remission of sinnes or you shall have adoption but he saith Take this is my body By body is meant whole Christ by a Synecdoche we have Christ and all things else What use are we to make of this Surely it is of great use many wayes First we must make this use of it which is the maine end of the Sacrament to confirme our faith in the assurance of the forgivenesse of our sinnes as likewise to renew our Covenant and the Condition required on our part when God hath said he is willing to pardon our sinnes if he had but barely said it it had beene enough God cannot lye But lest it should not be enough he hath not only said it but he hath sworne it Hebr. 6. He hath sworne by himselfe that by two immutable things we might have strong consolation Being willing saith the Apostle to shew to the heires of Promise the stablenesse of his Councell he bound himselfe with an oath but yet lest that should not be enough he hath added seales to it he hath given the inward seale of the Spirit and the outward seale of the Sacrament as if he should say I have promised to forgive you your sinnes let the Sacrament witnesse against me if I performe it not Here by the way observe how difficult a thing it is for us to beleeve you may thinke it an easie thing when you are in health when you are well but when death comes when temptation comes when trouble of conscience comes I say you shall finde it a difficult thing you shall finde a need of all these helpes for certainly God sweares not in vaine he would not have bound himselfe with an oath to be ready to forgive sinnes if there were not exceeding need of such helpes to confirme us and therefore you have need to set your selves more diligently about it make this use of the Sacrament labour to confirme your selves in this assurance So that as the Apostle saith You may have strong consolation that is when the temptations of Satan shall assault you with objections to the contrary you may be strong and not shaken And why should you be doubtfull if we should a little reason with you that you may receive the fruit of this for why should you feare it For first the Lord professeth I would not the death of a sinner as I live And why will you die oh you house of Israel What is the meaning of this but to shew that the Lord hath an exceeding great desire earnestly longs to save the soules of men Indeed he saith not that he will give every one grace to come in but if he doe As I live saith the Lord I will not his death that is I am ready to forgive him Besides this consider what a man is ready to doe consider how tender-hearted fathers and mothers are to their children if we finde so much mercy there consider how much there is in God that mercy that is in us is but a drop to the Ocean it is but a beame to the fulnesse that is in him If you that are evill can give good things to your children how much more shall your heavenly Father doe it Againe consider if the Lord were not ready to shew mercy to you that Christ should not be of none effect that is the bloud of Christ should be shed in vaine And doe you thinke the Lord would send his Sonne to suffer death and to suffer it in vaine and that should be in vaine if he should not be ready to receive men to mercie when they come to seeke it at his hands besides if the Lord should not doe this no flesh should be saved Psal. 130.1 saith the Psalmist there If thou Lord shouldest marke all that is done amisse who could stand The meaning is this if the Lord should not be ready to doe this which he hath given to the Sacrament to confirme namely to forgive sinnes if he should not be ready to doe it if he should mark straitly what is done amisse who could stand that is who should be saved Now certainly the Lord hath made man for that purpose many shall be saved none were made for damnation Besides there is another argument There is mercy with thee that thou mightest be feared Feare is taken for the worship of God that is if the Lord should not receive men none would worship him none would serve him when there is no hope take away all hope take away all endeavour If this will not perswade you consider what the Lord hath done for others how many thousands of others have had their sinnes forgiven and then thinke had he mercy for such and such and hath he not mercy enough for me Hath not Christ taken thy nature as well as theirs If all this will not perswade you consider how mercifull Christ was in the dayes of his flesh he was exceeding gentle easie to be entreated you shall never finde that there was any that asked at his hands but he granted it And thinke you that he is lesse pitifull now to mens soules than he was to their bodies Doe you thinke that now he is in heaven he hath laid aside his mercifull disposition No Hebr. 4. We have a mercifull high Priest that is touched with our infirmities that is ready to forgive Oh but my sinnes are exceeding great what though they be is not the Lords mercy exceeding is it not like the mighty Sea that drownes mountaines aswell as mole-hils My sins are of divers sorts what if they be in the Lord there is multitudes of mercies as many as thou hast sinnes I but they have oft beene repeated I have oft fallen into them againe and againe What if thou hast Is not his mercies renewed every morning And Zachary 15.1 There is a fountaine opened for the house of Iudah and Ierusalem to wash in Not a cisterne but a fountaine that is as there is a spring of sinne in us so there is a spring of mercy in God there is no end of his mercy therefore doubt not in regard of that But againe I am unfit if I were fit and ready for this I might receive fruit from the Sacrament but I am unfit Why If thou thought's thy selfe fit thou shouldest not have it even therefore because thou feelest thy selfe unfit the rather thou shalt be received to mercy the Lord lookes for this aâ— thy hands that we find and feele such â—â—fiâ—resse in our selves the more we are humbled the lesse we find in our selves the more ready the Lord is to receive us to mercy Besides this very unfitnesse I would aske thee but what iâ— is Is it not sinne If all sinnes be forgiven if the pardon be generall then it is contained among the rest and shall not be any impediment And therefore make this use when you come to the Sacrament thinke not that God is backward to forgive that he will not be as good as his word certainly he will and know this
more efficacious in his life A mans weight in the ballance weighes downe the scales but if he put to his strength too that is as much more as his weight So if you have any strong sins you have cause to be humbled for it but when you put your strength to it it intends that originall habit of sin So that the necessity that lyes on thee by reason of thy nature it aggravates thy sinne Ier. 13.23 The Prophet aggravates their sinne from their custome in it they could choose not to sinne no more than the Black-moore could change his skin The Prophet I say brings it in for this purpose to aggravate sin See it in our owne case when a man comes to be accused before a Iudge if he plead he is accustomed to such a sin to swearing or drinking doth it not encrease his condemnation So that though you say I dâ—d slip through frailty yet I say you have cause to be humbled for it I will but name the second use for I have respect to the Time and Weather Secondly not only evill men but good men within the Covenant should make this use of it to humble themselves for they have need of it A man must know this when he is once humbled and come into state of Grace he hath not then done with Humiliation it is to be practised still For there is this difference between a wicked man and another Many are like a land-floud none more ready to be religious than they as your great land-flouds swell though they have no spring to feed them but with a godly man it is otherwise Humiliation is in him as a Spring he hath not done with it at his Conversion but practiseth it still And not only so but he must labour to adde to the measure of it and that will adde to his love and to his faith and drawes him nearer to Christ the more his sin is discovered It is said of the woman she loved much because much was forgiven her Others had as much mercy as she but shee had more sense of it because shee was more humbled the more you see and are sensible of your sins the more it addes to your love it makes you to prise him when you see you are so much beholden to him Againe it will adde to faith I meane not only the act of beleeving but the act of taking Christ. The more a man sees the need he stands in of Christ the more he is convinced of sin the more he takes Christ for there be degrees of taking him When a woman takes an husband there be degrees in her will there may be additions to her will shee may be morefully contented in him and more prise him And so in taking of Christ for our Lord and Husband and Saviour It is true if we will take him in earnest any measure of true faith will save us but we may doe it more abundantly for the more sense we have of sin the more greedy shall we be of him Againe the more empty the soule is the more a man is humbled the more he sees into himselfe as faith comes with an empty hand the faster hold is laid on Christ. Therefore adde still to Humiliation let it be your exercise the worser you be perswaded of your selves and the better you conceit of God it is the more for your advantage the more you can hate and abhorre your selves the more you are improved thereby for the flesh in you must be abhorred and it is our fault we doe it not enough and againe the more you apprehend Christ the nearer you draw to him And take this withall Humiliation doth not weaken assurance but workes the contrary Indeed the lesse sincerity and the lesse mourning for sin and the lesse Humiliation the lesse assurance But reckoning up and thinking on thy sinnes encreaseth it If I have so many sins how can I be saved Yes so much the rather the more thou canst see and be humbled for them the more thou addest to thy assurance and so to thy love and faith Therefore a man should make a daily practise of Humiliation for it is to a mans great advantage it is a thing too much omitted we should take time for it And thinke it your advantage to be able to see what we have in our nature how much guilt we have contracted by sinne and how our sins may bee aggravated for this will teach us to prise Christ. And so much for this point The end of the First Sermon CERTAINE SERMONS VPON HVMILIATION The second SERMON ROMANS 1.18 For the wrath of God is revealed from heaven against all ungodlinesse and unrighteousnesse of men which with-hold the Truth in unrighteousnesse WE come now to the matter of Humiliation contained in these words which I have already opened and shew'd the points that may thence be drawn The first wherof which we will begin with is this That the Nature of man is full of all unrighteousnesse and ungodlinesse You know by that which you heard before how it is gathered It will be a vaine labour to goe about to prove it you know how plentifull the Scripture is in it and you are not so ignorant of the Grounds of Divinity as not to confesse it The businesse will be to shew wherein it consists and how the Nature of man is corrupted for by making this evident we shall by the same labour prove and confirme it to you Now the way to evidence this that the Nature of man is full of all unrighteousnes and ungodlinesse is to look to the rule If you will find out the disorder and distemper that any thing is subject to the way is to looke to the rule to amend it by Now every Creature hath a law the Fire the Water the Sea yea every Creature sensible and insensible hath a law given to it which as they observe they continue in perfection and looke how farre they goe aside that so farre they be imperfect Now the Law given to man is the Morall Law and the Gospell and these two he is to observe And if you will find out the truth of this That the nature of man is full of all ungodlinesse and unrighteousnesse looke to these two First looke to the Law of God and see if that doe not conclude all men under sin looke therein to both the Tables It is true Hypocrites make a good shew of keeping the first Table they seeme to be forward in the duties belonging to God but looke to the second Table and that discovers them Civill men seeme to be exact in the second Table in performing duties to man but look to the first Table what their carriage to God is what little conscience they make of taking his Name in vaine of sanctifying his Sabbath of performing holy duties in an holy manner of love and feare This discovers civility that is when there is nothing else but civility Againe looke to sins of all sorts some
treasure in him that he is full of all grace Wilt thou goe poore and miserable and naked and in rags having such a full wardrobe there why dost not thou goe and sute thy selfe from top to toe Why doest not thou get grace of all sorts to adorne and beautifie thy selfe withall For all treasures are in him Why doest thou go starved hungry and thirsty drooping all the day If thou hast him he hath fatlings and fined wines he bids thee to a Feast that is there is abundance of comfort in him there be Priviledges there if you consider of them if you will feed on them as a man doth on meat you shall be comforted with them as a man refreshed with wine Consider what is in Christ and make use of it and know there is not only plenty in him but bounty too in him is all fulnesse and why is it in him not for his sake but for ours he hath filled himselfe for us and he is not only full but bountifull he hath an even hand to dispence that goodnesse therefore make use of it Now the second part of this exhortation I told you belongs to them that yet are not in him that they would be content to take the Lord Iesus for their husband for if the being in him be the ground of all salvation it is motive enough to bring you in Now you must know that the Lord offers him to you he is exposed to you if you will but take him You will say in what consists this taking It consists in these two Acts one is a perswasion that the Lord is willing to come to thee to be thy Husband to be thine The second is a resolution on thy part to be his if thou canst be content to give thy selfe up to him to serve him to love him to live no more to thy selfe but to him altogether Now when we exhort men to come into Christ it may be for the first Act you will be content to be perswaded of it that he is willing to take you though there be a difficulty in that yet it may be you will goe so farre but when you come to the second to resolve to give up your selves to him to be his for ever and to serve him in newnesse of life here every man is at a stand here men deale with God as they that were invited to the Marriage they made light of it and went their way one to his Farme another to his Oxen c. So is it here with us for the most part they make light when we offer Christ they goe about their businesse one about this vanity another about that they will not come in and take him and what shall we say to perswade men to come into Christ Indeed it is a dangerous thing to refuse to come in You are the men that are invited and we are messengers sent to invite you every man must apply this to himselfe he must thinke I am the man invited therefore I must consider what answer to give for you shall find of them that were invited and did not come not a man of them shall taste of the Supper not a man of them that was invited must com There were many thousands that were never bidden yea many hundreds that live in the Church were never bidden to the Feast that is Christ was never clearely offered to them but when Christ is propounded to you as you know he hath oft beene this is the very bidding of you to the Supper Take you heed of refusing It may be many others there are that were never bidden but when you have beene bidden take heed not a man of them that have been bidden and refused shall â—aste of the Supper Now you know wee are bid while wee are in this life this is the time of grace but yet when a man refuseth this bidding at this time or at any other time take heed lest he bid you no more he sent no more to them that refused Let them alone and they shall be slaine before me But howsoever our businesse is to compell you to come in that is by strong arguments by reasoning with you by perswading you effectuall to come in Therefore consider these Motives First you shall find rest to your soules Come unto me all yee that are weary and heavie laden and you shall finde rest Matth. 11.28 29. Rest is that which every man would have For Sinne is a wearinesse to the Soule it wearies you with the guilt of it with the taint and corruption of it You shall find rest unto your soules that is if you were in me once you should have your sinnes forgiven you Which David magnified in Psal. 32.1 Blessed is he whose sinne is covered But you will say this is a small mercy you shall have your sinnes forgiven will this move men to come in who cares for forgivenesse of sinnes if we should come and make offer to men that they should be free from crosses and troubles that they shall have present benefit and honours and riches that were a motive indeed to bring men to Christ Thou foole if thy sins be forgiven thee shall not all misery be taken away Is not sinne the first linke of the chaine the first wheele that drawes on all thy miseries If thy sinnes be forgiven all thy miseries shall bee scattered all those clouds shall be dispersed Therefore the Scripture compares Sin to a Cloud What hinders good things from thee but sinne When a mans sins be forgiven him he shall have them in abundance Be of good comfort saith he Thy sinnes be forgiven thee Till then a mans heart is never filled with comfort but as I said it is clouded with many discomforts sorrowes and perplexities therefore they are compared to clouds because they shal be dispersed as clouds when thy sinnes are forgiven thee all thy life after is as a Sun-shine day when all the clouds are scattered Therefore Be of good comfort Againe thou hast boldnesse by it The Innocent is bold as a Lion thou art bold with God For thou commest with boldnesse unto the Throne of Grace and thou hast boldnesse when thou hast to doe with men when trouble and persecution comes then art thou as bold as a Lion when thy sinnes are forgiven thee Againe when thou commest to beare any affliction it is nothing when sinne is forgiven for sinne is the sting of affliction and what is the Serpent when the sting is gone Affliction is nothing death is nothing you see what they were to Saint Paul imprisonment and death were nothing to him because the sting was taken away In a word thou art a blessed man if thy sinnes bee once taken away David saith Blessed is hee whose sinnes are forgiven When David looked round about and considered who was blessed he pitched on this Blessed is the man whose sinne is forgiven If some other had looked about him hee would
thankfull was he how was he affected how would a man be affected in such a case So I say that is our condition we have cause to looke for nothing but death thereupon comes the Gospell that comes and offers life that overcomes with kindnesse as it were the Lord comes and tels us Well notwithstanding all this you shall be received to mercy goe Take this is my body which is given for you I say this would move an ingenious disposition You know Mary Magdalen was moved with this when she was such a sinner and saw that God had received her in that manner that melted her heart so that she watred his feet with her teares So should we be affected if we did seriously consider the greatnesse of CHRISTS love I will give you my body and my bloud this is a great thing if we were able to consider it aright that the Lord should give us his body and his bloud There is no love like this Hee hath loved me saith Paul and hath given himselfe for mee And this is that indeed which should bee the most effectuall motive of all others that there is a pardon that Christ still makes offer of to you indeed there is nothing else brings us into Christ but this other things may prepare us but nothing brings us in but this You know a Pirate as long as a proclamation of rebellion is out against him will not come in but a pardon being promised and advancement annexed to it that if any thing will bring him in The theefe runnes away as long as he is pursued with Hue and Crie but the promise of pardon makes him returne back So I say it is not the Law that brings you in that may prepare you but it is this Gospell for as I told you the Sacrament preacheth the Gospell to the eye as we doe to the eare and when mercy is promised when a pardon is promised a generall pardon without exception of persons or sinnes my thinkes this should affect you and bring you in As it is said Ier. 3. Saith the Lord If one of you have put away his wife will he returne to her againe No but you have played the harlot in many places and many times and yet returne to me saith the Lord And so I may say to every man that hears me though thy sins be never so great like that sin of Idolatry like that sin of playing the Harlot though that were frequently committed though it were done oft many times yet returne saith the Lord if thou wilt come in thou shalt be pardoned and not so only but whosoever receiveth me saith Christ shall be made the sonne of God Consider this be affected with it let it not be in vaine unto you when you heare those patheticall speeches 1 Iohn He came to his owne and his owne received him not And againe Oh Ierusalem Ierusalem how oft would I have gathered thee c. I say when you heare these things it may be you thinke with your selves these were rebellious people to use Christ thus you thinke if it had beene the case if you had beene there among them you would not have done it Well I say it is the case of every man that continues in any knowne sin Christ offers himselfe we make offer of him when we preach the Gospell in the Sacrament he is offered he is made like a common dole all may come that will and certainly all that hunger doe come but when thou goest on still in thy sinnes thou art one of them to whom Christ is come and thou wilt not receive him thou art one of them whom he would gather and thou wilt not No but thou wilt goe on thou takest the Grace of GOD in vaine thou tramplest the bloud of CHRIST IESUS under-foot as a common thing thou doest what thou canst that the death of CHRIST should be of no effect thou recompencest to the Lord evill for good doest thou thinke that the LORD will beare this at thy hands No surely he will be revenged on such a man on such a people as this But you will say it is an hard thing to doe this that you exhort us to And therefore that I may not onely shew you what the duty is without affording you some helpe to doe it we will adde some things that may invite you to come in And take Christ thus offered in the Sacrament and which is continually offered by and in the Gospell And what is it that should invite you But two things to goe no furâ—her one is the misery out of Christ the second is the happinesse you shall have by him And that is the businesse we have principally to doe at this time that we might invite you to take the body and bloud of Christ that is to take the Lord himselfe who is offered effectually and freely to you He makes proclamation to all that will come and take of the waters of life freely Now if we consider what should invite the sons of men to come in these two things will doe it their misery out of Christ and their happinesse by him As the Prodigall what did invite him to come home The misery he was in he saw he could not live he could not get huskes to sustaine him On the otherside in his fathers house there was bread enough those two together wrought on him and brought him home So we when we invite men to the marâ—iage of â—he Kings Sonne that is to marry the Sonne himselfe What should we say to invite them We bring them to consider on the one side I cannot live without Christ I am undone I perish if I doe Againe on the otherside by matching with him I shall have all by Grace that he hath by Nature I shall be a son of God a King and heire of all things I shall have all that Christ hath I say these two should invite us to come in and therefore we will doe these two First shew you the misery you are in out of Christ Iohn 3.18 saith the Evangelist there He that beleeves not in Christ is condemned alreadie Marke he needs not a new condemnation but he that beleeves not in Christ is condemned already He that hath not the Sonne hath not life Is not this misery enough to be in a state of condemnation Iohn 5. Hee that obeyes not the Sonne the wrath of God abides on him And what is that wrath of God If the wrath of a King be a messenger of Death what think you of the wrath of God Who knowes the power of his wrath Rom. 9. What if he will to shew his wrath and to make his power knowne suffer with patience the vessels of wrath appointed to destruction that is when the Lord shall come to execute his wrath on evill men he will use all the power he hath to execute the fiercenesse of his wrath on them And therefore it is a terrible thing to be subject to the wrath of God But
is wisdome to remember our latter end The wisest among the Heathen were wont to say There should bee nothing but a meditation of death that is a wise man though the course of his life should be still fitting and preparing himselfe for death and shall Christians â—me behinde them It was a wise speech of Peter to our Saviour Lord whether shall we goe thou hast the words of eternall life as if hee should say there is no motive to that surely we will not leave thee therefore I say consider here we are but Tennants at will wee may be turned out of doores to morrow therefore let this be a motive to win to Christ you shall have life But you will say I hope death is farre off yet I have time enough well take heed thou be not deceived in that for ther is a collusion there as the Painter by collusion of colours makes a thing seeme farre off when it is neere at hand so wee by our folly and vanity our fansie mis-apprehending of things we looke on death as farre off when it may be it is at our heeles at the next doore thou knowest not how soone thou maist meet with it therefore say not it is farre off but thinke with thy selfe goe sit alone but a little time together and then think with thy selfe I must die it is appointed to mee as to all men once to dye Consider if a man might dye twice or thrice perhaps he would be ready he would be prepared but consider thou must dye but once if thou be not prepared there is not a second oportunity and then consider thy soule is immortall in another place it must live for ever And then remember Christ saith thou shalt have life if thou take him thou shalt live for ever then thou wilt finde it an exceeding blessing worth the having it is that that may wooe you and win you to come in and take Christ to love him and to serve him and to obey him certainly if you will not now be moved with it yet when death shall come then you shall finde that beyond all the treasure to have that white-stone with a new name in it that stone was a signe of absolution that a man was quitted that his sins are forgiven that he hath interest in Christ and eternity that eternall life is for him in heaven this is the first motive to win you to Christ. Secondly if you will come into him you shall have all your debts payd you shall bee under cover that is you shall have all your sins forgiven that when the creditors come with an arrest with a judgement and execution you may be able to say no they are none of my debts goe to my husband hee must pay them and not I I say when you have Christ when Satan shall come and when sin shall come you may put them over to Christ for now you are his and he is yours he hath taken our debts on him is this a small thing Psal. 32.1 saith David Blessed is the man whose sinnes are forgiven and whose iniquities are covered marke Blessed is the man whose sins are forgiven Perhaps if one of us should seeke a happy man we would say that he is a happy man that lives in health and in wealth in credit and abundance of all things he that hath the favour of Princes hee that hath some notable excellencie to make him famous among men some such thing wee take for happinesse But when David comes to looke through the world and all the felicity in it oh saith David Hee is a happy man that his sinnes are forgiven And there is good reason for it because when our sin is forgiven wee are reconciled to God and God onely can make man happy For wherein doth happinesse consist but in a freedome from all evill and in enjoying of all good you know this is happinesse Now sin is it not the first linke in the chaine of ills As the under-wheeles in a Clocke or Watch depends upon the first so all miseries depend upon sin as the Master-ill of all take away that and all the wheeles stand still they move not a jot to doe us the least hurt take away sin take away all this ill in sin is a bar and stops from us all good things take away sin and you shall enjoy all that in abundance that your hearts can desire If you have not your sinnes forgiven what will it availe If you come to a Prisoner and tell him you shall have the best Lodging you shall have a Pallace you shall have Orchards and Gardens to walke in you shall have Gold and Silver as much as you will desire you shall have honour put upon you would not he answer Alas what would all this availe without a pardon So I say to men that magnifie the things of this world so much and remission of sins they thinke not of I say what is all this will it availe without a pardon No therefore this is a great motive to bring us into Christ that our sins may be forgiven Therefore that great promise went of the Messiah that when he should come into the world he should save his people from their sins and this is a mercy which though you may slight now in health and strength yet when the times come that God shall charge sinne upon your consciences that they feele the weight and burthen of it you shall finde no mercy like to this that you may come to have your sinnes forgiven then he that bringeth the glad tydings of peace his feet will be beautifull the thing is the same if wee had hearts to consider of it if we were poore in spirit if we knew what sinne were if wee had ever felt the bitternesse of Satans yoke that wee were weary of it wee would come in and reckon it a great matter to have our sins forgiven this is the second I shall prosecute the rest at some other time The end of the Second Sermon THE CUPPE OF BLESSING DELIVERED IN THREE Sermons upon 1 Cor. 10.6 The Third SERMON 1 CORINTH 10.16 The Cup of blessing that we blesse is it not the Communion of the bloud of Christ The bread that we breake is it not the Communion of the body of Christ THE point you know we have delivered out of these words is this That in the Sacrament there is a true reall Communication or giving or offering of Iesus Chriâ—t of his body and of his bloud to all worthy receivers Wee have shewed you the difference betweene the Papists and us in this point They will have here a reall corporall presence of Christ. We say it is true but it is Spirituall but it is Mysticall but it is Sacramentall We have shewed you the reasons by which wee refelde that opinion of theirs That there is no necessity neither in regard of the thing nor in regard of the words and if there be no necessity we may not grant it other
take the right course they goe not the right way to worke This is the cause many continue in the gall of bitternesse and in the bond of iniquity they know not the right way to come out I say you shall finde this in other places Observe Deut. 8.2 3. you shall find there how God deales with his people hee carries them thorow the wildernesse and to what end to humble them And how doth he humble them Two wayes First by shewing them the sinfulnesse of their hearts letting them know their rebellions and startings aside when he led them along saith he I have carried thee these forty yeares in the wildernesse to humble thee and prove thee All thy sinne and corruption was there before but thou knowest it not But that is not enough for if men saw never so much sinne in themselves yet if they have a bottome to stand on if they have health and strength they regard it not therefore he addes further I humbled thee I made thee hungry and then I fed thee with Mannah that thou mightest see thou had'st nothing without me And this I did that when I bring thee into the good Land ye may know it was not for your owne righteousnesse but for the Covenant I made with your Fathers Abraham Isaac and Iacob This is nothing but a resemblance of the same God doth now Carrying men thorow this world he first humbles them he lets them fall into sin that they may know themselves and withall afflicts them suffering them to fall into other necessities that they may know what they are that they may see their miserable condition and that God brings them not to heaven for their righteousnesse but for his Covenants sake with Abraham and Isaac that is for his mercy sake in Christ. So Zechar. 12. and 13. Chap. You shall find first God powres on them the Spirit of compunction that they shall mourne for their sinnes as a man mourneth for his only sonne and when they are humbled then and not before I will open a fountaine to Iudah and Ierusalem for sinne and for uncleannesse that is it is shut before they be humbled but when that is done the fountaine is opened So you shall see Paul when he had to doe with Felix a place worth your marking Act. 24.26 you shall finde that when Felix and his wife Drusilla a Iewesse called Paul before them it is said They heard him of the faith of Christ But how began he Hee began saith the Text with preaching of Temperance Righteousnesse and the Iudgement to come He told Felix what Righteousnesse and what Temperance the Law of God required and likewise the Iudgement to come for those two things must bee in Humiliation An Endictment to shew how farre short we be of the Righteousnesse and Temperance that the Law of God requires and withall a pronouncing of the Sentence a declaration of the Iudgement to come And this course made Felix to tremble So Iohn the Baptist that came to prepare the way of the Lord to make way for Christ How did he make way He came as with the Spirit and power of Elias so with much Terrour calling them a Generation of Vipers told them of their miserable condition as much as he could to humble them And that was the way to prepare them So when Christ went about to convert any this was his Method as in Ioh. 4. when he had that discourse with the woman of Samaria meeting her by Accident first hee tels her of her sinne The man whom thou hast is not thy husband thou hast committed adultery whereby hee amazed her and made her looke into her selfe and then he tells her he was the Messiah and that in him there was hope So he deales with Nichodemus he tells him he was flesh that all that was in him was nought and not any thing good and then he preaches the Gospell telling him he must be borne againe But of all places you shall find the clearest to be that in Ioh. 16. where Christ promises that he would send His Spirit into the world and three great workes the Spirit should doe which were wrought by the ministery of the Apostles he should Convince the world of Sinne and of Righteousnesse and of Iudgement First he saith of Sinne Because they have not beleeved in mee marke that there were many other sinnes that the Holy Ghost convinced them of but the contempt of the Gospell the not taking of Christ offered that is the maine sinne And the Holy Ghost shall convince men of this sinne All the men of the world cannot doe it Wee may tell you long enough of particular sinnes you have done these and these sinnes sworne such oaths defiled your selves with such abominations and yet all will come to nothing but when the Spirit sets in and makes a man sensible of sin that workes to purpose Then it followes in the Method He shall convince the world of righteousnesse because I am risen againe and gone to the Father he should teach that there is another Righteousnesse in me by which you must be justified when you see no righteousnesse in your selves then the Holy Ghost shall shew you the righteousnesse that I have wrought But how will this appeare In that I am dead and risen again and gone to my Father whereby it is declared that i am righteous that I have overcome death satisfied my Fathers justice And then when that is done he shal convince the world of Iudgement that is of holinesse for so the word is there used that is then the Prince of this world shall be judged Satan reignes in the hearts of men in the children of disobedience till they bee justified and engrafted into Christ but when they be once justified then Christ shall cast him out you shall see him fall like lightning out of the hearts of men and this is that which was before prophesied Hee shall bring forth Iudgement unto victory that is hee shall overcome the Prince of the world take away sinne and enable men to serve him in holinesse And this is the method you must observe in turning to God labour to be convinced of Sinne then of Righteousnesse and then of Iudgement And to shew the necessitie of this take that one place Gal. 3.24 a place you all know The Law must be a Schoole-master to bring us to Christ. No man living can come to Christ till the Law be his Schoole-master Now how is the Law a Schoole-master It gives lessons that we cannot goe through with thereby is such a Rectitude required as we are not able to reach like the Schoole-masters taske to the scholler which he is not able to performe and is therefore faine to goe to another to doe his exercise for him So the Lord tells men you must be exactly holy perfect righteousnesse must runne through the whole course of your life when we see we cannot doe it it makes us runne to Christ to have his righteousnesse
imputed to us such a necessitie is there that men be humbled Now that you may a little better understand this point you must know that there are but two things that keepe men off from comming to Christ. One is unbeleefe when they do not beleeve that he is the Messiah or that they are to be saved by him This was the great hinderance in the Apostles time and that is the reason that you have faith in the Messiah pressed so much to beleeve that that was he But that is not the thing to be pressed so much in these Times But as you see in the Old Testament when the Prophets spake to a Church to confirme it in the truth they do not presse so much to beleeve there is a God and that hee is One God and that a God of Truth but to trust in God and to make use of their knowledge So must we doe There is therefore another thing that hinders from Christ and that is Negligence Men care not for Christ they are not affected with him and this is two-fold Totall or Partiall Totall is that which they were guiltie of that were bidden to the Feast and excused themselves and had bought a yoke of oxen another had married a wife another had taken a farme and therefore they could not come They were perswaded there was a Feast of fatlings provided but they minded other things for they were not hungry and therefore cared not for it And in this kind the greatest part of men of your common Protestants neglect the Gospell Tell them of Remission of sinnes and Iustification they minde it not Secondly there is a Partiall neglect And so many professe Christ do many things for him but regard him not And in this the second and third Ground failed the second did much but not so far regarded him as to endure persecution The third did respect him more but not so as to forgoe their lusts for him this is a partiall neglect And that that helpeth this double neglect is Humiliation Now to give a Reason or two of this point and so we will make use of it and come to the other which is the maine and that I most intend God will have it thus for these two Reasons First with reference to our Iustification he will justifie none till hee hath brought him to acknowledge both his Iustice and his Mercy he will have men know what he doth to them before he justifies them and receives them to favour I say he will have a man acknowledge his Iustice that is confesse himselfe to be a sinner to be ashamed of his sins to acknowledge himselfe worthy to be destroyed As in Ezek. 36. there you shall find how God justifies men and washes them with cleane water from their sinnes Then when I doe this whensoever I shall justifie any man then you shall remember your deeds that were not good and shall acknowledge your selves worthy to bee destroyed God will have this honour given him he will have men know that it is not done for any thing in themselves he will have the glory of his Iustice and Righteousnesse and that is the summe of the fourth verse of the one and fiftieth Psalme Against thee only have I sinned c. that thou mightest be justified when thou speakest and be cleare when thou judgest that glory may bee given to God and shame taken to himselfe This God will have done As in the worke of Redemption his Iustice and Mercy are both satisfied so in the application of it in taking hold of this Redemption God will have a worke wrought wherein his Iustice shall bee acknowledged Secondly hee will have his Mercy acknowledged as Princes when they will make a condemned man bee sensible of their mercy they will bring him to the uttermost they will bring his necke to the blocke then he will know that he was saved he shall have more sense of his pardon And so God in the worke of Humiliation humbles a man exceedingly and when that is done then Hee is seene in the Mount He is not seene till men be in extremitie that is he will have them on their knees and so be sensible of that mercy of his which otherwise they would not prize The end of all is Christ he will have Christ esteemed and knowne and this men will never doe till they be throughly humbled Secondly God will have it so with reference to Sanctification that is the second Reason and that for these Causes First because otherwise mens thoughts would never bee drawne inward men would never withdraw themselves from Covetousnesse and from regarding vanity but lusts of youth in them that be young and businesse and correspondencie in matters of State and one thing or other would take up the mindes of them that be old and would so occupie their thoughts that we might speake long enough but mens mindes would goe after an hundred severall vanities as the Psalmist saith God is not in all the thoughts of a wicked man before hee be humbled that is God is not there to any purpose nor the things belonging to the kingdome of God but vanity is in their thoughts and that raises such a Tumult and noise within that they attend not to what we say but locke up the doores of their heart that what we say can have no entrance We shall see it in 2 Chro. 33. when Manasses had corrupted himselfe with monstrous abominations there set down the Lord spake to him but hee regarded it not till hee was humbled but when being led into captivitie and bound in fetters he was humbled then hee besought God who was intreated of him In the fifteenth of Luke you shall find this phrase The Prodigall sonne came to himselfe It is Parable shewing every mans naturall condition he was not himselfe before hee was a drunken man or a mad man and that is the case of every man before hee be humbled hee is as a drunken man now come and speake to a drunken man as long as you will so long as he is in his drunkennesse and madnesse he heares not it is only this Humiliation that brings a man to himselfe In 2 Chron. 6.37 you shall finde this phrase If they shall turne with all their hearts in their captivitie and repent for their transgressions then doe thou heare in heaven c. I name it for the phrase if they shall turne with their heart which they will not doe till they be humbled till then they be busied about pleasures or profits or something else but they looke not into their hearts The phrase imports so much suppose a man be instant in some sport and recreation and one come and tell him in the midst of his sport there is an officer without ready to take you and carry you to prison such a message will turne to his heart and make him consider what he hath done and what a miserable
to stand on nothing to hold by to sustaine him when a man is nothing is cut off the Tree he grew on before and sees that he must now perish eternally this is true Humiliation You that are to receive the Sacrament what doe we therein but offer Christ to you we preach Christ in the Sacrament he is therein indeed offered more sensibly Now what have you to doe with Christ if you are not humble Consider if this be not wrought in you and remember this that whosoever comes to the Sacrament without this Humiliation that wants this brokennesse of heart receives it unworthily and provokes God to wrath The Passe-over was to be eaten with sowre herbes and the maine businesse therein was to remember the condition they were set at liberty from to remember their bondage in Aegypt and their miseries endured there for by that they saw the greatnesse of Gods mercies So one of the maine businesses you have to doe is to consider your sinnes and be humbled to consider your miserable condition and to think it not a light matter that you may omit it Consider but that one place Levit. 23.29 you shall finde there that in the day of Expiation in the day of Atonement when they came to offer sacrifice he that on that day did not afflict his soule he was to be cut off from his people You have it two or three times repeated It is an ordinance and this is still put in Hee that comes to make an Atonement to be reconciled and offer a Sacrifice remember this ordinance for ever He shall afflict his soule and hee that doth it not shall be cut off from his people Therefore you have occasion to make use of it that are to receive and not you only for the Doctrine is generall Whosoever doth not afflict his soule he shall never bee reconciled but shall bee cut off from his people But you will say I should be willing to doe this but how shall I be able to doe it If God would humble me and set it on and convince me by his Spirit it might be done but how shal I doe it my selfe I answer Thou art to goe about it thy selfe It is not for nothing that those words are used in Ioel 2.13 Rend your hearts and not your garments He sayes rend your hearts And Ier. 6.4 Plow up the fallow grounds of your hearts that is you shall afflict your soules And Iames 4.9 Be afflicted that is suffer your selves to be affâ—icted for your selves sorrow and weepe that is the way to cleanse you Therefore a man should goe about the worke himselfe that is take this resolution Well I see I must be humbled else I cannot on good grounds take Christ for I shal not prise him therefore I will not give over labouring of my heart till it be humbled Suffer thy selfe to be afflicted as if he should say Men are not willing to suffer it if they doe hang their heads for a day they are quickly weary outward businesse comes or pleasure commands and the worke growes tedious Therefore is that in Ioel 2. Sanctifie a Fast that yee may rend your hearts that is sequester your selves from all other businesses from all other occasions sanctifie a Fast that ye may have leasure to doe it if one Fast will not doe it take another Let a man goe alone and resolve never to give over till it be done till he hath brought his heart to doe it When I have done this what shal I then do Consider your sinnes looke backe and consider how many oathes you have sworne how oft you have broken the Sabbath whether you have defiled your selves with sinnes of uncleannesse how often you have broken the Commandements looke on your idlenesse your omissions your sinfull silence your neglect of prayer and other duties Goe over all particular sinnes and their multitude will amaze you Remember the sinnes you have committed twenty yeares agoe and take this rule withall that these sinnes are the same now that they were though not in thy apprehension that is the weaknesse of our nature as it is the weaknesse of our eye we cannot discerne a thing that is a great distance from it it is its weaknesse that it cannot see things as they are but that will seeme little or nothing which in it selfe is big So it is with the sinnes that we have committed many yeares agoe we thinke them little and past but know that they are the same in themselves and in Gods esteem as they were before for he sees them as they are Therefore I say consider them lay them together and see the multitude and that will helpe to amaze thee And not that onely but consider them with their circumstances some it may be have been committed against light of conscience and that aggravates sinne it makes a small sinne out of measure sinfull When it is committed against knowledge it is not the same with the sinne against the Holy Ghost but it is neare to it Againe consider the hardnesse of thy heart in sinning the very sinne doth not hurt so much as that when a man slights it hee knowes hee hath sinned yet goes about his businesse and neglects it and this God lookes at When a man is injured the injury is not so much to him as it is to see the other to neglect it he cares not for angering me So you looke backe on your sins in a cold regardlesse and negligent manner Againe consider your relapses and fals into the same sins againe and againe though you have beene often admonished of it yea and have made a covenant and vow to God never to fall into it And know this that relapses and fallings into sin often stand for so many sins as in numbers the second figure is in proportion to the first which is ten times as much as the first and the third an hundred times as much So the addition of sins by falling into them again and againe and that carelesly too that makes the sin a great deale more consider this And if you goe about to excuse our selves It is true if God should marke all that is done amisse who can stand but I hope I shall be pardoned my nature is violently carried I am flesh and bloud and I hope God will pity mee But this should humble you the more that you are readie to fall into sin againe and again if it be thus in your actions it is much more abundant in the heart For put case there be a necessity hast not thou caused it thy selfe Againe you must know actuall sins intend originall corruption and there is no man that is guilty of any prevalent lust but he was the cause of it for if he had not by committing it often carelessely and negligently given so much strength to it it had not so prevailed Addition of sin in every act of sin varnishes over originall sin it makes it more active
of this you shall not finde in all the Scriptures any thing that angers him so much with them that were invited and would not come hee was angry and commanded them to be slaine So Psalm 2. ult Kisse the Sonne lest he be angrie The contemning of this condemnes a man most of all to wrath Last of all consider that when you neglect IESUS CHRIST and sinne against the Gospell and are not ready to receive it you take his Name in vaine in the highest degree and he will not hold him guiltlesse that taketh his Name in vaine at all Now Gods Name being in his Sonne most revealed take heed of taking it in vaine 2 Cor. 6.1 I beseech you take not the Grace of God in vaine It is a greater matter than you thinke it to be that when God shall offer Christ shall profound to marry his Sonne to you you should refuse him consider the sinne and be humbled And by this is seene the corruption of our nature and this should humble us more than any sinne committed against the Law And thus much shall serve to make plaine the point in all the parts of it that the Nature of man is full of all unrighteousnesse and ungodlinesse Now to make use of it And first if this be the Condition of all men by nature then hee that sees not this he that is not perswaded of it he is deceived he is an unskilfull an ignorant man he hath not yet his wit exercised to discerne betweene good and evill And let him so reckon of himselfe If this be the Condition of every man by nature and yet God hath not opened the window for him to see it and to stand amazed at it he is I say an unskilfull man he is not yet enlightned the true light hath not yet shined into him For when God enlightens a man truely it workes such an alteration as was in them in Act. 2. that were pricked at their hearts and were amazed at that which before being as other men they saw not So that you may observe a double disposition in men one is a complaining a selfe-accusing disposition when a man is apt to complaine of himselfe and can never find too much fault with himselfe delights in the exactnesse of other mens conversations loves that doctrine which is selfe-separating wonders at his owne corruption so that no man can say so much against him but he can say much more against himselfe This is a good signe and such a Condition was in Iesiah when his heart melted and in Paul Rom. 7. where you may see how he complaines of the abundance of his Corruption But there is another excusing disposition when a man sees nothing amisse in himselfe that will not have any such doubts made betweene man and man and that for his owne part he will not be shut out of the number but answereth for his owne righteousnesse that he is rich and increased in goods when indeed he is naked and poore and miserable I say this is an ill signe that thou hast not yet received the Holy Ghost that thou art not yet partaker of the righteousnesse of CHRIST for the Holy Ghost will first convince thee of sinne and if thou art not so convinced it is a signe thou hast not yet received that righteousnesse and know this that in all the Saints in all to whom God hath revealed himselfe you shall finde this disposition to complaine of themselves How abundant was it in David He was ever complaining that his sinnes were more than the haires of his head As in Psal. 19. who can understand his faults And my sinnes are too heavie for me and they are gone over my head hee is still complaining of himselfe And what is the reason It was because a veine of cleare light shone into his heart Others have but a common Illumination and there is great difference betweene a bright beame that shewes the smallest mote and common light Another may have light to see great deformities but not to see motes thou mayest have a common light and mayest carry it to hell for it is no better than darknesse Therefore know that if thou hast not in some measure beene perswaded of all these Truthes the righteousnesse of Christ is not yet revealed to thee for this is Gods method first hee reveales his wrath against unrighteousnesse of men and then discovers the righteousnesse of Christ by faith And if this be not done if thou art not throughly humbled so that God hath opened a crevise of light to see this corruption of Nature so as to abhorre it in thy selfe and to be vile in thine owne eyes to be much humbled for it not to hang downe thine head for a day but to take it to heart in another manner I conclude thou art not a man enlightned thou art an unskilfull an ignorant man and you know what condition that puts a man into Secondly if mens natures bee thus full of Corruption even the Saints themselves then godly men may make this use of it to learne to prise Iesus Christ Doe you make this use of the Table wee have drawne for you to looke into and to see the multitude of your sinnes and the Corruptions of your natures to learne to prise IESUS CHRIST For you must take this for a rule no man will ever know the length and breadth and depth of GODS mercy in IESUS CHRIST and his love therein unlesse hee first know the length and breadth and depth of his sinne and this use you must make of all these explications To see the greatnesse of sinne is of much use to the Saints that they may know how much they are beholden to GOD you will never see how GODS Grace hath abounded towards you if you doe not see how your sinnes hath abounded towards GOD Labour to see it that you may love much because much is forgiven you that you may prise CHRIST much and bee brought much more into love with him That use the Saints should make of it and it will be profitable And they that receive the Sacrament should specially consider of it When they came to the Passeover one of the chiefe things they were directed to doe in that Ceremony was to remember their bondage Againe looke on the Concomitants of the Passeover their sowre hearbes their going in haste their staffe in their hand Againe the Passeover it selfe their sprinkling of bloud on the doore-postes all was to put them in minde of their misery and their deliverance which was the onely way to magnifie his mercie So in this spirituall freedome remember your bondage the Sinnes you have committed your Condition by nature that you may learne to magnifie your freedome by Christ and give God the praise of it to magnifie and love him with all your heart and strength The more you doe this the more it will enlarge your hearts to know the love of CHRIST which passeth knowledge Of many wayes to know which this
Wouldest thou not have that removed which restraines thee Couldest thou not wish that there were no such strict law as Gods Law is Couldest thou not wish that there were not any Iudge to call thee to account Every naturall man had rather be at liberty hee wishes with all his heart that there were no such God no such Iudge Now if thou wishest God were not certainely thou hatest God when we wish a man not to be to be taken out of the nature of things out of the subsistence of being this man we properly hate and thus every man hates God Therefore Rom. 5.10 the Apostle speaking generally of mankind sayes When you were Enemies It is the condition of every man hee is an Enemie to God and sins out of Enmity and what obedience he performes is out of a false servile feare that is the first Secondly that is not all but he denies God dethrones him and sets up another god naturall men little thinke they doe so when they follow their Covetousnesse Lusts Honours Ambitions they little thinke they doe it But they doe Tit. 1. ult They professe that they know God but in their workes they deny him When they are charged with this that they thinke there is no God and told of the greatnesse of the fault as it is the greatest Treason to deny the King to be the King this Atheisme every man is ready to disclaime he thinkes it is not so with him But I beseech you consider there be two kindes of Thoughts in a mans heart some we call reflex thoughts when a man thinkes a thing and knowes that he thinkes it other we call direct thoughts which are in the heart but a man knowes it not and these must be found out by the Actions for they are discovered by the fruits But God that knowes the meaning of the spirit knowes likewise the meaning of the flesh Now saith the Text they professe they know him but in deeds they deny him that is in truth they deny God there bee certaine direct thoughts which have not such reflection in the heart of every naturall man by which he denies God for he honours not God as he ought hee denies the Power the Omni-presence the Iustice and Omni-science of God and if you can see this in his workes you may say there be such thoughts in him because he lives as if there were no God But you will object every man thinks there is a God It is true there is naturally some light in them but where there be two different Principles there be two different conclusions there is some light planted in them that teaches that there is a God but take the darknesse that is in their heart set aside from this light there is nothing but Atheisme he sets God aside and puts up something else in stead of him some make pleasures their god some make their riches their god some make their belly their god c. But we cannot stand on this Thirdly they despise God in the Commission of sin see it in the sin of lying wherein a man respects man more than God and so despises God he cares not though God knowes it and is a witnesse to it and so it is an injury to God a contending with God We little thinke it is so but see that place 1 Cor. 10.22 the Apostle speaking there of one particular sin that is of eating meat offered to Idols saith Will you continue to doe it Will you provoke God to jealousie Are you stronger than he It is as if you set your selves against him of purpose to doe him an Injury And these affections are in the sin of every naturall man And that is the first Circumstance A second Circumstance to aggravate sin is when it is committed against Knowledge and indeed no Circumstance does it more than this that a man sins against the light he hath when he knowes it to be a sin and it may be bethinks himselfe of it and yet commits it You know how it is with men An offence committed an Injury offered to a King after Proclamation comes to be a rebellion because his will was made knowne And so it is with God when he hath revealed a Truth to mee that I know this to be a sin and am convinced of it and yet goe on in it this alters the nature of a sin it is not now a bare Transgression of the Law but a Rebellion and so God is provoked in an high degree for in a sinne against Knowledge there is more harme more disobedience more presumption If a Prince be in a place where he is not knowne and findes not respect sutable to his worth hee matters it not hee wiâ—l not take it amisse for he is not knowne but if hâ— be known and taken notice of and yet neglected it is great dis-respect and taken for a great offence So when men sin against light given it aggravates sin exceedingly As in the one and twentieth verse of this Chapter this that the Apostle laid to the charge of the Romans aggravated their sin they knew God but they glorified him not as God as if he had said If you had not knowne him it were another case but to know God and not to practise according to knowledge to know God and not to glorifie him as God this God will not take in good part it shewes you are sinners and in a condition of death Therefore in Acts 17. saith dthe Apostle The times of Ignorance God regarded not but now he admonishes every one to repent that is when the Gentiles walked in their owne wayes before the Gospell came before God published and made knowne his will he wincked at it but now regards it not a yeare nor a day shall now passe without an account for it the axe is now laid to the root of the Tree he will deferre no longer he will take it no more as he did heretofore Therefore the Apostle Paul 1 Tim. 1. 13. saith I was a persecutour and blasphemer but am received to mercy because I did it ignorantly Why doth he adde that Because if he had had knowledge and so had done it wittingly and willingly his sin had beene out of measure sinfull and exceedingly aggravated it Therefore Daniel tels Balthazar as an addition to his sins Thou knowest all this and yet hast not humbled thy selfe if thou hadst not knowne it if thou hadst not had an example if it had not bin revealed to thee thy sin had beene so much the lesse and perhaps God would have suffred thee to live but thou knowest all this and yet didst not humble thy selfe But of all places take that in Rom. 7.13 Was that then which was good made death unto me God forbid But sin that it might appeare sinne working death in me by that which is good that sinne by the Commandement might become exceeding sinfull The meaning is this When a man knowes that the Law of God
to me in holinesse and righteousnesse and so thou plaist the harlot as a wife and that makes the sin out of measure sinfull And it is true of particular vowes that you may judge aright of sin and know the greatnesse of it Lastly sin is aggravated from the meanes you have to resist sin consider how many means we enjoy and yet profit not by them The mercies of God should draw us to him God expects a returne of that fruit at our hands and yet as the Prophet complaines Ier. 5.22 You have not said in your hearts Let us feare that God who gives us the first and later raine and keepes for us the appointed times of harvest As if he had said God expects this at your hands hee gives the first and later raine for this end that you may remember him and thinke of him and when we say not in our hearts Let us feare that God that doth this and that for us God takes it amisse for his bountifulnesse should lead us to repentance and therefore the despising of it must aggravate sin So after Corrections as no man can say he hath had no correction a sin is much aggravated Therefore Ierem. 5.3 it is complained of I have strucken you and you have not sorrowed I have wounded you but you have refused to receive correction As if he had said This is it God takes exceeding ill at your hands and it showes that your rebellion is come to a great height he hath smitten you and you have not sorrowed that is you have not taken the sin to heart that hath caused this smiting Therefore he is angry as Hos. 4.14 I will visit your daughters no more c. because they have not profited by what I have done already that is the meaning of the place But chiefly and of all the rest of his mercies he will not beare the contempt of his Word I will name but one place 2 Chron. 36.15 saith the Prophet there I rose early and sent my messengers but how did you carry your selfe towards them You mocked my messengers and despised my Word till my wrath rose against you and there was no remedy As if he had said When a man once comes to this that when God shall once speake in his Word shall declare his truth shall make knowne sin and call him home by the Gospell but he shall neglect it take no good by it not suffer it to worke on him Now there is no remedy What then the wrath of God rises against him and then comes destruction so that it rises not the second time so that as God hath shewed you more mercy so are your sins more Doe but think what an unreasonable unequall thing it is that you should take so many mercies health and wealth from his immediate hand and yet never so much as thinke of him never worship him nor feare him nor take his mercies to heart How many taste of his goodnesse and yet continue to despise him and not to bring forth fruit by his Word which is no small thing And so much shall serve for the aggravations of sin Now wee will come to take away the Excuses And first Every man is ready to say Though I faile in many things yet I hope my meaning is good I have as good an heart as another man though I make not such a show But I will aske thee this briefe question Whence come thy evill words c. are they not fruits and buds that proceed from a sappe within When sparkes fly out of the Chimney top shall we not say there is fire in the house If we see evill words and actions shall not we say the corruption is greater in the root than in the branches Thou wilt excuse it It is my nature and I hope I shall be excused and that God will not deale so hardly with me he knowes I am flesh and bloud and the strength of my nature Well I will adde something to that I have formerly said it being a point hard for us to beleeve and to make use of I say the badnesse of thy nature is so farre from excusing thy sin that it exceedingly aggravates it I have shewed many reasons and will now adde these foure and then it will be evident to you First whereas you thinke your sin is excusable because of your natures you must know it is most strong and violent and stirring there for I will aske you whence come your sins It is answered Matth. 15.19 Out of the heart comes Adulteries Fornications c. And if out of the heart is it not thence as from the cause the Principle Are they not minted there And is not every thing strongest in the Cause If the Dough be sowre how sowre was the Leaven If so much ill be in the fruit there is much more in the Parents of that fruit Secondly as it is strong in the heart so it is much more abundant there that phrase expresses it sufficiently Out of the abundance of the heart the mouth speaketh As if our Saviour had said There is some evill in the tongue but it is abundant in the heart so that take any sinfull action it is a dish of water taken out of the Sea or like a drop taken out of the fountaine for there is an abundance a sea of corruption within Thirdly consider that sin in the heart is a spring and therefore an actuall sin that is exceeding hainous is not so much in Gods sight as a sinfull lust that is in the heart because it is a Spring and therefore is vertually more than a great Pond I say vertually more for it doth more Take a great vast sin it is a broad Pond that vanishes away as every action doth but a lust within is fruitfull it is a spring of sin and therefore is in efficacie more Fourthly the last consideration is neare this and that is sin in the heart is permanent the poison of Corruption remaines the action passes but the sinfull disposition continues in a man that when God lookes on him he sees him as an hatefull person he lookes on him as we doe on Toads and Serpents for his very nature is bad and that continues and in this regard exceeds sin in action This I say that you may make this use of it When you meet with any particular sin which appeares hainous let it be as a River to lead you to the Sea When you see a sin of covetousnesse of vanity of wrath of uncleannesse let that lead you to the heart and conclude that you have an uncleane heart a contentious heart a covetous heart a rebellious heart This use David made of his murder and upon that occasion he was brought to conceive aright of originall sin which perhaps he never so considered before Psal. 51.4 In sinne hath my mother conceived mee the greatnesse of his sin made him breake forth in that manner Against thee have I
false grounds may be as secure as another that hath peace on the best grounds and this imitates true faith So a man that is naturally meeke may carry it better than one that hath true meeknesse therefore it is hard to finde the difference But if you looke to the principles whence they come the masters whom they serve you shall finde they may be good all the way but not at the journeyes end they have an ill scope they ayme at a wrong marke Let them have what they will Circumcision nor Vncircumcision availes nothing unlesse they be New Creatures else God regards them not And so much shall serve for Excuses Now adde this to the rest labour to aggravate your sin by removing the Excuses which the nature of man is witty to invent use the ordinance of God which hee hath appointed to humble you and to worke these things on your hearts and that is his Word Ier. 23.29 Is not my Word as fire and as the hammer that breaketh the stones The scope of the place is to shew the power of preaching the Word purely what is the chaffe to the Wheat you shall know my Word and distinguish it from the word of men my Word when it is right is as a fire which melts and thawes the hearts of men and as an hammer to break their strong and stony hearts Come to the Word powerfully preached as it is in its owne nature delivered in the Evidence of the Spirit as it should bee and it will bee a meanes to soften the heart and breake thy stubborne spirit as an hammer and fire not suffering thee to be at rest untill thou commest under the power of it And if with this thou art not satisfied goe one step further to the Spirit of God thou must have a spirit of Bondage else thou canst expect no power All that we have said in drawing this mappe of sin in adding these aggravations and removing these excuses is nothing if God give not a spirit of Bondage to cause you to feare for it is that that makes the Law effectuall as the Spirit of Adoption makes the Gospel no man without it can see sin with a saving and feeling sight But how doth it worke this effect in a mans heart Not by making him feare God as a slave for that the Holy Ghost will not doe therefore that is not an Act we can attribute to him but my meaning is The Holy Ghost by the spirit of bondage enlightens a man to see his sin and the sentence of the Law against it and to judge of his estate with a righteous Iudgement and when he sees things as they are hee knowes and feeles the bondage he was in before though before he felt it not I say the Holy Ghost enlightens us which enlightning discovers to us and convinceth us of sin and then we looke on the Law and there finde Cursed is hee that continues not in all these Commandements to doe them Then observing our hearts and seeing how farre wee are from that rectitude the Law requires our spirits begin to feare like a man in bondage that is shut up in prison and in danger of his life therefore as for the Word so labour for this Spirit the Word is a sharp sword but how can it wound us without an Arme to handle it And when you have done that you will easily doe the thing I have exhorted you to do that is you will then come to Christ you will not stand to cheapen the Kingdome of God but you will buy it though you give all you have for it and yet will thinke you have a good bargaine you will not seeke the Kingdome of God in such a lazie and laxe and remisse manner as you were wont to doe but will take it violently And if you come to God after this manner if you be driven out of your selves and see what your owne righteousnesse is that it will not serve your turne and therefore seeke for a righteousnesse at his hands you may be sure he will not deny you You may see what Paul saith Galat. 3.8 That you may be assured that seeking you shall obtaine saith he If an Angell from heaven preach another Gospell or if I my selfe should doe it beleeve not the Angell and let me accurst As if he had said I have made this Truth knowne that you shall be justified by meere Grace without workes that you are to come to Christ with an empty hand bringing nothing with you If any man now should question this Gospell and thinke to bring something of his owne and will not sticke to this cleare promise nay if an Angell come from heaven and contradict it let him be accursed This is the true Gospell and you may beleeve it If you can therefore doe as Paul did Philip. 3.9 That reckoned all as drosse and dung that he might be found in Christ not having his own righteousnesse of the Law but that which is through faith in Christ. That when you came to see your condition you desire the righteousnesse of Christ with that earnestnesse that he did when he reckoned all as drosse and dung even his own righteousnesse which he knew would not serve the turne If I say thou canst thus goe to Christ knowing that no antecedent condition is required but onely thirsting for him being fully perswaded that thine owne righteousnesse is unsufficient and having a saving and firme knowledge That mans nature is full of all unrighteousnesse and ungodlinesse Christ cannot deny thee he will receive the to mercy We will now briefly come to the next point and that is this There is a revelation of wrath against all unrighteousnesse of men And that is another thing that will humble us for there must be two things to doe it one is to see our sins to know that there is no worth no excellencie no worthinesse at all in us And the second is to have an apprehension of wrath due for sin and so his misery under the same Though a man be never so miserable yet if he have a bottome to stand on he will not goe to Christ but when hee sees his owne nothingnesse and withall that the wrath of God hangs over him so that he must sinke utterly and that there is no way to helpe him when both these concurre a man is humbled Men may have one without the other As the Scribes and Pharisees O yee Generation of vipers who hath warned you to flie from the wrath to come they were sensible of wrath and had so much to humble them but they did not see that viperous serpentine evill disposition that was in themselves Againe many men may see their sins and acknowledge the insufficiencie of all they have but they are not sensible of wrath God hath not charged sin upon their consciences nor revealed his wrath and therefore they goe on in a senselesse manner and are no more moved with the other
God doth lead along but men doe Ponere obices lay blocks in his way God deales not only in Iustice but in much mercy with any vessell of wrath Indeed he loves the godly in a speciall manner but mercy he shewes to every man and the reason why he is not brought to more light is because he layes blockes and when God reveales still he layes more till at length there be an end of his patience and long-suffering To give an instance in Saul and David God led Saul along but he sins still God leads him on till at length hee went his way and God leaves him quite but in David you shall finde as many frailties as in Saul if you looke on Davids nature the strong temptations to which he was subject he was ready to lay blockes too but because God had a peculiar love to David he removed them all yet God dealt with Saul in much mercy he shewed much patience and long-suffering but David he loved with a peculiar love therefore he carried him thorow all So it is with all the faithfull I will put my feare in thine heart that thou shalt never depart from me saith God But you will say this is to preach Free-will and if men have free-will and be condemned for not doing what they might doe what is the difference betweene the Doctrine of the Papists and this I answer Though there be a free-wil to doe that for the not doing of which they shall be condemned so as you cannot come to any particular that these men cannot doe yet God hath kept it in his power to draw whom he will to sanctifie whom he will for God keepes these two together he keepes men within compasse of common grace so that they may doe much of themselves and the changing of mens hearts the enabling of them to beleeve effectually or repent the drawing of them to God that is proper to God So that these may well stand together this freedome they have yet it is not in any mans power to beleeve to repent effectually The second use we should make of it is for practice learne hence then to justifie God and to condemne our selves to thinke well of him and ill of our selves to give him the glory of his mercy and patience and long-suffering and to take shame to our selves lay the blame where the blame ought to be laid for let a man have committed never so great never so many sins if he hath something to say for himselfe he will never be humble labour to come to this to see that thou hast nothing to say for thy selfe to see that thy sin is out of measure sinfull as indeed it is and this will put a necessity on thee and teach thee to love much because much is forgiven thee and till this thou canst not be a man fit to come to Christ Therefore you shall finde these two expressions Rom. 3. All are under sinne And the like is in Galath 3.22 He hath shut up all under sin that the promise by the faith of IESUS CHRIST might be given to them that beleeve that every mouth may be stopped That is before God will shew mercy he will bring them to see that they are inexcusable that their mouths may be every way stopped that they may have nothing to say for themselves that they may have no excuse no Postica no back-doore when a man is shut up in sin when there is no evasion nothing to extenuate sin withall then his soule is humble and begins to sinâ—e before God then he sees the necessity of comming to Christ and is brought into the case they were in in the second Chapter of the Acts Men and brethren what shall we doe to be saved As if they should say before we thought we were in a good condition at least we had something to hold by in our apprehension but when Peter shewes them their guiltinesse then men and brethren what shall we doe to be saved This is it the Scripture cals Afflict your selves Iam. 3. Now the Greek word for Affliction is 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 that is when sorrow stands round about a man when there is no way to get out when one is hedged in on every side for when there is any scape it is not properly an Affliction because there is an evasion a way to helpe out but that makes it an Affliction when it compasses us round when we have nothing to say when all objections are removed so that we are througly convinced of sin this stirres up present apprehension of danger present sorrow for sin and when any Affliction is present it will have present ease There be many excuses but when the Holy Ghost removes all these then men are driven to Christ indeed before they clave to sinne as to their Center still departing and loath to depart for men come out of the state of unregeneration as Lot did come out of Sodome who was so loath to come out that the Angell was faine to draw him out so till we be all nothing till there be no twigge to hang by till there be no Fibrae to nourish us on our owne bottome we will never come to Christ as Ioab if he could have escaped Salomon he would not have flowne to the hornes of the Altar but when he saw no hopes then he laid hold on them and said If he will kill me he shall kill me here So if we can subsist in our naturall condition wherein we are we will love it we will cleave to it but when God hath ferited us out of all our turnings that there is no hope left then we goe to Christ then we take hold on the hornes of the Altar as when a man hath a cord let downe to him into the sea you need not bid him hold fast So when God takes away all excuses takes a man quite from his owne bottome cuts him from the root of Nature on which hee grew this makes him come to Christ. When we tell men of their sins that they are accursed that doe not keepe every part of the Law they deale with us as the Aegyptians did when it was told them that in every house the first borne should die except the destroying Angell saw their doore-posts sprinkled with bloud they regarded it not they minded it not till the very day and then where the bloud was not found they died for it So we may tell you of sin of the danger you are in we may tell you that you shall die yet you beleeve it not only a few whose hearts are sprinkled with the bloud of the Lambe they indeed defer it not for they doe not know how soone the destroying Angell may come Therefore labour to be convinced this is to know what a Mediatour is and not to have it in speculation only And here it were good to consider what that is that holds men on their roots there is an Anchor under water though
now dead except it be by the ingresse of this New Creature thou hast little cause to comfort thy selfe for those lusts are but covered and laid asleepe for a time and will wake and rise againe as Sampson when hee was tied with cords rose againe and was as strong as ever he was when the opportunity came And it was told him The Philistims are upon thee Sampson So lusts are laid asleepe till the opportunity comes when all the threed of good purposes breaks and they rise again in their strength therefore if there bee not a New Creature brought within thy soule thy lusts are but laid asleepe they will rise againe Or put case they be dead and rise no more yet except it be by the ingredience of this New Creature they are but dead of themselves and so long as they die of themselves God regards not that death for that which is required of us in Rom. 12.1 is that we sacrifice our selves Now two things are required in the Sacrifice one that it be slaine that it die not of it selfe for that is not a Sacrifice Secondly that it be offered to God and not to any other god Now this we oft finde that lusts die of themselves change of age experience operation of circumstances time place and many things may alter the desires for you must know The world passeth away and the lusts of it that is they are of a transitory Nature A man doth not desire that this yeare which he did the last Doe wee not see many have beene riotous and prodigall in youth yet there is a great change in them not for grace but age and use and experience and many things make alteration These are not slaine to the Lord but they die of themselves so God would not accept them Againe they may be slaine but not to the LORD thou mayest offer them to thy selfe which is the same as if thou offeredst them to another god that is a man may finde much evill and inconvenience much bitternesse in them it may be they have brought shame and misery on thee Againe thou mayst feare Gods judgements and therefore mayest restraine thy selfe In a word If thy selfe be thy end in abstaining from any sin what ever it be there is a Sacrifice thou hast slaine it but not offered it to the Lord it is not done to him It is not because thou lovest the Lord Iesus therefore it is not a fruit of the New Creature for till then every man makes himselfe his end in all he doth but when hee is made a New Creature hee makes the LORD his end This therefore is the use of this there must be two parts of this New Creature Vivification and Mortification an infusion of the new Quality and a weakning of the old Because this is a point of much moment I will presse it a little further and deliver this Rule I say this other Consectary may be gathered If it be so then thou must finde in thy selfe these two things Thou must find in thy selfe something more than Nature and againe thou must finde in thy selfe something lesse than Nature Thou must have lesse than what thy corrupt nature had in it and more than common nature hath in it or else thou wantest this third part of the New Creature this third thing wherein it consists the induction of a new Quality and a weakning of the old We will urge this a little First there must be a lessening and a weakening of that was there before for you must know every man hath some personall infirmities some sinnes more peculiar to his Nature than others something wherein hee is weake every man hath it one of one sort another of another sort every man hath a more inclination to this or that sinne which is bred and borne with him If thou findest that this continues with thee still that thou hast the same running-sore on thee that thou hadst that thou findest no alteration in that that there is no lessening no weakning no destroying and mortifying of that then thou art not a New Creature and consequently thy sins are not forgiven for Iustification and Sanctification are inseparable It thy sins were pardoned they would be healed that is the thing you must consider It is certaine therefore if you doe not find them healed you are not yet in Christ for if thou wert in Christ truly there would a vertue come out of him that would heale thy bloudy-issue for the vertue of his death is never disjoyned from the merit of his death where ever he forgives sin he cures sinne therefore if thou findest that hee hath not cured any sin know it is not forgiven You may see it every where Mary Magdalen as much was forgiven her so she had a great cure wrought in her shee was changed she became another woman you see how exceeding holy she was when Christ said Thy sinnes are forgiven she went away with another heart So it was with Paul when once his sins were forgiven when God sent word by Ananias that hee was a chosen vessell withall he was made a glorious Professour of a raging Persecutour there was a healing of sin as well as forgiving of it So David when his sinne was forgiven when God told him by Nathan so much his sin was cured hee did not commit adultery againe therfore in the one and fiftieth Psalme the cure stands on record that all the world may know that where God forgiveth he healeth likewise So Peter when God had forgiven him that sin of denying his Master he cured it too To adde a little more I say Sinne must be healed if it bee forgiven for it cannot bee otherwise if God take any man to beare his Name and his sins bee not healed his Name should be blasphemed it would redound to his dishonour Againe if he should forgive and not heale us we should have no comfort from him nor he no service from us we should have no comfort from him because of the rage and vexation of ruling lusts Againe he should have no service from us for how can we serve him when we are not healed Can a sicke man doe any service Hee must be healed and restored to health first Now doe you thinke God will put his children in a condition that neither they shall have comfort from him nor he service from them therefore it is of necessity wheresoever sin is forgiven it is healed Therefore in Hosea 14. When I take away your iniquities I will heale your rebellions So in Deut. 30.6 when he will have mercy upon them saith hee I will also circumcise your hearts and the hearts of your seed that you shall love mee with all your soule and with all your strength Hee never pardons but he likewise circumciseth So in Ier. 24.7 I will set mine eye upon you for good that is I will pardon you and receive you to mercy and also will give you an heart to know
the will to God 1 49 Nature workes out what is Contrary to it 2 111 Conversation Conversation the change in it 2 66 Constant. Hatred Constant. 1 290 What is naturall is Constant 2 110 Constant feast by Christ 3 91 Conviction Convictions of unbeliefe 1 255 Conviction wrought by the Spirit 1 10 Corrupt Wee must have lesse in us than nature Corrupt 2 87 See Nature Covenant Covenant sealed in the Sacrament 2 22 Covenant on Gods part 3 16 Covenant on our part 3 24 Creature Creature cannot doe good or evill 1 261 Creature how to be used 2 268 See God Custome Custome in sinne suppresseth the Truth 1 205 Custome the advantages it hath against us 2 123 D Damned HE that beleeveth not shall be Damned 2 197 Day Sabbath Gods Day 1 256 Debt Our Debt paid by Christ 3 61 Defect Not to bee discouraged for Defects 2 169 Delay Delay when God cals dangerous 1 20 Comming to God not to be Delayed 2 98 Not to Delay when Christ calls 2 156 Delight Delight corrupted 1 66 Deniall Deniall of God in sinne 1 90 Deniall one excuse of sin 1 229 Death Why God punisheth sinne with eternall Death 1 187 Christs Death shewed forth in the Sacrament 3 4 Death of Christ how made void 3 20 Out of Christ wee are subject to Death 3 47 Death how it is ours 3 84 Despised God Despised in the commission of sinne 1 92 Destruction Hatred seekes the Destruction of a thing 1 192 Iealousie of God brings Destruction 1 301 Desires Desires from corrupt nature nothing 2 102 Disgrace Disgrace of good men from the world 2 125 Disease Sinne the Disease of the soule 2 190 Difference Difference betweene men made by God 2 149 Difficultie Difficultie in duties should not discourage us 1 120 Discouragements Discouragements hinder from Religion 2 34 Disobedience Disobedience of mans will 1 51 Disobedience in small things great ibid. Disobedience against God in the least sinne 1 280 Disposition Disposition in man double 1 79 Divinitie See Perswade Dogges Dogges to be kept out of Christs flocke 1 299 Doubting Reasons against Doubting of forgivenesse 3 20 Dutie Performance of Dutie double 1 251 E Earth THe mercy of Christ when he was on Earth 3 22 Effect To see sinne in the Effects of it 1 275 Election See Reprobation Enemie Enemies of the faith what to learne of them 1 296 Enmitie Enmitie of the understanding 1 46 Envie Most men Envie the new Creatture 2 147 End End of God by whom it is crossed 1 146 Evill See Good Ever Salvation and damnation continue for Ever 2 201 Spirituall food endureth for Ever 3 88 Experience Experience shewes God to be the Author of grace 2 151 Experience of Christ helpes to unite us to him 2 180 Excellencie Grace preferred before all other Excellencies 2 38 Grace the proper Excellencie of a man 2 40 Knowledge of Christs Excellencie unites us to him 2 178 Exigent Triall of trust in God is in an Exigent 1 258 Expend Gods wrath in time is Expended 1 273 Excuse Conscience corrupt in the office of Excusing 1 56 Excuses of sinne 1 101.221 Meanes to arme us against these Excuses 1 108 Eye The New Creature lookes on things with a new Eye 2 54 Eye double and single 2 133 F Faculties FAculties in man corrupted 1 43 Faith Faith to be contended for 1 296 Faith sanctified 2 21 Faith workes on the promises 2 26 Faith encreased by the Sacrament 3 5 Transubstantiation against faith 3 12 Fast. Fast no arbitrary dutie 1 248 Fast defined ibid. Falling away Falling away why not to be feared 2 117 Fault Men excuse sinne by slighting the Fault 1 230 Feare Feare corrupted 1 66 Feare to be placed on God onely 1 258 Gods jealousie should make us Feare 1 302 Feare double 1 303 The Word to bee heard with Feare 2 159 Gods children freed from Feare 2 194 Feare put for the worshippe of God 3 21 Feare of a flitting nature 3 28 Out of Christ wee are subject to the Feare of death 3 48 Feast Spirituall things resembled to a Feast why 2 217 Feast promised by Christ 3 86 Feeding Necessitie of daily Feeding on Christ 2 181 Fit What Fits us for mercy 3 22 First-fruits Two things in First-fruits 2 136 Spirituall things wee have in the First-fruits 2 217 Fire Fire from heaven to bee cherished 2 160 Flesh. To eat Christs Flesh what 2 181 Food Properties of spirituall Food 3 87 Forget Memory corrupt in that we ought to Forget 1 53 Men choke the Truth when they labour to Forget it 1 204 Forgivenesse Forgivenesse of sins how it makes blessed 2 187 Confirmation in the assurance of Forgivenesse 3 19 Formality Formalitie argues want of zeale 1 288 Free The worke of the Spirit Free 2 100 Fruit. Hipocrites bring not forth Fruit 2 126 Wearinesse in the Fruit of sinne 3 69 Fulnesse Fulnesse reserved for heaven 2 218 Future Helpes to minde Future things 2 219 G Gifts COmmon Gifts in naturall men 1 152 Giving Giving what 2 172 Glory Transubstantiation against Gods Glory 3 9 Glory appeared in Christs humiliation ibid. Glory one benefit by Christ 3 76 God The law of mans judgement mamanifested by God 1 180.183 None can doe good and evill but God 1 261 If the Creature could doe it it were God 1 262 In all things to looke to God 1 269 Every sinne sets up another God 1 281 Conversion of the heart proper to God 2 9 New Creature the worke of God 2 149 The praise of all good to be given to God 2 161 God how hee is made ours 2 189 Sinne drives the Saints nearer to God 2 206 See Portion Good Men excuse the ill in them by the Good 1 105 Good things in ill men doe them no Good 1 144 God onely doth evill and Good 1 253 Those that are Christs all workes for their Good 2 205 Gospell Gospell shewes mans nature to be corrupted 1 76 Sinnes against the Gospell the greatnesse of them 1 77 Sinne excused by living under the Gospell 1 104 Gospell tends to sanctification 2 21 Iudgement of the Gospell 2 45 Gospell what 3 16 Gospell two parts of it 3 18 Grace Grace desired by carnall men 2 30 Christians rich in Grace 3 78 Greatnesse Wee should labour to see God in his Greatnesse 1 265 Guilt Sinne a burthen as it brings under Guilt 2 190 Wearinesse in the Guilt of sinne 3 69 H Habite WEarinesse in the Habite of sinne 3 71 Happinesse Happinesse a motive to come to Christ 2 193 Mans Happinesse by Christ 2 196 Happinesse what 2 224 Hardnesse Hardnesse of heart in sinning 1 28 Hatred Hatred the properties of it 1 65 Hatred of God 1 89 Hatred of the Truth 1 133 Hatred and anger differenced 1 290 Healeth Where God forgiveth he Healeth 2 88 Health Grace the Health of the soule 2 39 Helpe Supervenient Helpe needfull in two things 2 160 Heart The Heart must be new framed
2 62 Our Hearts should melt at Christs love 3 41 See God Hell Out of Christ wee are subject to Helâ— 3 49 Aggravations of the misery of Hell 3 50 Hid. The state of Gods children Hid 2 41 Honour Sanctification stands with Gods Honour 2 89 House What kinde of House God is 2 195 Humbled Humiliation Humiliation must goe before Iustification 1 6 Israelites how God Humbled them 1 7 Humiliation two things in it 1 8 Humiliation to bee laboured for 1 18 Triall of true Humiliation 1 22 Helpes to Humiliation 1 26 Good men shoud desire Humiliation 1 30 Humiliation a remedie against Gods wrath 1 278 Hundred-fold Hundred-fold with persecution 2 223 Hunger Hunger out of Christ 2 215 I Iealousie IEalousie of God provoked by want of zeale 1 299 Idolatrie Idolatrie to attribute that to the Creature that belongs to God 1 265 Idolatrie a sinne of Israel 1 295 Impediment Impediments not removed suppresse the Truth 1 206 Impediments of two sorts 2 152 Impossible That which GOD requires of Christians not Impossible 2 255 Transubstantiation a doctrine Impossible 3 8 Imprison See Truth Inclination Inclination wrought by the Spirit 2 16 Inclination changed 2 63 Inclination changed how to bee Knowne 2 64 Independent Independent riches make men independent 2 212 Inconsideration Inconsideration keeps men in their old state 1 240 Infirmitie Men excuse sinne from their Infirmitie 1 232 Incredulity Incredulity of mans understanding 1 45 Instigate Conscience corrupted cannot Instigate to good 1 55 Inlightned Carnall men may be Inlightned 1 152 Inconstancie Inconstancie of mans will 1 50 Instrument Ministers and ordinances Instruments 2 158 Insensible Ill signe to be Insensible of Gods wrath 1 272 Inexcusable So much revealed as makes man Inexcusable 1 219 Ioy. Ioy mortifieth Lusts 1 18 Israelites See Humbled Iubile Iubile a resemblance of libertie in the Gospell 1 19 Iustifie Iustification Why we are Iustified by anothers righteousnesse 1 3 Iustification and sanctification inseparable 2 4 Iustification how it admits degrees 2 177 The clothing of the soule in Iustification 3 95 See Humiliation and Sanctification Iudge How to Iudge of things 1 270 Iudgement Sinne in time brings forth Iudgement 1 272 Execution of Iudgement commended 1 295 Iustice. What makes men acknowledge Gods Iustice 1 13 Iustice of God on whom it appeares most 1 147 Want of Iustice a cause of Iudgement 1 295 K Kinde NAture common to the whole Kinde 2 96 Kingdome Kingdome we have by Christ 3 72 Knowledge Knowledge an aggravation of sin 1 92 Knowledge in naturall men without rellish 1 155 Knowledge sinned against imprisoneth Truth 1 195 A sin of Knowledge what 1 197 Sinne excused for want of Knowledge 1 221 It is a sinne not to encrease Knowledge 1 198 Men might have more Knowledge 1 222 Knowledge of our estate at the first conversion 2 51 What kinde of Knowledge makes new Creatures 2 76 L Law THe Law shewes mans nature to be corrupted 1 34 Law how to be understood 1 35 Law the least breach of it punished 1 36 Law compared to Aegyptian Tasks-masters 1 37 Law against which men sin is exact 1 282 Law of God approved by natural men 2 104 See Schoole-master Leaven Sinne likened to Leaven 2 128 Liberty Benefits of setting the Truth at Libertie 1 171 Meanes to set Truth at Libertie 1 172 Libertie by Christ 3 73 Libertie what ibid. See Iubile Life Life promised to the taking of Christ 3 55 Life spirituall the excellencie of it 3 56 Exhortation to partake of this Life 3 57 Life how it is a Christians 3 83 Light Light imprisoned foure wayes 1 134 Aggravations of sinnes against Light 1 146 Naturall men defective in Light 1 154 The burden of Christ in bearing growes Light 2 141 Long-suffering Wee should give God the glory of his Long-suffering 1 237 Lord. Zeale for the Lord 1 285 Sacrifice offred to the Lord 2 86 Love Love mortifieth Lusts 1 13 Men sinne out of Love to evill 1 163 Love of Christ the greatnesse of it 2 39 Love cannot be counterfeit 2 92.3 29 Perwasion of Christs Love unites to him 2 179 To serve Christ in Love a part of the Covenant 3 26 Love constant 3 28 Lusts. Lusts detained keep men in their old state 1 241 Lusts why God suffers them in his children 2 35 Excellencie of the new Creature above Lusts 2 37 Old Lusts must be mortified 2 84 M Mannah MAnnah how it is Angels food 2 215 Manifest The Law of Mans judgement Manifest foure wayes 1 181 Marke Marke of Christ what 3 53 Meanes Meanes enjoyed aggravate sin 1 99 Sin excused from want of Means 1 228 Difference of feare in respect of Meanes 1 303 Meanes of Grace tend to Sanctification 2 21 Meaning Sin excused from good meaning 1 101 Mediator Why God hath appointed us such a Mediator as Christ 1 187 Memory Memory the corruption of it in two things 1 53 Mercy Mercy of God the greatnesse of it 3 22 Mercy to whom it is shewed 3 52 Metaphor Metaphors used in the Sacraments of the old Law 3 7 Ministery Ministery to be advanced 1 298 Misery Our Misery out of Christ 2 178 Forgivenesse of sinnes takes away the cause of Misery 2 18 See Apprehension Morall vertues Morall vertues nothing without change of nature 2 102 N Naked OVt of Christ we are Naked 2 209 To be Naked what 2 213 Nature Mans Nature full of ungodlinesse 1 4 33 All in mans Nature corrupt 1 41 Badnesse of Nature aggravates sinne 1 101 Men by Nature how far they may goe 1 151 How farre men by Nature fall short 1 153 God made manifest by the light of Nature 1 181 Sinne excused from corruption of Nature 1 226 What keepes men in the state of Nature 1 240 Conversion of men are turning the course of Nature 2 8 More than Nature required in the New Creature 2 91 Those that are in Christ have another Nature 2 95 Not to be content without a new Nature 2 101 Two things in a new Nature 2 112 Naturall When a thing is said to be Naturall 2 95 Good duties must bee Naturall to us 2 107 Necessitie No Necessitie of Transubstantiation 3 3 Need. Riches helpe in time of Need 2 211 Neglect Neglect keepes men from Christ 1 12 Neglect in serving of God 1 257 Net Gospell a Net 1 23 New Creature New Creature the excellencie of it 2 37 New Creature signes of it 2 49 New Creature what 2 61 New Creature the parts of it 2 84 New Creature required 2 122 Noblenesse The Spirit workes Noblenesse of spirit 2 15 Number Consideration of the Number of former sins helps humiliation 1 27 O Oath THE Covenant confirmed with an Oath 2 24 Object Faculties knowne by their Object 2 56 Objection Objection of Papists out of Iohn 6. concerning eating Christs flesh answered 3 33 Offices Offices of Christ goe together 2 20 Offices of Christ to be improved 2 183 Old Old