sinne there is some hope he may be cured and helped but an ignorant soule is not capable of it he is in hell and seeth it not he is under the power of Satan and thinkes himselfe at liberty nay for the present he is uncapable of any good from the meanes appointed to that end It is with an ignorant
and I would have a man to bind his heart hand and foote that they may not dare to have any brabling against the revealed will of God that so what ever truth is delivered though never so crosse and contrary to our corrupt nature the soule may be willing to be under the blow of it and let the strength of the word come full upon the heart And this will make us feelingly to understand our conditions as in Iob when God had taken downe his proud heart see how he submits himselfe Behold I am vile what shall I say I will lay my hand upoÌ„ my mouth I have sinned but I will go nâ— further as thogh he had reasoned thus with himselfe I have I confesse pleaded too much for my selfe I have made more shift for my selfe theÌ„ was needfull I have gainsaid thy word but now no more Now if any man seeme to quarrell take up armes against the truth of God let that man know he was never truly huÌ„bled for his sins It is a sinfull rebellious spirit that carries it selfe thus against God his word the shifts whereby the soule labours to beate backe the power of the word may be reduced to these three heads First the soule hath a slight apprehension of sin and thinketh that it is not so hainous and so dangerous as those hot spirited ministers beare men in hand this is usually the common conceit of all men naturally and even of us all more or lesse to make a slight account of sinne and that for these foure respects First in respect of the commonnesse of it because that every man is guilty of it we slight it what saith one Good now what then are not all sinners as well as we though we have many faylings yet we have many fellowes If we were drunkards or whoremongers then it were somewhat Thou sayest true indeed thou hast many fellowes in thy sinnes and thou shalt have share with many fellowes in the punishment to come there is roome enough in hell for thee and all thy fellowes hell hath opened her mouth wide nay the more companions thou hast had in thy sinnes the more shall be thy plagues Quest. O saith one all the world lies in sinne and we doe no more then the world doth Answ. But if the world lies in sin Christ never prayed for the world and he will never save the world What a senselesse thing is this to be such a 〈◊〉 as God hates Is this all thy pleasure that thou art a hater of God What ods is it for a man to be stabbed with a penknife or with a speare or for a man to be murdered in the streets or in his bed so though thy sinnes be not hydious blasphemies and the like yet if they be petty oathes they are enough to sinke thy soule It is not your great swearer but no swearer shall come into the Kingdome of heaven the text saith not no great liers shall enter into heaven but no liers shall enter into heaven What differeÌ„ce is there between a man that goes to hell for open rebellion and a man that goes to hell for civill profession and what difference is there betweene an open adulterer and a secret adulterer Quest. But some will say are not all sinfull by nature and are not some saved and why not I as well as others Answ. For answer I say no man is saved by nature but if any be saved the Lord opens his eyes and breakes his heart and so it must be with thee too if ever thou thinkest to receive any mercy from God Secondly there is also a naturalnesse in a sinfull course and they say it is my nature and infirmity and I am of a cholericke disposition I shall sometimes sweare when I am angry and I cannot but be drunke sometimes when I light into good company Quest. What would you have of us Saints on earth Answ. I either Saints or Devills never sanctified never saved never pâ—rged never glorified as the Apostle Saint Iohn saith He that hath this hope purgeth himselfe as he is pure he striveth with his whole endeauour to be pure and alwayes he hath a respect to all Gods commandemeÌ„ts And as the author to the Hebrewes saith pursue faith and holinesse without which no man can be saved If thou dost say if it were an honour to pray in my family if Gentlemen and Knights did it I would doe it I tell thee if holines doth seeme to fly away by disgrace persecution theÌ„ you must pursue it Nay dost thou say it is thy nature to sinne Then I say the greater is thy wickednesse if it be thy nature so to doe We hate not a man because he drinkes poyson but we hate a â—oad because it is of a poysonus nature therfore rather mourne the more for thy sinnes because it is thy cursed nature so to doe And say Lord did only temptations or the world allure me to this there were some hope that thou wouldest have mercy upon me but O Lord I have a cursed nature and though there were no Devills nor world no temptations outwardly yet this cursed nature of mine would sinne against thee They that have received Christ have a new nature and therefore if I have a carnall corrupt nature then my condition is most fearefull And say did temptations the world allure me then there were some hope of mercy but it is my nature to sinne and therefore my estate and condition is most miserable wretched Oh wretched man that I am who shall deliver me from this body of death Thirdly many say words are but winde and all this winde shakes no corne And so when we presse men to the inward worke of the soule not onely to keepe men from the halter but to tell them they must pull downe their proud hearts and be humbled for their sinnes and the like then they reply thoughts flie away suddenly and thoughts are free To which I answer these words are such winde as will blow downe thy soule into the bottomlesse pit of hell It is not I that say so but our Saviour himselfe By thy words thou shalt be justisfied and by thy words thou shalt be condemned though you make nothing of your swearing and idle thoughts and revilings of Gods people yet the God of heaven will require them at your hands and you shall either receive acquittance from Christ of them or else vengeance for ever for them For the Lord commeth with thousands of his Saints in flaming fire to punish not onely murtherers and adulterers and the like but all ungodly ones the Lord will call thee to an accompt for all thy abominations nay for all thy speeches against the people of God upon thy ale-bench when thou diddest tosse theÌ„ too and fro and the Lord will set thy sinnes in order before thee nay he will call thee to an accompt for them for all thy thoughts though
they are sudden and quickely passed over as the Prophet Ieremiah saith O Ierusalem wash thy heart from wickednesse how long shall thy vaine thoughts remaine in thee Whatsoever men thinke of thoughts yet they are the very life and sinewes of sinne and they are brought forth by meditation of a mans corruptions in this kinde A man may sinne more in thought then in any other kinde whatsoever both in regard of the vilenesse of sin and his unavoydablenesse thereof A theefe cannot robbe all the towne but a covetous man may wish all in the towne were hanged that he might have their goods and so an adulterer cannot commit sinne with every woman in the towne but he may lust after both the godly and prophane and he may commit adultery both with the chast and unchast too in his thoughts A man may sinne infinitly in this kinde and never have done for no company nor place can hinder an adulterer from sinning and lusting nor the malicious man from envying in his heart nor the covetous man from desiring the goods of other men Though thou darest not cut the throat of a minister yet thou canst malice all the ministers in the countrey Fourthly the soule hath a strange inward resolution of â—leaving to sinne whatsoever can be said or done to the contrary And this inward resolution of the soule hath a delight in corruptions though he die and be damned for the same this plucketh the heart from the word and layeth so many mists upon the understanding that it cannot see the truth when the soule hath nothing to say for it selfe it falls to open and profest reviling of Jesus Christ and defying of him and hence it is that after many good arguments the soule stands as it were at a set and saith I will not beleeve it though there were five thousand Ministers to perswade me to it and why doth he so hath he any argument to alledge No not a word but he that is proud will be proud and he that is a swearer will sweare and will not make conscience of any thing this comes from a proud and a sturdy heart When Ieremiah would have convinced the people of their sinnes and of the punishments threatned to them they said Thou speakest falsly there is no such matter So it is with many a carnall heart now a dayes if the minister of God will not please their phantasies then all the businesse is they knew all this before when as indeed they knew nothing at all Therefore saith God Take heed there be not in any of you a root of bitternesse if the soule heareth the law and blesseth himselfe in his wickednesse and saith I shall have peace though I walke after the imaginations of my owne heart the Lord will not spare that man but the Ielousie of the Lord shall smoake against him this roote of bitternesse is nothing else but sin and a resolution to continue in it For the Lord Jesus sake consider this there are too many of these in the Congregation wilt thou not beleeve Gods word I tell thee thou deniest almost that there is a God and thou renouncest the Lord Jesus Christ and salvation by him thou saiest in effect there is no God and that there is not any meanes of grace revealed What devillish blasphemy is this Let me speake to the terror of all such hearts hell never entertained any such thoughts the devils in hel for ought I know have not any such profest resolutions the devils beleeve and tremble the devills beleeve that the Scriptures are the word of God and they know there is infinit mercy in God but they shall never tast of it and they know all the plagues threatned shall come upon them and they snake and tremble at the remembrance of it What do the devills consent to the word of God conceive of it and know that it is the truth of God and shall be made good upon them Then good Lord of what a strange temper art thou that wilt not beleeve it that wilt not consent that it is true the devill is not worse then thou art in this case I must confesse that the consideration of these passages sometime makes the soule of a poore minister shake within him and were it in my power as it is not the first worke that I would doe should be to humble and breake the hearts of all such vile wretches but all that I can or will doe is this that which the holy man Moses spake and he spake it with a marvellous caution you that never came to the height of this horrible contempt take heed that there be not any man among you that saith It shall goe well with me whatsoever the minister saith It is as much as your soules are worth and to such as are guilty of this sinne I wil give the same counsell that Peter gave to Simon Magus who had a base esteeme of the gifts of the Spirit O saith Peter pray that if it be possible the thoughts of thy heart may be forgiven thee It is a fearefull thing it is a marvellous opposing of grace And for you whose eyes God hath opened goe home consider of the miserable estate of all such as lie in this sinne goe to prayer and send up requests in the behalfe of all such poore creatures and say Is it so Lord that there are many such who have the name of Christians that will not be reformed nor humbled good Lord that many that have the name of Christians will not come in thy word will not prevaile nor take place in their hearts Good Lord breake their hearts in pieces breake in upon them and let thy word overcome them in mercy and compassion and bring them to the true knowledge of sinne here and happinesse hereafter And thus much of the first Cavill Secondly the soule saith I confesse I see more now then ever I conceived of before I did not conceive that sinne was so haynous and so dangerous as it is Now I see it is marvellous great and dangerous yet this is my hope that whatsoever falls it will not light upon me and therefore what need I care I hope to prevent it and then all will be well When the word comes faire full upon the conscience of a man and would pierce his heart and meets him in every place as the angell did Balaam he will have some fetch or other to put by the word and he saies I hope for all this the danger shall not fall upon me Now the way that the soule useth to put by the word and to prevent the danger threatned appeares in these three particulars The first is this how ever sinne is never so vile in it selfe and he is guilty thereof yet he thinks the God of heauen doth not attend to his sinnes or else he is not so just or righteous that he will punish him for them Indeed if he were some
those things to his minde the plagues due thereunto so that he cannot escape the dint therof It is the nature of our own hearts that we are loath to read our owne destiny which will be our bane and confusion meditation calls over the thoughts of a man tells him the reasons are good the arguments found the Scripture plaine thy sinnes evident Conscience you know it therefore heart you must doe it saith meditation take heed of drunkennesse saith meditation you heard what the minister said these sinnes are against God and the wrath of God is gone out against you for these sinnes these will be your bane and will bring you to everlasting destruction And when meditation doth thus yawle at the heart the minde still musing and the heart still pondering of sin at last it is weary therefore unburdened therewith the issue of the argumēts is this if meditation brings in sin more powerful more plainely to the soule if it be that which binds and fastneth it and setleth it upon the soule then the point is cleare that serious meditation of sinne is a special meanes to bring a soule to the sight and sorrow for sinne The uses are three the third is the maine we will presse on unto it If it be so that meditation is thus powerfull and profitable both for contrition of the heart and to bring in consolation to the heart then what shall we thinke of those men that are unwilling to practice this dutie nay what shall we thinke of that untowardnesse of heart which is in us against the command of this duty It is a word of reproofe against this practice and it falls marvelous heavy upon us all more or lesse in this kinde for we are marvelous guiltie in this kinde that we are tardy in this duty a man had as good bring a Beare to the stake as a carnall heart to the consideration of his owne wayes much more loath is he to ponder seriously and meditate continually upon his sinnes no men are so farre from musing of their sinnes that they disdaine this practice and scoffe at it what say they if all were of your minde what should become of us shall we alwayes be poring on our corruptions so we may hap to runne mad if we were of your opinion thus we slight and put it off and trample on this duty which is so profitable the poore will not meditate on his sinnes he hath no time the rich they need it not the wicked dare not and so no man will in this case What shall a man set his soule on a continuall racke say they shall a man drive himselfe to a desperate stand and trouble himselfe unprofitably cannot men keepe themselves when they are well this is the course and frame of the world and wee may complaine of this carelesse and heedlesse age as Ieremiah did of his time Ier. 8.6 No man repenteth him of his wickednesse saying What have I done there is no questioning nor searching no musing no man saith What have I done no man saith these are my sinnes these are my wayes no man lookes over his course and conversation he doth not apprehend his sinne and that is the reason we heare of no humbling of no repenting but every man runneth into sinne as the horse rusheth into the battell hence it is that there are so māy uncleane beasts in the Arke In the old Law if there were any beasts that chewed not the cud he was counted uncleane the chewing of the cud is serious meditation of the mercies of God to comfort us and of our sinnes to humble us there are many ungodly persons in the bosome of the Church that muse not of their sinfull wayes the Prophet Ieremiah saith Were they ashamed when they had committed abominatiōs nay they were not at all ashamed neither could they blush he adds a reason in the eleventh verse They could not be ashamed why because they cry peace peace let the minister speake what he can and denounce what judgement he will they promise thēselves peace quietnes they consider not their wayes and therefore their hearts are not distempered therewith nor troubled at the consideration thereof nay there are many that count it an excellencie a cunning skill if they can drive away and shake off the sight of sinne if they can put off the meditation of any thing the word reveales they make it a marvelous excellent piece of skill and what they doe themselves they would have others doe also but they that now will not see nor consider nor meditate of their sinnes the truth is they shall see them as the Lord saith by Esay 26.11 When thy hand is lifted up they will not see but they shall see and be ashamed So I say you that will not see your sins but say What needs all this stirre let the minister say what hee will shall we be mad men to be troubled and shall we be fooles to be disquieted with the consideration of our sinnes well you will not muse upon your sinnes now but the time will come that the Lord will set all your sinnes in order before you and you shall not be able to looke off them And hence it is that when a man hath lived wickedly all his dayes and comes to lye on his death bed then all his sinnes come to his remembrance and then conscience flies in his face and sayes here is a cup for a drunkard and for an adulterer now he seeth nothing but sinne and hell and damnation due to him for his sinne and then he cries out he is damned You might have seene something before then if you had seene them to be humbled for them you should never have seene them to be damned for them If there be but any occasion of basenesse offered to the view of the drunkard which way doth he not use to compasse his carnall delights and shall the drunkard and prophane wretch be so eager in lingering after sinne that he may commit it and be damned for it and shall not a man so labour to see his iniquities that he may be humbled for them before God and receive mercy from God in the pardon of the same Shall the reprobate hale judgements on their soules and bend all their meditations that way and shall not they that desire to see God in glory doe the same The Second use is for instruction from the former doctrine delivered we may collect that loose vaine joviall company is the greatest hindrance to preparatiō for Christ and the greatest obstacle to the worke of grace that can be possible this is not forced but followeth clearly from the former truth in this manner thus I reason That course which takes away the minde from musing and the understanding from meditating on his evill way that course is the greatest hindrance why the heart is not humbled and fitted for the Lord for meditation brings in contrition and that prepares the heart for Christ but
justice but mercy patience will come in and plead for vengeance against the sinner and that will be the forest plague of all When you appeare before God what wil you expect you will call for mercy to save you and for patience to beare with you No no saith Mercy Iustice Lord I have beene despised Iustice saith Patience hath beene abused Iustice saith Goodnesse I have beene wronged And how will it be then when Mercy it selfe shall condēne that soule and Patience shall be an accuser of it and Goodnesse shall call for vengeance against it The third ground Thirdly as we must consider Gods mercy that hath beene abused and the Iustice of God that hath beene provoked So consider the nature of your sinnes and the haynousnesse of them sinne is not a tricke of youth or a matter of merryment but a breach of the Law of God and therefore it is good for a man in this case to examine every commandement of God and the breach thereof Thus I would have the soule well acquainted with the Law You know not your sinnes therefore get you home to the Law and looke into the glasse thereof and then bundle up all your sinnes thus So many sins against God himself in the first commandement against his worship in the second against his name in the third against his Sabbath in the fourth commandement nay all our thoughts words and actions all of them have beene sinnes able to sinke our soules to the bottome of hell bundle up your sinnes lay one upon the heart and another upon the conscience and then it will breake your backes those small infirmities you make nothing of those sinnes you make slight of and make a tricke of youth if you will bestow your minds a little seriously you will see them to be farre otherwise every sinne deserves death The wages of sinne is death not he onely that murthers his neighbour and takes away his life but the malitious man and the proud man deserves death Nay to come nearer the text what if I prove you had a hand in the shedding of the blood of Christ dwell here a little and consider it and you shall see the point cleare If there be any soule here present that hopes to have any part in Christ as if I should goe from man to man and aske have you a part in Christ you will say aye surely I hope so marke what I say thē if thou hopest for any mercy from Christ then Christ was thy surety and bare thy sinnes and those sinnes of thine were the witnesses against our Saviour they were the souldiers that tooke him the thornes that pierced him the speare that gored him the Crosse that tooke away his life The truth is the souldiers and Pilate the Scribes and Pharisees could have done nothing to our Saviour but for thy sinnes had it not beene for thy sinnes had it not beene for the sinnes of the elect the souldiers could not have apprehended him the Pharisees could not have witnessed against him there could have been no Judge to condemne him very well then thy sins caused all this thy wicked thoughts and wicked actions caused our Saviour to cry out My God my God why hast thou forsaken me He sunke under the consideration of thy sinnes and thou goest away and makest a tricke of youth of them and a matter of merryment of loose talke and wicked doings well you had a part in the crucifying of Christ. When you are gone think of this and as you are going home thinke with your selves It was my sinnes that had a part in the shedding of the blood of Christ and when you are at meate let that come into your mind I have had a hand in the crucifying of the Lord Jesus Christ and when you goe to bed thinke of it I am one of those that have embrewed their hands in the blood of the Lord Jesus that Saviour that is now at the right hand of God that hath done so much for his servants that sweat drops of blood those sweates and drops were for thy sinnes and is this a matter of merryment and a tricke of youth in the meane time No no thy soule will finde it otherwise one day unlesse the Lord remove those sinnes of thine those sins will make thee howle in hell fire one day unlesse you be burthened with them here thinke of this I am one of those that by vaine thoughts and prophane actions have crucifyed the Lord of life and if you can make those sinnes a matter of merriment I wonder at it The fourth Ground ariseth from the consideration of the punishment of sinne you must consider what sinne will cost you namely those endlesse torments that cannot be conceived nor prevented and I will leave here to speake of the paines of the wicked I should have said much thereof and come to speake only a little of the last Judgement Me thinkes I see the Lord of heaven and earth and the attributes of God appearing before him the Mercy of God the Goodnesse of God the Wisedome of God the Power of God the Patience and longsuffering of God and they come all to a sinner a wicked hypocrite or a carnall professor and say Bounty hath kept you Patience hath borne with you Longsufferance hath endured you Mercy hath relieved you the Goodnesse of the Lord hath beene great unto you All these comfortable attributes will bid you adue and say farewell damned soule you must goe hence to hell to have fellowship with damned ghosts Mercy shall never be enlarged towards you any more you shal never have Patience any more to beare with you never Goodnesse more to succour you never compassion more to relieve you never power more to strengthen you Nay you that have heretofore withdrawne your selves from Gods wisedome and gospell you shall never have wisedome more to guide you never Gospell more to comfort you never Mercy more to cheare you you shall then goe into endlesse and easelesse torments which can never be ended where you shall never be refreshed never eased never comforted and then you shall remember your sinnes My covetousnesse and pride was the cause of this I may thanke my sinnes for this Thinke of these things I beseech you seriously and see if sinne be good now see if you can take any sweetnesse in it I end all with that of Iob O that my griefe were well weighed and my calamity laid in the ballance for now they would be heavier then the sand of the sea So say I oh that our sins were weighed and our iniquities weighed in the ballance together such mercy have we despised such Justice we have provoked such a Lord of life have we crucifyed such torments have we deserved endlesse easelesse and remedilesse if these were weighed they would be heavyer then the sand and sincke our soules under the consideration of them But then you will say happyly I can thinke of these things and consider of
them The mind happyly hath conceived and fadomed these truths and brought in these occasions and yet for all this the mind stirres not the heart workes not I say therefore when your meditation is thus raised you must have this skill to follow home the blow and make it worke kindly on the heart and that is done by these three things When your meditation is up there is another thing which is the following of it home to the soule and that appeareth in these three particulars The first is this when we have conceived aright of sinne and the nature thereof and the punishment due thereunto then doe not rest in the bare consideratiō of these things but never leave the heart be still musing of these things and bring these blessed truthes home to the soule binde these things on the wil and affections hold them and fasten them there force them upon the soule that the heart may not make an escape take notice of it it is a rule I would have you consider of never leave meditating til you finde your heart so affected with the evill as your mind judgement conceived of the evill before namely let the heart feele that evill it conceived let the soule feel that gall to be in sin which the mind apprehended to be in it you see these sinnes loathsome and abominable make the heart feel them and be affected with them the heart will fly off now therefore it is the cunning of a Christian to lay at the heart and pursue it continually and hold these truthes to the soule and at last it may be under the dint of the blow and the power of God makes the soule feele and finde and be apprehensive of the gall and bitternes and vilenes of the evill as before it conceived it so to be It is not enough for a man to exercise himselfe in the meditatiō of sin but a mā must bring his soule in subjection under the power of that meditation a man must not only chew his meat but he must swallow it also if he meane to have it nourish him meditation is when the heart swalloweth downe these sinnes that is when he labours so to be affected with sinne and the nature of it as it doth require Meditation in this case is like the beleaguring of a Citie when a Citie is wisely strongly beleagured and beset roūd about they doe two things first they batter it from without as much as they can and secondly they cut off all provision and reliefe from comming in and so the city being partly battered from without as much as they can and being hindred from all reliefe comming in in conclusion when they see the enemie is strong and no provision can come to them they are contēt to yeeld the City and render up themselves and if they send a parly to him that doth besiege it and say they are ready to perish why he bids them deliver then and they shall be provided for he bids them yeeld and they shall be succoured and before that day there is no supply shall be brought into the City So it is with meditation and here is the cunning of a Christian. Do as wise Souldiers doe cut off all provision that is by serious meditation bring thy heart to such a loathing of sinne that it may never love it more besiege the heart with daily meditation that so you may cut off any ease and refreshing that the heart may seeme to have in any sinfull course if the soule be looking after any sinne if the soule would goe out a litle to occasions and take delight in his corruptions the drunkard in his company and the wordly man in his wealth then batter that When you are thus affected beleaguer the way that you may finde no comfort no ease and when the soule is looking after occasions and lingering after his abominations then say to your hearts you will have your sins though you have your shame with them you will have your corruptions though you have your confusion with them when the soule would meddle with these let meditation knocke off these If you be still proud and malitious and quarrelling take heed you cannot have these but you must have hell and all you cannot have these but you must have destruction and all the mercy of God will be not abused and the justice of God will not be provoked and God will be revenged of you and at last the heart by this meanes will be troubled Why deliver up your sins then and your soules if your hearts find any sorrow and anguish why then yeeld up your souls unto Christ that you may finde as much comfort in a good way as you have done misery in an evill way Thus by meditation make the heart see those evills nay thus by meditation make thy heart see those evills and the punishment that shall be executed for those evills Secondly when you have made the heart thus affected with sinne then take heed that the heart doth not flie off and shake off the yoke Imagine meditation brings all those sins and miseries and vilenesse all are brought home to the heart and the soule is made sensible by this meanes Hold the heart there then labour to keepe the heart in the same temper that it is brought into by the consideration of sinne for this is our nature when the strooke is troublesome that lieth upon us and the sinnes are hainous that lie upon us and are committed by us these sinnes these sorrowes these judgements when the heart feeles this it is weary and would secretly have the wound healed quickly and the sorrow removed and the trouble calmed Take heede of this and labour to maintaine that heat of heart which you finde in your selves by vertue of meditation this is the pitch of the point as there must bee subjection unto meditation the heart must be so affected with sinne as it conceived it to be so there must be attention that is the soule must hold it selfe to that frame and disposition so wrought as it should be Looke as it is with a Gold smith that melteth the metall that he is to make a vessell of if after the melting thereof there follow a cooling it had beene as good it had never beene melted it is as hard haply harder as unfit haply unfitter then it was before to make vessell of but after he hath melted it he must keep it in that frame till he come to the moulding and fashoning of it So meditation is like fire the heart is like a vessell the heart is made for God and it may be made a vessell of grace here and of glory hereafter Now meditation it is that melts the soule the drosse must be taken away from the soule and sinne must bee loosened from the heart Now meditation doth this it melts the soule and affects the soule with the weight of sinne now when you have your heart in some measure melted keepe it
you then away to the Lord Jesus Christ and let this meditation of a mans corruptions be as a Bridge to carry him to Christ that so he may have salvation which is promised through him and shall be bestowed upon all broken harted sinners and marke what I say that soule that will not seeke out to Christ and will not be beholding to Christ for what he needâ— that soule wants brokennesse of heart What ever he be that will not seeke out to Christ and goe out of himselfe to another wants brokennes and this stubbornnesse of his that he will not goe to Christ ariseth from some of these three grounds First the soule will not goe out it is because the heart thinkes and presumes it hath no neede of Christ and therefore will not goe but we will not medle with that for that is proper to carnall men Secondly if the soule will not seeke out to Christ for helpe and comfort it is because the heart is not content in good earnest to be ruled by Christ that Christ should come and take possession of the soule and doe all therefore if the heart cling to corruption it is content that Christ should ease it but not that Christ should sanctifie it and remove that corruption that hath prevailed over it and therefore when a man is under the sight of sinne he would faine have God shew mercy unto him and yet he will not pray nor read nor use the meanes but dwels upon the meditation of his sinnes and neglects many ordinances of God whereby it may receive comfort this man would have a Christ to quiet him but not to rule him and take possession of him and this is the reason why in these cases the soule is never commonly kindly striken these would faine have quiet and comfort â—â—d yet they will not be driven to holy duties nor be content that Christ should rule in them they are content to commit the sinne but they would have pardon for it The third ground is this and the cunningest of all and that is this provided the soule be content to be ruled by the Lord Jesus and to submit unto him yet here is another deceit of the soule of a poore sinner that would joyne something with Christ for the helping of him in that great worke of salvation and this I take to be the complaint of sinners and sometime broken hearted ones too they dare not goe to expect mercy from the Lord Jesus Why why because they are unworthy so abominable their lives so wretched their courses that they dare not goe to Christ that he may shew mercy to them I reason the point thus is it because of your unworthinesse that you dare not goe to Christ so then if you had worthinesse this would incourage you for to goe Why then you thinke Christ is not able alone to helpe you but you would have your worthinesse helpe Christ to save you and so you would joyne with the Lord Jesus in this great price of Salvation and Redemption If your sinnes were but small and you had some worthinesse that so Christ might doe something and your worthinesse doe something and so you might make up the price betweene you then you could be content to goe to Christ but otherwise you thinke you may not goe to Christ without some worthinesse of your owne Againe why then belike you 〈◊〉 be beholden to Christ for so much mercy and so much grace and so much forgivenesse one of these two must needs be the ground of this complaint either we would have our own worthines joyne something with Christ or else we are so vile that we will not be beholden to Christ for so much mercy but this unworthinesse indeed is nothing else but pride a man will not be beholden to Christ for so much mercy but he will share with Christ in the matter of salvation or else he will not be pertaker of the great worke of redemption Imagine a debtor were in prison and a friend sends to him what ever the debt be if he will but come to him he will pay all the man returnes this answer If he had not such a great debt to pay he would be content to come to him but the truth is the debt is so great that he will not come to him nor trouble him now one of these two must needs follow either he thinkes his friend is not able or willing to pay his debt or else in truth he will not be beholden to him for so much but if the debt were a little one then he would make a shift to pay some and his friend some and so they would make up the debt between them So it is in this case this is that which keeps the heart from laying hold on the promise they thinke they are unworthy to pertake thereof which is nothing but pride of spirit for either they would bring something and share with Christ in the worke of redemption or else they will not be beholden to Christ for so much mercy There is another shift which keepes the heart from going to Christ O faith one I never had my heart so broken affected as such a one hath and therefore they dare not goe to Christ because they have not so much contrition their hearts so much broken as others have therefore they dare not goe Ay but be your soules content to goe to Christ and yeeld to him would you keepe any corruption is there any sinne which you would not have Christ come and remove The soule answereth that they would be content to resigne all to the Lord Jesus Christ but they are not so humbled as others are I say the ground of this complaint is nothing else but selfe-confidence in broken heartednesse for the soule is not content to have so much broken heartednesse as is sufficient to bring a man to Christ but it would have so much as that it might bring a man to Christ to helpe him in the worke of redemption they thinke iâ— is not enough to have the soule so huÌ„bled as to submit to the Lord Jesus Christ but they would have so much as they would joyn with Christ in this great worke which is nothing else but carnall confidence Therefore the conclusion is this So farre see thy sinnes so farre meditate upon thy sinnes and so farre labour to have thy heart affected with thy sinnes and so far attend unto them that three things may follow First that you may see an absolute necessity of Christ and that thou maist use all meanes to seeke unto him and never be quiet whilst thou findest him Nay while thou dost use the meanes but only upon the Lord Jesus pray and rest not in prayer but in a Saviour that is obtained by prayer heare but rest not in hearing but convay to thy selfe what is revealed in hearing receive the Sacraments but rest not in them but therein seeke a Saviour which is there signed this is the very stint
Prophet are plagued for their sinne If thou roarest for disquiet of heart and thy bones are broken it is because of thy sin thy pride and drunkennesse and uncleannesse brought this upon thee If thou wilt be eased of the plague throw away thy corruptions if you would have the effect removed then take away the cause There are two things in sinne which make a man sorrowfull first sinne it selfe that doth defile a man and separate him from God Secondly the punishment of sinne Now the sinner lookes either so far at sinne as it causeth punishment or as it separats from God Haply a sinner will come to this he will be content to carry his heart and that furiously against sinne because it brings Judgements and plagues But thus farre a hypocrite may goe a Judas a Caine a Saul Caine would say his sinnes were greater then could be forgiven because he had killed his brother but he could never see his sinne so vile because it did separate him from God Thus you see how God enters the blow and followeth it home upon the soule but yet for all this God may leave a man as he did Iudas and Saul and there is an end of them Now in the third place if the Lord purpose to doe good to the soule he will not suffer him to be quiet here but he openeth the eye of the soule further and makes him sorrow not because it is a great and shamefull sinne but the Lord saith to the soule even the least sinne makes a separation betweene me and thee and the heart begins to reason thus Lord is this true is this the smart of sinne and is this the vile nature of sinne O Lord how odious are these abominations that cause this evill and though they had not caused this evill yet this is worse then the evill that they make a separation betweene God and my soule Good Lord why was I borne and why came I into this world why did God continue me here and all the meanes of grace for my good and all the comforts of this life wherby my course might be maintained and made lesse tedious what if I did want this horrour of heart and had all the ease in the world and what if I might be free from all misery on earth what were this so long as I had sin in my soule that makes a separation betweene God my soule I was made to be one with God to have cōmunion w th God to obey his cōmandements but I have departed from God by sin departed from his cōmandements A Godlesse and a gracelesse man is a miserable man though he were never plagued at all I was made to honour God and I have done nothing else but dishonour him I was made to subject my selfe to the good will of God but I have withdrawne my selfe from his will and this is my misery and my plague If I had beene in hell and had not had sinne I had beene a happy man and though I had beene in heaven and had had sin I had beene a miserable man because it makes a separation betweene me and my God Nay the sinner still thus pleads with himselfe what is this to me that I am rich and miserable honourable and damned to have quiet and ease here and a benummed conscience and so in the end to be throwne among the devils for dogges meat If I had all the ease wealth honours and friends in the world so long as I have this vile heart I could not be a happy man If you were never pierced for your sinnes your condition is woefull you shall have enough of it one day you that are never troubled for your sinnes but goe on smoothly know this I charge you in the name of the Lord Jesus Christ though you had all the ease and pleasures in the world so long as you have these proud sturdy unfaithfull hearts you are as miserable creatures as ever breathed upon the face of the earth Thus the heart complaines as sometimes the lamenting Church did Woe to us that we have sinned not because we have deserved plagues but because we have sinned woe to us for the God of grace is gone from us and the God of mercy is gone from us because we have sinned and the God of blessednesse is gone from us because we haue walked in cursed waies Hold here and then your sorrow goeth right if the soule can say though I have no horrour of heart yet if I have this sinfull heart I am a miserable man Then thy sorrow is right Sometimes God deales thus punctually with a man first he drives it to an amazement Secondly he workes in him marvelous feare of evill that is to come Thirdly he possesseth the soule with the feeling of the evill and so forth as in the former particulars but yet is bound to no time and therfore we must not limit the holy One of Israel it is true the Lord may presse in upon the soule and worke all this on the sudden but yet experience hath proved and reason will confirme it when God workes never so suddēly he affecteth the soule thus whē a poore soule commeth in the congregation he layeth some truth upon him that is new and terrible so that the soule dare not deny it nor yet fully resist it but is in a maze and by and by it may be the Lord opens his eyes and awakens his conscience and makes that more evidēt to the soule and so immediately arrests the soule and then sorrow fals in a maine upon it and the heart thinkes God meant my courses and the minister spake against him and he must go downe to hell suddenly so that sometimes the sinner cries out in the congregation and though he contain himselfe for a time yet he buckles under the burthen all this may be done at one sermon in one doctrine or in one part of an use but usually this is Gods maner of working But now the question in the next place will be this how doth the soule behave it selfe under this sorrow I answer when the soule is sorrowfull for sin as it is sinne and as it is a breach of the Law of God it may appeare by these two particulars First the soule is most of all weary of sin because of the vile nature of it Secondly it is restlesse in importuning the Lord for mercy and pardon for it First the heart is most of all weary of the burthen of sinne as it is sinne and thinkes it the greatest burthen in the world as a man that hath a great burthen on his backe wrincheth this way and that way and if he cannot remove it yet he will ease it so the heart useth all meanes and taketh all courses that if it were possible it may cast off and ease it selfe of the vilenesse of sinne plague of sinne This wearisomnesse of the soule which followeth the weight of sinne makes it self knowne in these three particulars
First his eye is ever upon it his mouth is ever speaking of it and he is alwaies complaining against it and he is readily content to take shame to himselfe for it If a man have a sore place in his body his eye and his finger will ever be upon it so it is with the soule As the people when they apprehended the hideous wrath of God against them they entreated Samuel to pray for them for say they We have added to all our sinnes this specially in asking of us a King As it is with a man that hath the stone in the reines or some stitch in his side or where ever his paine or trouble is there he complaines most and when the PhysitiaÌ„ comes to feele on his body he saith is it here no â—â—ith he is it here and wheÌ„ he commeth to the right place he saith there it is cut there and launce there So it is with a man that is stung with the vile nature of sinne when he comes to complaine of sinne he doth not altogether complaine of his horrour nor of death but he saith O! that chambring and wantonnesse that pride and stubbornnesse and rebellion of heart O! that ryoting and malice against the Saints of God The soule seeth this complaines of it and takes shame to himselfe for it as Paul deales with himselfe which argues a heart truly weary of corruption I was a persecutor and a blasphemer and the like and I was received to mercy he doth not say I was in horrour or in trouble but I was a persecutor he doth not say I was thus and thus plagued but I was an injurious person to Gods Church there he was weary and there he would be eased if it were possible Let all vile wretches tremble at it for God hath enough for all Pharoes and Nymrods Away therefore with all these Lapwing cries and complaints it is the nature of that bird to cry flutter most when she is farthest from her neast because by this meanes she would cozen passengers and have her young ones So it is with an hypocrite he will complaine a great way off of his sinne and have some secret turning It is admirable to see how hard it is for a man to lay open his sinnes before God it is a signe that he is never weary of sinne that he is not willing truly to confesse his sinne when he is lawfully called to it and when he pretends 〈◊〉 it is true sometimes God will accept of a confession made to him in secret if it be in truth but when God will have a man unbowell himselfe and all his abominations and when a man commeth and desires comfort in this kinde then for a man to cover his sinne and to complaine a farre off of some ordinary corruption which every poore child of God is troubled with and that particular lust whereof he is guilty for shame he is not willing to acknowledge this argueth that the heart is naught and never sound this wearisomnesse of sinne I know that the best heart under heaven will have many windings and turnings but the Lord will never leave the heart in this case till he come to deale plainly and say these are my sinnes and this is my uncleannes and this is my secret theft and thus he openeth himselfe at large to that man whom God hath appointed for that end but some are content to confesse and complaine of their sinnes when God hath them upon the racke and Judas did but marke his punishment is the greatest cause of his complaint and hell is his greatest feare he 〈◊〉 weary of sinne because of the plague and punishment due to it but he never regards the vilenesse of sinne in this respect because it makes a separation betweene God and his soule Secondly as the soule complaines of the vile nature of sin and desires to have his face covered with shame for it is so in the second place it will never meddle with nor give way to any thing that is sinfull so farre as it is revealed so to be setting aside sudden passions and violent temptations but when a man is come to himselfe againe his conscience is awakened this is sure the soule will not dare to tamper with any thing that is sinful why becaus it hath bin wearied with the burthen of it before It is the practice of the lamenting Church in Hosea Ashur shall not save us we will not ride on horses neither will we say to the workes of our hands Ye are our Gods for with thee the fatherles finde mercy That is we wil meddle no more with any thing that is sinfull whâ—reby we have dishonoureâ— God heretofore for they had trusted in their horses made Idols and relyed upon them but now they cast them cleane off The reason is because when the soule seeth sin as it is sinne and that it is burthen to the soule and the heart is now weary of it it will lay no more weight upon it because now the heart is weary enough already The blasphemer feares an oath the adulterer shakes to see his quean and he trembles to see the place where his abominations have beene committed and now his heart loathes all these If a man hath beene once at deaths doore by drinking deadly poyson he will never tast of it more Nay he will not endure the sight of that cup he wil rather fare hardly and rather starve then eate and drinke that which shall kill him so saith the soule it is sin that hath made a separation betweene me and my God this pride or this uncleannesse had been the death of me if God had not beene mercifull unto me and therefore I will rather sinke and die then meddle with these sinnes any more And hence it is that if any thing come under the colour of corruption the soule that is truly weary of sinne saith Omitting of this duty is evill and therefore I will not omit it the doing of this action is sinfull and therefore I will not doe it because the sinne is worse then the plague he will take the lesse evill of the two as we use to doe in other matters if a man hate his sinne for the plague then so soone as that is removed he returnes to his sinne againe the blow was but weake This was the fault in Judas his sorrow he did see and confesse his sinnes and bewaile them and did more then many will doe now a daies tooke shame to himselfe buâ— though he confessed and complained of his sinne yet he would rather commit murther upon himselfe then under-goe the horrour of sinne if he had beene weary of sin because of the loathsomenesse of it he would not have layed violent hands upon himselfe These two passages are every where where true saving grace is Now in the third place if God should deprive a sinner of his judgement and horrour of conscience yet if his heart be truely apprehensive
feeles no sinne but yet he is not cured because his sinne is not removed and his heart unpacified in the blood of Christ. Secondly is it so that the wound of a sinner is in his heart then we haue here a matter of complaint that we may iustly take up against the secure generation wherein we liue there is but little saving sorrow and therefore but little saving grace if there be no preparation for Christ there can be no true evidence of grace nor of Gods love in Christ if there be no preparation for a building there can be no building set up The Lord be mercifull to a world of men that live in the bosome of the Church if we had a foūtaine of teares with Ieremy to bewaile this age in this respect it were worth the while and if the Lord should send some Ezekiel and say to him goe to such a countrey or such a shire and see if there be any that doe mourne for their sinnes comfort such Alas what would become of a world of persons This is a bill of inditement against three sorts of people it arraignes and condemnes such as never yet shared in this worke of preparation of saving sorrow and therefore were never in Christ these swarme in our streets And first it fals marvelous heavy upō such as take contentment in their base courses those loose Epicures and boone gallants of our time that goe staggering in our streets they are so farre from grieving for their sinnes that it is their greatest vexation that they cannot commit sinne and have elbow roome to sinne freely O what a griefe it is to them to have a minister checke them and that there is a law to punish them for sinne whereas finne should be poyson in their soules to woūd them it becomes as meat to nourish them They sleepe not except they have done mischiefe saith the Wiseman and their sleepe is taken away unlesse they cause some to fall they 〈◊〉 the bread of wickednesse and drinke the Wine of violence So farre it is from being poyson unto them and so far are they from being troubled with sinne that it is their meat and pastime to sinne Just Esau like What did he When he had eate and drunke he rose up to play and this was all he looked after When he had passed away his title to heaven and happinesse and esteemed of Christ and heaven no more then of a messe of pottage he ate and dranke his heart was never touched for what he had done he did not smite upon his thigh as Ephraim did say What have I done Have I sold away my birth-right for nothing You that know the world you know there are many that sit upon the ale-bench and sweare and drinke and raile against Gods servants and are never troubled for it Nay the world is come to this passe that it is their greatest vexation that they are hindered in their sinfull courses It was the guise of the old world Haman went home sicke because he wanted the Cap and knee from Mordecay Amnon was sicke of incest and Ahab was sicke of covetousnesse and Ahitophel was sicke because his counsell was not followed The Lord of heaven knowes the adulterer is sick because he cannot get the heart and company of his queane many a man is sicke of envy it is rottennesse to his bones yea many a man goeth up and downe sicke of it and is not quiet because he cannot vent his rage against a faithfull minister that checkes him You swearers doth not your hearts rise against the King state for making a law against that sinne Doe you not hate the constable and witnesse that come in against you you account these the greatest plague to you in all the world I appeale to the hearts of you all that heare me this day can you say you are troubled for sin and yet grieve because you cannot commit sinne still Woe woe to your soules that thus delight in sinne There are many that despight the spirit of grace and sticke not to say I did sweare such a man out of the house and I did drinke such a man under the table dead Read that place of the Apostle there you shall see your doome and if there be any such in your families or amongst your neighbours throw this in their faces and if they will goe downe to hell let them goe with paine that all they might be damned saith the text which beleeved not the truth but had pleasure in unrighteousnesse God is not partiall but saith that all they might be damned it would almost shake a mans heart to thinke of it How many notorious vile wretches may say Good Lord what will become of our families villages we are all opposers of God his grace shall all be damned I dare not say what God will doe to thee the text saith so This me thinks might lie as poyson and rats-bane upon the heart of a sinfull creature the Lord in mercy looke upō you and make sinne as loathsome and bitter unto you as ever it hath beene sweet and pleasant You see how the matter will goe with you you that thus jibe and jeast at the Saints and sport yourselves in sinne the time may come that it will be a dry feast as it was with Dives that was drunke and fared deliciously every day he had a dry feast in hell and could not have a droppe of water to coole his tongue So it will be with you you must either buckle and mourne for sinne or else burne for ever Secondly It condemns such as are in a faire straine such are they that have a slight sense of sinne but it never goes downe to the heart the skinne is ripled a little but the kall of their heart was never broken for their abominations Naaman was to wash seven times in Iordan so this water of godly sorrow is of a healing nature but these men doe not rubbe and reince their soules in it they only dippe their soules in a little sorrow but you must wash it throughly and fully if ever you desire to have the leprosie of sinne purged out Men bathe their sinnes with teares but they doe not drown them they do as parents doe with their children they will correct them a little and presently cocker them againe so the hypocrite useth to trouble his corruptions and complaine of them and vexe them a little with sorrow but in the meane time cocker them and dandle them againe But sinne will not be so killed and the heart will not be so easily broken this kinde of sorrow is too slight and overly As it is with a debter that hath borrowed money he will complaine he had an ill bargaine and desires that either he might have the debt abated or the day put off he puts it off w th meer talking such a generatiō there are of the whining hypocrites that wil outwardly complain of
thy many distempers the longer seed time the greater harvest and so howsoever this sorrow is troublesome now it will be very comfortable in the end and though it be tedious to lay all these cursed abominations upon thy heart yet it will not be harsh when the Lord remembers you in his Kingdome it will never repent you that you have had your hearts humbled and broken when the Lord comes to heale you and it will never repent you that you have wept when the Lord comes to wipe away all teares frō your eyes Blessed are they that mourne for they shall be comforted saith our Saviour but Woe to you that are at ease in Sion there is a time of mourning for sinne you cannot have ease and quietnesse alwaies you had better now be wounded then everlastingly tormented And therefore if you desire to see the face of God with comfort and to have Christ speake for you and say come you poore heavy hearted sinners I will ease you if ever you desire this labour to lay load on your hearts with sorrow for your sinnes Oh what comfort shall ◠poore broken heart finde in that day David saith A broken and contrite heart O Lord thou wilt not despise When men goe into a farre countrey for merchandize they will not take rattles and such toies for their money but such commodities as they may get something by so when the Lord comes for broken hearts you must not thinke to put the Lord off with a little painted sorrow No no it is a broken heart that the Lord wil not despise Would you know what kinde of heart the Lord will accept and never cast off It is a broken heart tell your friends and neighbours of it me thinkes you looke as if you would finde acceptance with God and goe to heaven oh then get an humble lowly broken heart the Lord regards not all the rivers of oyle in the world not a hundred thousand fasts but it is a broken heart that God will blesse and glorifie Looke as it is with a womans conception those birthes that are hasty the children are either still borne or the woman most commonly dies so do not thou thinke to fall upon the promise presently Indeed you cannot fall upon it too soone upon good grounds but it is impossible that ever a full soule or a haughty heart should beleeve thou maiest be deceived but thou canst not be ingraftted into Christ therefore when God begins to worke never rest till you come to a full measure of this brokennesse of heart Oh follow the blow and labour to make this worke sound and good unto the bottome and then you shall be sure to receive comfort as the Prophet David saith Our eyes are up unto thee till thou have mercy on us Let your consciences be wounded throughly and kindly resolve not to heare the cursed counsell of carnall friends that say what neede you mourne O poore fooles there is not any even the civillest professor in the Kingdome but if God did discharge his sinnes to his heart as hee could doe it were enough to make him goe howling with sorrow to his grave therefore humble your selves before God and never be at rest till the Lord shew mercy to your soules never unburthen your soules before God ease you and do not breake prison For if you doe God will send after you with a witnesse No no When God hath put thee into prison breake not out til God send to deliver you and then your hearts will be filled with comfort soundly humbled soundly comforted If a man be lost Christ will seek him up and save him Quest. Now it may be some poore soule will say How shall I bring my heart to this sound worke indeed Answ. For answere to this I will shew three meanes whereby the Lord workes this sound conviction First when the Lord begins first to worke upon you and you begin to see your corruptions then possesse your soules with the apprehension of the ticklishnesse of your condition wherein you are this worke is great and marvelous inward and you may be easily deceived and the danger is great if you be deceived it is in this case with the soule as it is with a ship on the sea when the marriners passe by and see the rockes where such and such ships have beene split and the men and all lost they are very wary to steere aright and to direct their compasse aright but neare sands and rockes they will not come So it is with this humbling of the heart many have beene cozened and deceived therein therefore now hold this rule Let that soule whose eyes God hath opened and brought under his blowes let such I say rather feare he is not sound in the worke then feare that he shall not have ease for every man saith I pray you Sir comfort and refresh me and will God never give me comfort Oh now you goe wrong many perish because they goe off from this worke so soone but never did any perish because he received the worke soundly Therefore reason thus with thy owne heart and say Good Lord be merciful to me my condition is very tickle If now I be deceived thē farewell comfort Was not Cain and Iudas vexed and disquieted and yet damned This is a great point of wisedome and sinks many a Christian I know what I say as it is with child bearing a woman when her throwes come often and strong there is some hope of deliverance but when her throwes goe away commonly the child dies and her life too So it is in this great work of contrition which is nothing else but the child-birth of the soule when your throwes goe away take heed that your salvation goes not too once you could say the minister spake home to my heart I remember the time full well Why then what becomes of all your sorrow You can be as carnal as secure as ever it is certaine you are in child-bearing but your throwes have left you and your brokennesse of heart is gone and therefore you are in an ill case surely at some low ebbe of grace Againe if a mans heart be soundly broken though he fal into some sinne he may be recalled but if he have not his heart soundly broken he is undone If the foundation be naught the building must needes fall So it is in this preparation of the soule for Christ if this be naught all comes to naught therefore be so much the more fearefull of your soules because your condition is so much the more tickle in this then in any thing else and rather desire soundnesse then quietnesse Secondly when God stirres doe you stirre your hearts too be you stabbed further make the blow goe deeper therefore wheresoever any truth goeth neere thy heart and awakens thee looke up to heaven and blesse God for it and labour to drive the naile home to the head and make the salve sinke into
the bottome And let me advise you to this when your soules are wrought upon by any reproofes or admonitions take that truth and labour to maintaine the power of it upon your hearts all the weeke after and let your soules be awed by it Thirdly consider what thy soule findes to be most evill and detestable whether it be poverty or disgrace or losse of liberty and then marke what I say get up thy heart higher in the very apprehension of sinne as it is sinne and let thy soule be more affected with the vilenesse of sin then of any other hardship whatsoever As thus suppose thy heart be vere proud if shame and disgrace befal thee oh how doth this heart shake in the apprehension of it he can live no longer except some honour come Now sinne is worse then shame therefore looke up to heaven say oh my heart did shake with shame but sinne is farre worse for what if the Lord take away my honour that he hath promised to such as feare his name and what if he blot my name out of the booke of life therefore sinne is worst of all this is certaine there is no evill the soule feares or finds but sinne is the cause of it but the separation of the soule from the Lord is the greatest evil and sinne is the cause of it and therefore rest not till thy soule shake in the apprehension of it This is the next way to be above punishment or any thing else Now I come to the fruits of godly sorrow which are from these words They said to Peter the other Apostles Men and brethren what shall wee do In these words there are three things presumed and three things plainly expressed First there are three things presumed they did see themselves in a miserable and damnable condition as if they had said hell is now gaping it is but turning of the ladder and we goe to hell for ever Men and brethren what shall we doe Secondly they themselves were ignorant and could not direct themselves what to doe to come out of this estate and therefore they said Men and brethren advise vs what to doe if there be any help yee know it Yet still there is a secret kinde of hope and the heart suspects that it may and will be otherwise with them they doe not say there is nothing to bee done no they say What shall we doe surely there is some way to finde helpe if wee could tell it Againe there are three things plainly expressed in these words they make an open and plaine confession of their sinnes when they were sicke at the hearâ— they could make open confession and lay the hand upon the sore and say If there be any vile wretches under heaven we are they Secondly a thorough resolution against their sinnes and a hatred of the same as if they had said We are resolved to doe any thing whatsoever it is we care not so we may thwart our sinnes The last thing expressed is a sequestration of the soule from this sinne the soule falles off from them and bids farewell to all cursed courses First I come to the three things presumed and because I shall have occasion afterward to handle the two former Therefore now I come to the last of the three which is this Men and brethren What shall we doe Surely there is some course to bee taken Is there not you that are Gods Prophets tell vs if there be any hope for such poore distressed sinners as we are So the Doctrine is this there is a secret hope of mercy wherewith God supports the hearts of those that are truly broken hearted for their sinnes howsoever these men did see themselves miserable yet they did not throw off all say Men and brethren there is no hope for vs therefore we will heare no more but seeing we must go to hell we wil take our pleasure while we live here in the world while we may and if we must bee damned we will be damned for some thing No these people had some hope that they should finde mercy the Lord bruised the heart but he did not breake it the Lord will not quench the smoking flaxe but kindles it further and the Lord drawes on the worke of the soule and pluckes it to himself and makes it looke vp to him and waite vpon him for helpe and mercy I confesse it is true that sometimes the soule in some desperate fit and in some horrour of heart when temptation growes violent long and the distempers of a mans heart stir exceedingly then a man may seeme to cast of all and resolve with Dauid when he had beene long persued by Saul I shall one day fall by the hand of Saul So the soule sayth God will one day leaue me and I shall perish And as Dauid sayth in another place All men are lyers that is they sayd I shall be King of Israel but they are all deceived They all lyers but it was in his haste in a proud impatient haughty humour of soule This is our nature if God buckle not to our bow and heare us not even when wee will then in a proud humor wee are apt to say oh my sins will never be pardoned and I shall never get ground against my corruptions a man that is in a swoune lies as if he were dead but yet he comes to himselfe againe and lookes up and speakes So how ever the soule in some unruly humor is driven to a swoune and thinkes it impossible to finde mercy or overcome his corruption yet still he recovers againe and the soule that is truly broken for sinne is upheld as Ionas said I am cast out of thy preseÌ„ce I am eveÌ„ sinking yet will I looke towards thy holy temple So howsoever the soule may be over-whelmed in a drunken fit of pride or impatience yet aftes the soule hath prayed it saith I will wait upon God for mercy God deales with poore sinnners in this case as men doe that pound pretious powder as Bezar stone or the like to make some potion withall they will breake it and pound it all to pieces yet they cover it up close and will not loose the least sand of it as they breake it so they keepe it close that none be lost So when God doth purpose to doe good to your soules he will breake you and melt you and then you thinke he hath cast you off in his anger No no he is pounding of you but he will preserve those soules notwithstanding and will not lose such poore sinners whom he purposeth to doe good unto As it is with pocket dyâ—ls a man may shake them this way and that way but they are still northward by vertue of the loadstone so there are many shakings in the soule sometime it feareth God will not be mercifull he sometimes hopes that he will thus it is tossed to and fro but still it is heaven-ward there is a
Object Oh! many are they that have it could I feare God as I should and seeke for mercy as I ought then there were some hope but I have no heart to endeavour or desire after any mercy and I cannot bring my soule nor submit my will to yeild and therefore shall I ever have any mercy Answ. Why not thou too Doth God sell his mercy No he gives it freely God keepes open house Oh the freenesse of that mercy and goodnesse that is in God! he requires nothing of thee to procure it but he shewes mercy because he will shew mercy thou hast no will but God hath a will and his shewing of mercy depends not on thy wil but upon his owne freewil It is true God will make a man will and break his heart because no man otherwise can be saved but it is as true that Christ will give you brokennesse of heart as well as heaven and salvation I will take away the heart of stone and give you a heart of flesh and cause you to walke in my wayes saith the Lord hold this truth in thy soule As there is no worth in the soule that can deserve any thing at Gods hands so there is no sinne the sinne against the holy Ghost only excepted that can hinder the freenes of Gods grace from saving of us if thou belong to him he will hale thee to heaven and pull thee from hell he will make thee lie in the dust and wait for mercy come groveling for his grace and that freely without any thing on thy part Who is a God like to thee saith Micah who pardonest iniquity because mercy doth please thee The Lord sheweth mercy not because thou canst please him but because mercy pleaseth him And in Esay he saith I am he that blotteth out thy offences for my owne names sake But the soule may say Object they were Gods people that did humble themselves and they had hearts to feare him Answ. See that in the twentie fourth verse Thou hast brought me no corne neither hast thou filled me with the fat of thy sacrifice but thou hast wearied me with thy transgressions yet the Lord saith I am he that pardoneth thy sinnes Thou saiest if thou couldest pray and humble thy selfe there were hope of mercy the text doth not say It is a sinner but it is I a God that must doe it this is the freenes of his grace But some may object Object Is it possible that a man should receive any mercy yet be so stubborne and rebellious This makes way for drunkards to live as they list and yet thinke to goe to heaven Answ. I answer It is true the Lord will pardon thē if they belong to him but he will doe it with a witnesse the Lord will dowze that soule of thine in the veine of his vengeance but he will pardon thee too God will pardon thy sinne in Christ but he will make thee feele the bitternesse of sinne Lastly consider the abundance of mercy and goodnesse that is in God whereby he not only strives with us in the midst of all rebellions but he is more mercifull then we are or can be rebellious this helpes the heart of another thing that cuts it For when the soule seeth all his sinnes for number for nature so many and so abominable he saith Object Can mercy be shewed to such a wretch as I am Answ. Yes for as God is al-sufficient and his promise free so he hath plenty of mercy for the worst he exceeds in mercy all the sinnes that can be except that against the holy Ghost and therefore the soule throwes it selfe upon this the Apostle saith Where sinne abounds grace abounds much more lest any man should say Let us sinne that grace may abound the text saith in another place whose damnation is just This knockes off fingers though a sinfull wretch abuse God and Grace yet mercy will overcome the heart in this case but it will cost him deare though thou turnest the grace of God into wantonnesse the Lord will turne that wantonnesse of thine into bitternesse the Lord will sting that heart of thine one day and make thee see whether it be good to forsake mercy when it is offered it will be easier for Sodome then for thee when thou shalt see a company of poore Sodomites frie in hell howsoever God may bring thee to heaven yet he will make thee frie in hell and he will make thee thinke a Sodomite to be in a better condition for the present then thou art Object But some will say God cannot in justice save such a wretch as I am For answer to this see what Saint Iames saith Mercy rejoyceth or triumpheth over Iustice howsoever Iustice saith he must be plagued yet Mercy saith Christ hath made a plentifull satisfaction for him then mercy triumpheth over judgement so then if God be al-sufficient and his promise free and his mercy superabundant then we may be stirred up to hope for mercy from God our hearts may be supported herein for ever Now I come to some other particulars that are plainly exprest in our text First they made a free and open confession of their sinnes they did not stay till the Apostle went to their houses but they went to him and said Men and brethren you have spoken against the sinne of murder and we confesse we are guilty of this sinne they saw their sinnes and confessed them openly before the Apostles The Doctrine which ariseth from hence is this When the heart is truly broken for sinne it will be content to make open free confession thereof when a man is called thereunto or thus sound contrition brings forth bottome confession Men and brethren What shall we doe to be saved as if they had said the truth is we have heard of the feareful condition of such as have killed the Lord Jesus and we confesse whatsoever you have said he was persecuted by us and blasphemed by us we are they that cryed Cucifie him crucifie him we would have eaten his flesh and made dice of his bones we plotted his death and gloried in it these are our sinnes and haply a thousand more that then they revealed and this is remarkable They goe to Peter and the other Apostles they did not goe to the Scribes and Pharisees and that cursed crew Whence observe this by the way when the soule is thus truly broken generally it will never repaire to such as are carnall and wicked men for these people knew that the Scribes and Pharisees had their hands as deeply imbrued in Christs blood as themselves and besides they knew them to be such naughty packes that they would rather incourage them in their sinnes then any way ease them and recover them from the same therefore they went to the Disciples because they were holy and gratious persons and willing to succour them and it is certaine that soule was never truly broken for sinne
corrupt matter come out but the coare remaines yet in it still so it is with an impostumed heart when a man is truly pierced with his abominations he is content to lay open the most inward corruptions of all that there may be a perfect killing of all nay it labours to sweepe out the most secret sinnes of all without any ifs or ands and he saith Oh this proud wretched adulâ—erous heart of mine hath bin my bane it wil be my destructioÌ„ for ever if God be not more merciful now the coare and all comes out whereas the hypocrite that feeles only the feare and horror and punishment of sinne executed or threatned he confesseth no more then may procure his case he desires not so much to have his corruptions removed as to be freed from horrour And therefore a hypocrite will scumme over all his confessions his talke will be a hundred miles from his sinnes he never comes to that maine sinne which keepes his heart from God and it is remarkable one man complaines he is troubled with wandring thoughts in hearing the word and his soule is takeÌ„ aside with strange distempers but follow that soule home and you shall commonly finde some base corruptions that take up his heart and another man complaines of his hard heart it stirres not at the word of God and Gods Judgements doe not melt him when yet in the meane time he nourisheth that pride and selfe-uncleannesse that is the cause thereof and there are many besides these as it is with a dogge he doth not gorge up his meat because he loathes it but because his stomacke is troubled with it and therefore when his paine is over he takes it with greedinesse againe so it is with an hypocrite his heart is burthened with extreame sorrow and therefore he throwes out so much as did trouble and gal his conscience and may worke him some ease but afterwards he returnes to it againe and this is the cause why we have so many revolters and backesliders after such open confessions they confesse only to ease themselves of the horror and therefore when the horror is gone they fall to their old sinne againe wheras a sound Christian doth confesse his sinne onely from the loathsomnesse of it Thirdly the soule that is truly broken makes confession with an inward resolution never to meddle with sinne any more yet all this while the soule is full of feare and suspition for feare of falling into those sinnes againe therefore it desires rather to discover it selfe by desires and wishes then any confidence in it selfe and therefore the soule saith O that the Lord would once give me power against these corruptions oh how happy should I be but alas I have no power of my selfe the soule is willing to fling it selfe into the armes of Gods mercy and to commit himselfe wholly to the meanes of grace that God may get himselfe honour by him only he desires him to be good unto him by giving of him power against his corruptions Whereas the hypocrite that is in feare of some judgements and the wrath of God hath seazed upon his soule that he may get ease will promise any thing and be marvelous open and yet confident in himselfe and say if God would give me health and raise me up againe all the world shall see I will be a new man and they shall see how holy and how carefull and how exact I will be yet poore soule when he is out of his trouble he returnes to his vomit is worse then before and so much the worse because he hath made an open confession As it is with a debtor an honest man comes freely doth acknowledge his debâ— and desires the creditor to satisfie himselfe with his body and goods he desires he may be no loser by him hee suspects hee shall not be able to pay him but he hopes so farre as hee is able to give him content but another cunning mate promiseth to pay all if he will give him further day but intends no such matter Just so it is with a soule that is truly broken for sinne he layes himselfe in Gods presence and referres himselfe into Gods hands and saith The truth is Lord I know this proud corrupt heart of mine will not yeeld it wil deceive me I am afraid I shal not be able to walk holily take this heart of mine and doe what thou wilt with it only purge out my sinne and corruption this is the manner of his confession But some man may say Object Is every man bound thus freely and openly to confesse his sinnes I answer The doctrine saith When he is called to it But you will say When is a man bound and called to make confession Answ. For the answer I will shew it in foure conclusions First when the soule haâ—h had a true sight of sinne hath confessed it to the Lord abundantly through Gods mercy hath gotten some assurance of the pardon thereof then he need not looke to men for pardon because the end of confession is accomplished already A man therefore confesseth his sinne that he may finde some help against it not that a Minister can absolve or pardon any as the popish shavelings imagine but that he may have the direction help and prayers of a godly Minister Secondly if wee have wronged any body that wee have conversed withall though God hath pardoned the sinne yet we are to confesse it that we may make peace pray one for another this is the meaning of that place Confesse your sins one to another and pray one for another Thirdly if a man have used all meanes ordinary and extraordinary and hath fasted prayed and sought the Lord for pardon of sin strength against it and yet his conscience remaines troubled and he sinks under the burden of his corruptions in this case a man is called to confesse his sinnes to a faithfull Minister Indeed a man may confesse them to a faithfull Christian but it is Gods ordinance to confesse them to a faithful minister not that a Minister can pardon his sinnes but onely to declare when he is fitted and to apply mercy accordingly It is not a matter of complement but a duty commanded it is in this case with the soule as it is with a mans body he that is able by his owne skil and his kitchin-physick to â—ure himselfe hath no need to seeke to the Physitian but if it be beyond his owne skill and if kitchin-physick will doe no good then he is bound to seeke out to a Physiâ—ian unlesse he will be his owne murderer It is just so with the soule of a man that is sorrowfull for sin when he hath conscionably used all means and yet his closset prayers and his closset fastings will not doe the deed then he is bound to seeke out to a faithfull Minister for he is the physitian that God hath appointed wherby all the sicknesses of the soule
hides his sinne take heed that God say not Amen when thou art going the way of all flesh Then thou wilt cry for mercy but then the Lord will say remember that impostumed heart of thine might have been launced and cured but thou wouldest needs keepe thy lusts and corruptions still For the Lord Jesus Christs sake now pitty your selves if you desire your everlasting comfort now take shame to your selves that you may be for ever glorified O now launce those proud rebellious hearts of yours that you may finde some ease teare now in pieces those wretched hearts that the coare being let out the cure may be good sound Secondly this reproves the cunning hypocrit howsoever he is content to be ashamed for his sinne and to shew the foulnesse of it yet it is admirable to consider what sly passages and trickes he will have before he comes to open any thing sometimes he sends for a faithfull minister and it is his entendment to confesse his folly and yet he goes backe againe and confesseth nothing at all but if the Lord follow the close hearted hypocrit and let in some more of his indignation and make his wrath to seaze upon his soule then he sets downe a resolution to confesse all and yet there is such dawbing such secret acknowledgment of sinne it stickes in his teeth something he will say that may be every man can say against him and then he speakes of hardnesse of heart and of wandering thoughts and that which even the best of Gods people are troubled withall but he never comes to those sinfull lusts that lie heavyest upon his soule If a man that is sicke have a foule stomacke but yet is unfit to vomit it may be he casts the uppermost up but the spawne of it remaines so it is with the hypocrite he saith something and now and then a word fals from him he would faine bite it in againe if he could but there is a witnesse within that must not be seene When Rachel had stolne her Father Labans Idolls he followed after Iacob for them and searched among the stuffe but Rachel being something foolishly addicted that way sate still upon them and Laban must not search there So it is with the close hearted hypocrite he is content to confesse that which all the world cryes shame of him for but there is some Idoll lust as secret uncleannes or private theft that he will not confesse Now for the terrour of all such gracelesse persons I desire to discover two things in the point First that this is a marvelous fearfull sinne Secondly it is a dangerous sinne First me thinkes the sinne it selfe is like the sinne of Ananias and Saphyra hee sold all that he had and as the Lord moved him and commanded him he gave way to it that it should be given to the poore But when it was sold he kept backe one part of it and when Peter said Did you sell it for so much Is this all the price Yes saith he Now mark what Peter saith Why hath Satan filled thy heart that thou hast not lyed to man but to God Satan many times steps into the heart but when he is said to fill the heart he shuts out the worke of judgement and reason and the Word and Spirit and all good Resolutions in those particular occasions which concerne a man As if Sathan should say Knowledge shall not direct him the Spirit shall not perswade him the word shall not prevaile with his heart but I will take possession of him in despite of all these this is Sathans filling of the heart Thus it is with the Hypocrite his conscience is awakened and saith Thou must confesse thy sinnes or else thou shalt be damned for them the word commands thee and the Spirit perswades thee to confesse thy sinne and hereupon thou saist This is my condition and there is no ease nor comfort to be had in private means and therefore I must goe to some faithfull Minister and reveale my selfe to him and when thou hast done thou keepest backe halfe from him and thou lyest against Conscience the Word and Spirit and all and when the Minister saith Is this the bottome of thy sinne Diddest thou not commit such and such a sinne Oh! no I was never guilty of any such matter and yet thou lyest Marke what I say this is to have Satan fill thy heart thou givest up thy heart into the possession of the Devill Knowledge directs thee not the Spirit perswades not and the Word prevailes not but the Devill crowds into every corner of thy heart and thou wilt cover thy sins and so perish for them everlastingly But secondly as the sinne is vile and odious so it is as dangerous Hee that hideth his sinnes shall not prosper saith the Wiseman Howsoever thy heart may be still for a while yet thou shalt not prosper in thy Family nor in the Word and Sacraments but all meanes are accursed to thee thou shalt receive no mercy at all hee that confesseth and forsaketh his sinnes shall finde mercy but he that confesseth not his sinnes shall not finde mercy As wee use to have a neast egge to breed upon so it is the Devils cunning to leave a neast egge some bosome lust or other in thy soule and the Devill sits upon this same as upon a neast egge and when the Devill is cast out by a slight overly confession of your sinnes yet there is some secret lust still left in the heart and that will breed a thousand abominations more in you For I beseech you take notice of this the Devill returnes and brings seven Devils more then himselfe and he hatcheth seven times more uncleannesses then there was before therefore as you desire that Satan may not fill your hearts and as you desire to have any meanes blessed to you come off kindly and currantly eyther not confesse at all or else confesse currantly that you may finde mercy in the time of need The second Use is for Instruction to shew us that a broken hearted sinner is easily convicted of his sinnes and willing to under-goe any reproofe hee that will confesse his sinnes freely of himselfe will easily yeeld when hee is called upon to doe it If the word lay any thing to his charge he will not deny it a man need not bring any witnesses against him he will never seeke to cover his sinne but if any occasionall passage of speech come that may discover his sinne he takes it presently and yeelds to it and saith I am the man I confesse this is my sinne and my folly he doth not fence his heart against the truth To whom shall I looke saith God even to a man that hath a contrite heart and trembles at my word this is the root and this is the fruit the heart must be contrite and broken by the hammer of Gods Law before it can shake at the hearing of the word A