changed into another love into hatred and hatred into love joy into grief boldness into fear Lately the desires were who will shew us any good now the desires are what shall we do to be saved Lately the delights were iâ— sin in sensualities in vain societies now they are in the favour of God in Jesus Christ in pardon of sin in heavenly communion Lately the love was set on that which was most unlovely now it is set on the most lovely object indeed Christ is the center c. Lately the grief was a turbulent Sea for worldly losses but now it is a running River for sinning against God Lately the affections were wings for iniquity but now they are springs for duty I may not inlarge by what you have heard it may plainly appear Dâ—monstrations of a notable change in Conversion From the person converted From the work of Conversion that true Conversion works an universal change in the sinner Demonstrations that there is a notable change in Conversion 1. The person converted he is made pertaker of the Divine Nature 1 Pet. 1. 4. He is a new Creature 2 Cor. 5. 7. He is quickned from the dead Eph. 2. 1. He is born again Jo. 3. 3. 2. The work of Conversion It is the effect of the great and good will of Election and in it God displayes the glory of his great Love and Grace and Mercy And Christ sees of the travel of his soul some special fruit of his wonderful sufferings and purchases And the holy Ghost doth manifest his almighty Poâ—er and the noblest act thereof and converting grace is a new contrary nature a new man 3. The end of Conversion Conversion is the first From the end of Conversion inward work for heavenly glory It is wrought to make us meet to be partakers of the inheritance of the Saints in light Naturally we are opposite to God and to all Communion with him Without holiness no man shall see the Lord no unclean thing can enter there sinning Angels were cast out of Heaven God qualifies those whom he will dignifie he qualifyed Saul for an earthly Kingdome much more the sinner for an heavenly Kingdome Heavenly glory is absolutely inconsistent with a graceless heart the promise of it is so and the nature of it is so and the work of it is so and the reward of it is so 4. Converted persons are to live other lives and to do other works therefore there must be a change of their Converted persons must live oâ—her lives Vse 1. This convinceâ—h many to be yet unconverted Such in whom appears no change at all Forms and Principles and Powers Is true Conversion a change a great change an internal and cordial change an universal change Why then this one truth palpably convinceth multitudes of people to be as yet not converted 1. There are some men in whom there appears no change at all neither inward nor outward the Leopards spots remain and the Blackmores skin is unchanged they were ignorant and so are still they were drunkards swearers railers scoffers mockers of godliness and godly men Sabbath-breakers unclean proud and so are still The Prophet speaks of some whose scum departed not from them Ezek. 24. 12. And the Apostle of some who cannot cease to do evil 2 Pet. 2. 14. And David of some who hate to be reformed Psal 50. 16. And Steven of some who alwayes resist the holy Ghost Acts 7. 51. And Paul of some who wax worse and worse 2 Tim. 3. 13. Although changes go over their age they were young and now are old yet no change goes over their hearts and lives although changes go over their bodies their strength is changed into weakness and their health is changed into sickness although changes go over their estates their wealth is changed into poverty and their abundance is changed into want although changes go over the times peace is changed into war and safety is changed into danger nay although sometimes changes goe over their consciences Stupidity is changed into horrour and pleasure into terrour yet their hearts are not changed they approve love and delight in their sins as much as ever and their Conversations are not changed they drive the same trade run on to the same excess of Riotousness wallow in the same mire of Ungodliness despise converting Ordinances converted Persons converting Graces Now what shall I say to these Persons They are unchanged sinners and so is God an unchangeable God who hath threatned them and swore his Wrath against them Thou wilt not repent of thy sins nor will God repeâ—t of his Wrath thou wilt not turn to him and therefore will he turn away his mercy from thee and will overturn overturn overturn thee as the Prophet phraseth it 2. There are some whose change is only outward but it is Such whose Change is only outward not inward not inward and cordial they stand off from many sins and come on to many duties and yet their hearts are not changed There are six things which may convince a man that his heart is not changed 1. When a man seems to be tender least he should Six things convince a man his Heart is not changed commit a sin but yet his heart was never tender and humbled for all the sins which he hath committed Jer. 31. 19. I was ashamed yea even confounded because I did bear the reproach of my youth If Repentance begins not in tears it will end in tears When I look forward and see sin with a trembling eye O I dare not offend my God and when I look backward and see sin with a mournful eye O I have sinned I have sinned these indeed do shew a converted and changed heart But I fear it is rather a policy then a change and a regard more to my credit then my conscience when I expostulate with a sin in Temptation and never mourn for many sins in Commission 2. When a man leaves many sins but yet he doth not loath any sin Many a man sometimes abstains from meat yet loves it but a good heart abstains from sin as from a serpent which he hates He turnes his face from them but he turnes not his heart from them he doth not act the sin nor doth hate the sin he doth not let 〈◊〉 out of door nor yet crucify it within door he seems not to be a friend and yet is not an enemy to sin this mans heart is not changed 3. When a man acts from an awing Conscience and not from a renewing Spirit flies from sin only when conscience flies upon him for sinning and doth good only when conscience is unquiet when not Grace which works uniformly but terour which works accidentally is his Principle though a while there be some diversity and diversion too in this man yet there is no change of heart in him even Pharaoh under a Judgment yielded who yet upon a respite hardned his heart again and Iron whiles hot
God hath rejected the Prayers of such who have râ—sted on â—hâ—ir own woâ—thiness their own worthiness The Pharisee was rejected upon this account Jam. 4. 6. God resisteth the proud .i. he regards them not he rewards them not the humble he doth but the proud he doth not He hath filled the hungry with good things and the rich he hath sent empty away so Mary Luk. 1. 53. A confidence of our Worthiness makes us uncapable therefore a sense of our Unworthiness makes us not uncapable An empty Stomack will receive but a full Vessel will admit of nothing you shall never find a rich God if you come to him with rich Spirits The Pharisee he goes up to pray and what doth he discover in his prayers I am not as other men I am no Extortioner I am no Adulterer I fast twice in the week He conceales his sins and displayes his perfections he stands upon his worthiness but he loseth his acceptance he justified himself but God did not justifie him accept him acquit him 5. None ever found more mercy then such who have come None have found more mercy then they who have been mâ—st sensible of unworthiness unto God in the sense of their own Vnworthiness I will give you some instances for this out of Scripture Matth. 8. The Centurion was so sensible of his unworthiness that he durst not himself presume to invite Christ to the help of his servant and when he had intreated him he did not think his house worthy of Christs presence I am not worthy that thou shouldst come under the roofe of mine house ver 8. yet he prayes Speak the word only and my servunt shall be healed and he speeds his Faith is applauded and his prayer fully granted ver 13. His servant was healed the same hour Mar. 5. 25. The poor woman who was so sensible of her unworthiness ver 33. she came fearing and trembling and fell down she durst not either immediately or mediately speak to Christ only her Faith spake at her fingers ends for she said If I may but touch his cloaths I shall be whole ver 28. How doth this speed ver 29. Straightway the fountain of her blood was dryed up What should I speak of the woman of Canaan who confessing her self to be as a Dog and thereupon craving for crumbs was presently fed and answered with a great mercy Or what should I speak of the Publican a penitent all in sighs all in tears altogether unworthy and he knew it and therefore Stands afar off dares not lift up his eyes to heaven smâ—tes on his brest and cryes out Lord be merciful to me a sinner Here was a deep sense of Unworthiness here was nevertheless a fervent prayer and upon it a most gracious answer He went home justified 6. Lastly Sense of our unworthiness it is a strong principle Sense of unworthiness is a strong principle and furtherance of prayer and furtherance of prayer We are most barren and idle in prayer when we are least sensible of our sins and we are more diligent to prayer more spurred on and are more zealously fervent and importunate when we are most sensible of our own vileness and unworthiness For indeed the true sense of our unworthiness is a special part of our spiritual poverty and poverty of spirit breeds the strongest desires even hungring and thirsting after righteousness and both of them have promises of a most full and exceeding great reward as you may see in Mat. 5. 3 6. And thus briefly for the Explication and Comfirmation of the Doctrine Now I proceed to the useful Application of it The Uses which I will make of this point shall be 1. To try our selves whether we be sensible of our unworthiness in our Vse 1. Addresses unto God 2. Then to encourage our hearts notwithstanding our unworthiness to draw near to the Throne of Grace 1. For Examination Are we sensible of our unworthiness in our approaches unto God that we deserve nothing at For Examination all that we come not to buy but to beg not to deserve but to receive There be many reasons why I put you upon this Reasons of our Trial. search 1. Because many pervert this Doctrine of personal unworthiness they utterly mistake it they do profess that nothing Many pervert the Doctrine of personal unworthiness that is in them can deserve any thing with God and therefore trample upon all holiness of heart and godliness of life as if there were no use of Grace but to merit or Gold were of no use but in a Crown But these are a loathsome people who would link great mercies and a wicked life together To be sensible of our unworthiness is not to rest in an evil condition nor is it to run on in an evil conversation nor is it to slight holy duties for thy performances nor is it to disregard habitual or actual Grace this argues an unsensible and seared conscience But this it is to strive against sin to strive after all holiness to be careful and watchful to pious performances yet with all and after all to cast those Crowns to the ground not in their names but in the name of Christ and free mercy to expect answer and help Though imperfect holiness in the habits or acts cannot justifie men yet they may glorifie God and though they put not dignity into the hand yet they put a capacity into the hand a fitness to receive though not a worthiness to claim 2. Because many tender Christians are not yet rightly sensible of their unworthiness they are very apt to insist and adhear unto Many â—ender Christians are not yet rightly sensible of their unworthiness themselvs Two things do evidently shew that like Jacob's Sons who went down with money in their Sacks and would not go without Benjamin so these Christians would bring something to buy out their requests with God One is this that all the promises of free Grace and mercy do not satisfie them though God hath said he will love freely and pardon sin for his own sake yet they are not contented to accept to receive they are most hardly perswaded that the Sun will shine so freely that God will accept such a vile sinner upon such easie terms and without any more adoe pass by all transgressions Another is that they are frequent in digging after reasons and causes of good in themselves If they could bring Hearts more broken Graces more strong Affections more melting Conversations less tainted then they could be perswaded that God would hear and grant them the mercy or good which they do desire I confess that we must strive after perfection in all Grace enlarged desires an humble complaint a fervent endeavour in the use of all sacred means all of these are commendable practices yet herein we fail and exceedingly to if we pluck back the hand from receiving because we are not full that we will not suck the
brests because we are empty that we would find any causes of good in our selves who at our best are unprofitable and unworthy 3. Because it is a very dangerous thing to stand upon our personal It is very dangerous to stand upon personal worthiness worthiness when we approach unto the Lord For Now we come without Christ we do sacrifice alone we take the Office of our high Priest out of his hands Nay we frustrate the worthiness of Christ for we cannot joyn our worthiness and his together if we plead in our own names we make void his As it is in the point of Justification if we stand to our own righteousness we make void the righteousness of Christ So is it in the matter of supplication if we stand to our own worthiness and will be heard for our own sake we exclude the merit of Christs intercession we may as well be our own redeemers as our own intercessours We meet with pure justice for if we stand upon personal dignity then our qualities and actions must necessarily have equality to justice God must dispence to us according to our own deserts when we stand upon our own worthiness then God deals with us in justice if we renounce it then room is made for the mercy-seat Quest But then you will demand how may we know that How we may know that we are truly sensible of our unworthiness we are rightly sensible of our unworthiness in our approaches unto God Sol. I conjecture thus 1. If you are sensible of your own Unworthiness when you pray unto the Lord Then Jesus Christ will be your greatest plea If Jesus Christ be our greatest Plea you will begin to move in his Name and you will urge and prosecute it in his Name and you will shut it up with an expectation in his Name Thou wilt not say I am now in an excellent soft temper and for its sake shall I prevail and I have carried the day through now with more affections and less distractions therefore for this shall I prevail As Leah said I have born my husband this son therefore my husband will love me But in all thy sacrifices and services thou wilt fly unto a Mediator and still plead his Title his Worth his Merit Lord help me to pray for Christ's sake Lord give me mercy and grace for Christ's sake Lord hear accept answer do me good for thy Christ's sake 2. Then the Covenant of Grace will put heart into you and draw If the Covenant of Grace put heart into you you on alone to your performances as the wind alone will stir the Mill or the tide alone will drive the Boat I assure you that if you be rightly sensible of your Unworthiness you will look after a Mercy-Seat and after a Throne of Grace you will be inquisitive upon what terms Grants of Mercy and of Grace are issued out of the Court of Heaven Nor will it seem a small thing in thine eyes that the Lord will do good to an unworthy sinner for his own sake yea that he hath affirmed as much and obliged himself thereto in a firm Covenant This will breed in thee Thankfulness it will be not onely a support to thy soul but a joy to thy heart thy case is yet hopefull for though thou be not worthy yet God will do thee good readily and freely And Vsefulness thou wilt be readily content to accept of mercy upon the terms of mercy A beggar ready to starve will be glad to take an Alms he will put out his hand to receive it and thank you too As the Servants of Benhadad catcht the word Thy servant c. so will you the word of promise Respect Lord for thy Covenant sake At this door of free Grace there you shall have the sinner sensible of his unworthiness standing night and day expecting when the Scepter shall be held out Gods own arguments and motives of doing good which are to be found onely in the Covenant of Grace they are such as you will accept of with all your hearts to plead with God The second Use is for Encouragement That though we be sensible of our Unworthiness either to approach unto God or to Vse 2. Encouragement to draw near to the Throne of Grace speak unto God and much more to deserve any thing from God yet not to be discouraged but humbly and confidently to draw near to the Throne of Grace expecting grace and mercy to help in time of need And to excite you thereto consider 1. It is not our merit but our duty that we must look unto 'T is not thousands of Rams or ten thousand Rivers of Oyl it is not It is not our merit but our duty we must look unto the Pearls of the Sea or the Treasures of the Earth or the Excellencies of Angels alas God puts us not to that to deserve his mercies to deserve his graces if so what one sinner should ever receive mercy or grace no flesh righteous can be justified in his sight and if he should mark what is amiss who should stand before him But the Lord puts us upon our duty Ask and you shall receive knock and it shall be opened unto you Ho every one that thirsts come drink of the water of life freely 2. It is not our worthiness that we must plead but Gods promise It is not our worthiness that we must plead but Gods promise when we pray unto him Remember the word upon which thou hast caused thy servant to hope said David Psal 119. Remember thy Covenant with Abraham Isaac and Jacob said Moses Exod. 32. Thou saidst that thou wouldst do me good said Jacob Gen. 32. Mercies come to thee not for thy worthiness sake but for his promise sake not ex dignitate petentis but ex dignatione donantis 3. You can never be so worthy but that Justice may take exceptions You can never be so worthy but Justice may take exceptions against you nor yet so unworthy but mercy may fill your mouth with arguments Though I were righteous yet would I not answer thee but I would make supplication to my Judge saith Job chap. 9. 15. And Though I am poor and needy yet the Lord thinks upon me said David Psal 40. 17. The proudest Pharisee may find enough to stop his mouth and the humblest Publican may find enough to open it No not the most righteous can stand at the Bar of Justice and yet the most dejected sinner may humbly plead at the Throne of Mercy there are Arguments enough in mercy for any sinner to plead mercy 4. You are not to pray in pride but in faith And then what is We are not to pray in pride but in faith thy condition that Faith cannot deliver up to God through Christ Thou knowest that it is the office of Faith not to present thy worthiness but thy wants It looks on arguments for thee not how good thou art but how
Why should I be so safety and the pledg of an happy eternity Why should I be so foolish to be miserably bad who in a moment may be assuredly blessed any wisdome will teach me to leave a wicked life for an holy and good which hath made me to know that mercy is beter then misery and that Heaven is better then Hell 3. Christian Courage If we will not act the wayes of Heaven till we see all difficulties removed and all dangers Christian courage secured we shall never enter into those wayes but when the love of Christ hath inflamed our hearts with a right zeal of his Glory assuredly we will be ding Modo magnificetur Christus I must bring some Glory to my God c. Luther feared not to go to the Diet at Worms had there been as many divels as tiles on the houses What do you tell S. Paul of bonds or speak to the couragious Christian of discouragements I have sworn and will perform it saith David that I will keep thy righteous statutes S. Jerom would not only renounce but throw off and trample upon father and mother for Christ What do you speak of poverty of disgraces of losses of want of self-denials in ease in pleasures c. He who will be good can lose nothing but that which will lose him and get that which he should never have gotten had he not been good indeed 4. A precious estimation and affection after Gods honour Ah! A precious estimation of Gods honour did we in any holy measure comprehend the height and bredth and depth of his favour in Christ would we not strive to enter in at the strait Gate should not the Kingdome of Heaven suffer violence What to sand upon a sinful pleasure or profit or way and to lose a good gracious bountiful God What sinful lust pleasure way would we stand upon What holy course or way would we set upon would we be slow to see the face of God and live would we not speedily set our selves in the wayes of his countenance Zacheus being desirous to see Christ upon his call made haste and came down Luke 19. 6. 5. A tender fear of God This also causeth a present execution of our purposes You read what it wrought in Josiah in Noah in others When the heart apprehends its way to be evil and the displeasure of God to hang over it and his threatnings all in armour c. Oh I dare not go on to offend any longer 6. A right belief in God Whether you take it in the threats as they of Niniveh believed the preaching of Jonah and A tender fear of God presently humbled and reformed themselves and wayes chap. 3. 5. Promises of sweetest mercy made unto real penitents that full free soon mercy shall be had Why if those be believed they will draw off the soul from a sinful course A right Belief in God unto a good course The Apostle therefore beseecheth the Romans by the mercies of God to be transformed Rom. 12. 1. O this that God offers and assures me of mercy and now I may have it if I will now reform a puts the soul to the present work To day I will hear his voice for to day is the day of mercy this is an acceptable season now I may be made happy for ever LUKE 15. 20 And he arose and came to his father But when he was yet a great way off his father saw him and had compassion and ran and fell on his neck and kissed him These words contein in them two parts 1. The real practice of Repentance which consists not in a bare Resolution but in a sincere Execution I will arise said the Prodigal this was Motus volentis and he did arise this was opus penitentis I will go to my father and here He arose and came to his father 2. The comfortable issue of real Repentance But when he was yet a great way off c. Wherein you have considerable 1. The quick observation of this penitents Father His father saw him yea when he was yet a great way off Even in this sense God sees our thoughts afar off God many times is unwilling to see the sinner but he is at all times very willing to espy the penitent 2. His present commiseration His father saw him and had compassion on him Wicked men look on a penitent with derision penitent persons look on themselves with abomination but God looks on them with compassion he looks on the penitent sinner with a pitiful affection When Ephraim repented and turned My Bowels saith God are troubled for him I will surely have mercy on him As soon as ever the Prodigal looks back mercy looks out q. d. Ah! is he returned indeed I pity him I will receive him I will forgive him 3. His gracious acceptation expressed in three particulars 1. One of speedy readiness The Father ran The Son doth go the Father ran Mercy hath not only a quick eye but foot also it posts it speeds it runs to embrace a penitent God is very slow to punish a sinner but he is very ready to relieve and accept of a returning sinner 2. A second Of wonderful tenderness The Father fell on his neck To have looked on him was it not enough to have given order for his usage had it not been well to have taken him by the hand had it not been too much but the Father did more then all this He fell on his neck Divine mercy will not only meet a penitent but embrace him That sinner whom the hands of justice would have everlastingly confounded if he be penitent the arms of mercy will lovingly clasp c. A third Of strong affectionateness And kissed him Here are eyes to behold the returning Son and an heart to pity him and feet to meet him and armes to embrace him and lips also to kiss him Naked mercies are not enough in Gods account for a true penitent he must have sealed mercies too God doth not think it enough that he is reconciled unto hm unless also he doth testifie and make it known that he is so There are many excellent Propositions observable out of these words v. g. That the very Initials of true Repentance are seen by God Doct. 1. The very Initials of true Repentance are seen by God The penitent Prodigal was in the way but yet it was a great way off and his Father saw him and had compassion I said I will confess my trangressions unto the Lord and thou forgavest the iniquity of my sin Psal 32. 5. Vox nâ—ndum in ora erat Auris Dei in corda erat So. S. Austin in Locum Isai 66. 2. To this man will I look even to him that is poor and of a contrite spirit and trembles at my word Repentance may be considered in three degrees 1. In the Impression of it ANd this is when so much grace is implanted as to turn the heart 2.
to shew all kinds of mercy to the true Penitent I said I will confess and thou forgavest me You see here in the Text what tender what affectionate what speedy what free mercy is shewed to the returning Prodigal His Father saw him afar off and had compassion and ran and fell on his neck and kissed him What could he do more There is a great difference twixt Gods coming to punish a sinner and his coming to shew mercy to a Penitent Tardus ad vindictam when he is to inflict punishment then he walks and deliberates as it were there is a kind of strife within him How shall I give thee up O Ephraim how shall I deliver thee up O Israel how shall I make thee as Admah how shall I set thee as Zeboim Mine heart is turned within me my repentings are kindled together Hos 11. 8. He is slow to wrath Nah. 1. 3. but then he is velox ad misericordiam swift quick and ready to shew mercy He runs here in the Text to accept of the penitent Prodigal As soon as ever Ephraim said I repented Jer. 31. 19. instantly it follows I will surely have mercy upon him saith the Lord v. 20. I have sinned saith David Nathan hath it in Commission presently 2 Sam. 12 13. The Lord hath done away thy sin The Prophet Esay c. 30. 18. hath a singular phrase The Lord will wait that he may be gracious unto you He doth even watch and listen and hearken for the first hint and occasion to shew mercy I hearkened and heard Jer. 8. Why will ye die O house of Israel Ezek. 18. 31. What an expression is that q. d. Lo here 's mercy for you if you will but leave your sins I pray you draw not confusion on your selves mercy is better than wrath turn you and live do not refuse mercy I stand not upon what is past so that you will repent I had rather shew you mercy For the opening of this excellent Assertion premise these particulars 1. What it is to shew mercy 2. What it is to be ready and quick c. 1. To shew mercy to a Penitent imports many things v. g. What it is to shew mercy Pitifull Compassion Acceptance into Grace and Favour abundant Pardon withdrawment of Wrath and Evil collation of any Good all this is shewing of mercy when God doth pity a man bring him into favour remit offences take off judgments pour down blessings thus is the Lord ready to do to the true Penitent if a man repents indeed of his sins The Lord 1. Will pity him God will pity him He will have compassion on us saith the Church Mic. 7. 19. and will pity him as a Father doth the Child Psal 103. 13. 2. Will accept him into favour i. He will be Accept him into favour reconciled unto him and will be highly well pleased with him He shall pray unto God and he will be favourable unto him and he shall see his face with joy said Elihu Job 33. 26. When they in Isa 1. did cease to do evil and learn to do well Come now saith the Lord and let us reason together q. d. We are now very good friends all is well I love you I am pacified towards you 3. Will pardon him i. Pardon him discharge him of all the guilt that it shall not be redundant he will blot out his iniquities and remember them no more and though they be sought for yet they shall not be found Jer. 50. 20. If the Jer. 31. 34. wicked forsake his ways and his thoughts God will abundantly pardon him Isa 55. 7. 4. Will withdraw his wrath And Withdraw his wrath therefore it is said that he reserves not wrath for ever and it is but for a moment He breaks off the shackles and bolts Mic. 7. 18. Mine anger is turned away from him saith God of penitent Israel Hos 14. 4. Lastly Will bestow any Covenant blessings upon him If you consent and obey you shall eat the good Bestow blessings upon him of the Land Esa 1. 19. And Hos 2. 21. The Lord will hear the heavens and the heavens shall hear the earth and the earth shall hear the corn and the wine and all these shall hear Jezreel 2. To be ready to shew mercy is opposite to dulness and slowness and imports a speedy aptness and quickness and chearfulness There is a four-fold readiness in this kind 1. One is of apprehension which consists in a quick observation of the A four-fold readiness to shew mercy In Apprehension misery and need that a sinner lies under Such a readiness to mercy there is in God to a penitent sinner I have heard Ephraim bemoaning himself Jer. 31. 18. Ephraim did grieve for sin was much troubled and ashamed and confounded Alas I have sinned I have offended the Lord Well saith God I have heard Ephraim bemoaning himself q. d. I take special notice of him Or as he expresseth it in Hos 14. 8. I have heard him and observed him 2. Another is of Commiseration that is In Commiseration God takes the condition of the Penitent to heart He doth look on him with tender affections my bowels are troubled for him Jer. 31. 20. As when a Parent beholds a Child falling down and begging for acceptance with flouds of tears this goes to the very heart of him it stirs his affections c. 3. A third is In Resolution of Resolution I will surely have mercy upon him The nature of God doth presently incline him to pass by offences and to accept of the Penitent to think thoughts of peace and mercy towards him 4. A fourth is of Expression i. the Lord is very ready not onely to intend mercy but to manifest it unto Of Expression the penitent person and therefore as soon as ever any soul doth repent God doth send unto him by the Ministry of the Gospel and assures him by all his loving promises that there is mercy for him Isa 40. 1. Comfort ye my people Act. 2. 39. The promise is to you and to your children 'T is thus spoken presently upon their Repentance The Promises of Pardon are Letters Patents of Graciousness and are sealed by the very Truth of God and left open for any penitent person to behold Gods abundant mercy to forgive him and to accept of him 3. God is not onely ready to shew mercy to the Penitent but all God is ready to shew all kinds of mercy kinds of mercy You may read in Scripture of several qualifications as it were of mercy 1. There is Free mercy which is an acceptance of and a remission or discharge without any Free mercy desert in the party receiving though he hath noâ—hing to deserve mercy nay though he hath enough to deserve wrath yet the Lord will freely forgive him such a kind of mercy hath God for the Penitent and therefore he saith of such I will love them freely
hast thou prayed would trouble thee if thou didst not pray and therefore hast thou prayed to give it a little quiet as we do a crying child the brest to still it What things soever ye desire when ye pray believe that you receive them and ye shall have them Hast thou and doest thou consider and ponder the promises of Gods mercy made over the penitent persons Hast thou considered of his mercifull nature tender love in and through Christ of his commands to broken and afflicted souls to come unto him for Balm and Oyl Hast thou found how proper his mercifull promises are to thy condition every way good and convenient and doest confess this word of promise a gracious and a good word and judgest him to be faithfull who hath promised and thy self unworthy of mercy and thereupon in the Name of the Lord Jesus hast bended thy heart and knees to the God of mercy trusting through him to find grace and mercy to help in time of need and those his promises to be Yea and Amen to thy soul through Christ Joh. 14. 13. Whatsoever ye ask in my Name that will Ido According to your faith said Christ to the blind men Matt. 9. 29. so be it unto you Alas thy prayers have not found the way to Gods Mercy-seat all this while because they have not had faith for their Guide if our Messenger lose their way no marvel if we stay long for an answer Lastly Why hast thou called home the Embassadors those prayers Hast thou not called home thy prayers of thine which were Leigers at Heaven In a fit of proud impatience and fruitless vexation and bold presumption thou hast limited the holy One of Israel to a day And if at such another prayer God did not sensibly answer thee thou wouldest and hast restrained seeking of him What doest thou mean to beg and yet to prescribe Alas that there should be so much pride yet in an heart which we would think humbled as low as Hell That it should profess it self to deserve a thousand damnations and yet quarrel with God for not being quick in a present expedition of mercy Thou art too quick with God Judge how these answer one the other O Lord I do not deserve the least mercy I deserve never to find mercy and yet if the Lord doth not presently shew me mercy I will not seek unto him any more As you must get humbled hearts so you must get humble hearts He hears the desires of the humble Your Prayers must be patient as well as â—ervent Mercy pardoning mercy is worth the waiting for It is the most excellent of mercies and most sure to the patient Petitioner Psal 40. 1. I waited patiently for the Lord and he inclined unto me and heard my cry Blessed are all that wait for it Isa 30. 18. Or there may be Reasons on Gods part why he doth a while Reasons on Gods part God suspends mercy To give us some taste what it is to provoke him suspend or hold up the demonstration of his mercy to a troubled soul and seeking 1. To give us some taste what it is to provoke him and sin against him Jer. 2. 19. Thine own wickedness shall correct thee and thy back-slidings shall reprove thee know therefore and see that it is an evil and a bitter thing that thou hast forsaken the Lord thy God As we have had years to bath our selves in the delights of sin so we must have some minutes to taste the proper fruits the bitterness of sin Thou wouldst not believe the Gall and the Wormwood c. Lam. 3. 2. To alienate or work off our affections wholly from sin which now is so To alienate our affections from sin deadly a sting so smart a wound so noisome a prison which fills us with such horrible terrours and costs us almost our lives to obtain pardon and mercy Thou wouldst not easily part with sin Who would love sin any more which 1. raiseth so great terrours 2. utterly depriveth of mercy 3. or hinders it and makes it slow to answer 3. To abase us more in our own eyes To abase us the more in our own eyes that we may exalt his mercy that so his mercy may exalt us and we may exalt his mercy to value the excellency of mercy to confess our unworthiness of mercy to enlarge our desires of mercy 4. Nay not onely to exalt his mercy but retain his mercy not easily forfeit the excellency and sweetness of mercy by any future sinning The That we may retain his mercy Church which had much adoe to find Christ she then caught him and would not let him go The pardoning mercies of God ordinarily yield us most sweetness and abide in their strength To make us an Instance of mercy and Instrument of comfort with us after deepest humiliations and difficultest fruitions of them 5. Perhaps the Lord will make thee a great Instance of mercy and a great Instrument to comfort others and therefore suffereth thee to lie a long time in darkness and silence and at length will relieve thee Object Yea but how shall a troubled soul be supported in the How shall not be supported in the interim the interims until mercy pardoning mercy doth come and prayers therein be answered fully Sol. I answer to this also 1. If thou canst not have comfort to feed on yet thou hast duty to work on If thou hast not comfort look to duty Every Christian may either find it an Autumn to gather fruit or else a Spring to set it It is a great mercy that thou art at the gates of Mercy it is a great mercy 1. to enjoy 2. to beg 3. to wait for mercy a comfort to have such an heart to come so near to mercy thou hast a time to search thy heart more and to review thy estate and to peruse thy prayers to mend and continue all All which are but thy improvements in grace and will eventually prove the enlargements of thy mercy and peace No man can make a better progress in his repentance but he doth thereby prepare for the greater for the sweeter for the longer mercies 2. Though you have not experience to support you yet you have faith Though thou hast not experience yet thou hast faith It is written and sealed though not delivered as yet Whosoever doth truly repent mourn for sin forsake it endeavour to walk with God c. though he have not the joy of his pardon in his conscience yet he hath the assurance of his pardon in the promise Now Gods Word should support us as much as Gods Testimony his Word should be as good to our faith as his Testimony is sweet to our sense and feeling 3. The dawnings of pardoning mercy The dawnings of pardoning mercy may support which are rising upon you may also support you Though you cannot read your Pardon under the Broad Seal yet you may find it passing
causes in Christ to accept of him and to resign up to him rather than to sin or world or any thing else and when the Will is wrought upon so as to accept of Christ in his Person and Offices and Estates the soul is now matched or married to Christ by Faith It bestows it self and gives Christ all the right and cleaves unto him in an indissoluble bond of affection and service Quest 3. The third resolveable is concerning the Subject of this The subject of this faith faith who hath it The Text resolves that by telling us that the Ring was put on the returning Prodigals finger so that the penitent person is he who wears the Ring i. who is an espoused The penitent person is onely married unto Christ or married person by Faith unto Christ You may be married to your Lusts and to the World though you be impenitent yet none but Penitents are married unto Christ by Faith Not that Repentance goes before Faith in Christ for no Grace habitually considered is in time before another though in operation it be Nor that Repentance is the cause of Faith for it is a most improper Assertion to make one Grace to be the cause of another Grace when as every Grace doth come onely from the Spirit of Reasons Christ as the cause But because 1. The penitent person is only the The penitent person onely hath faith subject of Faith which doth marry us to Christ no person is a believer who is not a penitent person The Prodigal while onely a Prodigal he hath neither Garment nor Ring but when he is a returning Prodigal then he hath both and not till then 2. Onely penitent persons can evidence their faith and espousal unto Onely penitent persons can evidence their faith Christ Another who is impenitent can no more evidence his interest or title to Christ then an Alien that never heard of this Land can evidence or conclude his title and right to any Goods or Chattels of yours The title to Christ is proper onely to the Penitent for them he lived and for them onely he died Now if any should yet further demand Why the Lord should Why will the Lord give this to penitent persons To convince the world there is no loâ—s in leaving sin To support the soul of the heavy laden give unto penitent persons a precious faith to espouse them to Christ I conjecture briefly that these may be the Grounds or Reasons 1. To convince all the world that there is no loss in leaving of sin Abjice tectum tolle coelum said one The repentant person forsakes his sins but presently finds a Saviour he is divorced from that which would damn him and by faith is espoused unto one that will save him 2. To support the soul of the penitent which of all other is most sick and heavy laden It is most sensible of sin and guilt and Gods displeasure on all which it cannot long look alone If the penitent person had not faith to see a Mediatour he would not long have an eye to look upon his transgressions It is a truth that Repentance could never act it self unless the penitent person had faith to act it self too The sorrow in Repentance would infinitely sink into despair and the forsaking of sin would turn into a forsaking of God if Faith saw not a Mediatour for Transgressions and a mercifull God through him 3. Lastly The Lord intends singular mercy to the penitent God intends singular mercies to the Penitent persons to perform many precious promises of pardon and grace and comfort unto them and therefore gives them Faith unto which all the Promises are made The promises may be considered two ways either in respect 1. of Intention so they look unto the Penitent of Application so onely Faith is the Hand in the Penitent which actively applies the Promises Again you know that the Promises of God are Yea and Amen in Christ i. they are all sealed by him and made good unto us by him so that first we must have Christ before the Promises made good unto us by Christ And therefore God gives unto the penitent person the Grace of Faith to espouse him unto Christ that so he may settle upon him all the Dowry upon the Marriage of the rich mercy and good in his precious Promises The main Use which I will make of this assertion is To try our selves whether we have this precious Ring of Faith a Ring Vse Try our selves whether we have this precious faith A necessary trial if we consider The paucity of true believers more precious than that of Gold put on our fingers yea or no. It is as necessary a demur as ever you were put unto all your dayes whether you consider 1. The paucity of true believers All men have not faith saith the Apostle All men nay very few Who hath believed our report said the Prophet We preach we offer Christ unto you we beseech you to accept of the Lord of Life to give up your hearts and lives unto him but who believes our report We tell you that Christ is better than all the world his bloud is better than sin it 's better to love and serve him than world or sin but who believes our report Men care not to know the excellencies of Christ they prize him not they care not to hear him speak in his Ordinances they will in no wise consent and yield to his terms and conditions 2. The Vtility The utility of it of it To the Sacrament of the Lords Supper if we come without our Wedding-Ring it will be as sad a day to us as to him who came without his Wedding Garment We do not onely receive no good at the Sacrament for we have neither hand nor mouth to take and eat if we have not Faith not title at all to the intrinsecal benefits by Christ if we have not faith in him Nay we occasion much evil and Judgment upon our selves we adventure to eat and drink our own damnation not discerning the 1 Cor. 11. Lords body And righteously may the Lord judge us for coming to his Sacrament without Faith for as much as in so doing we do not onely presume against an express prohibition that we should hold off but also we do at the least interpretatively assay to make God a Liar and a favourer of all villany as if he would put his Seal of Pardon and mercy and for all the good of his Covenant in Christ to a wicked impenitent and unbelieving sinner 3. The Hypocrisie of our hearts so apt to deceive themselves with shadows in stead of substances not The hypocrifie of our hearts considering that Satan can delude a man with the shew of any grace Every Ring is not a Ring of Gold nor is every Faith a precious and unfeigned Faith There is a thing called Presumption which is bold enough but it is not Faith and there
house If so why doest thou yet run away run abroad to Sin for delight to the Creature for satisfaction 6. If God hath graciously found thee and brought thee out of Thou wilt be afraid to lose thy self again thy lost and wandring condition Thou wilt be afraid to lose thy self again to wander again to go astray again from thy God who hath found thee There are six things which the found and recovered person doth apprehend 1. The great iniquity in his formerly lost and wandring course of life 2. His great vanity all that while to forsake his own mercies to sow the wind and reap the whirlwind What profit had ye in those things whereof ye are now ashamed Rom. 6. 3. The great kindness and love which God hath manifested towards his lost soul in bringing him back to himself and now to own him as a Father doth a Son 4. The great ingratitude to displease that mercy which was pleased to find him 5. The madness of folly to return to an experimental misery and to forfeit sweet mercy which he hath liberally tasted since he was found 6. The great hazard whether mercy will ever look after him any more who hath so presumptuously abused mercy received O no the found sinner hath found such freeness fulness sweetness of entertainment such rich mercy such free love such wonderfull kindness that as Peter in another case it is good for us to be here or as the returning Church it is best being with my first Husband or as Paul about his being with Christ so he about continuing and complying with his God It is best of all And therefore he cries out against all temptations Shall I return to folly when God hath spoken peace shall I sin again since Gad hath given me such a deliverance as this O no O no Canaan is better then Egypt Paradise is better then a wilderness a Fathers House is better then to serve Swine plenty is better then famine Now God smiles on me and shall I raise his frowns Now conscience speaks peace shall I turn this oyle into a Sword O let me never unjoynt the Bones which mercy at length hath set O let me never darken the Sun which shines so comfortably O let me never feed on husks who may still feed on bread O let me never run from a Pallace to a Prison It was Gods mercy and my happiness to be rescued out of a lost condition let it never be my sin and curse to throw my self out of Heaven to cast my self out of Paradise again for a sins sake which formerly lost me to depart from mercy which hath graciously found me 7. If a found person doth stray he cannot be quiet until he be If he do stray he is not quiet till he come back again found and come back again to his God I sal 119. 176. I have gone astray like a lost sheep seek thy servant There is this difference twixt the strayings of the Godly and of the wicked when a wicked man strayes he is then at home sin is his home and sinful paths are the paths in which he loves to wander the mire and dirt are the delightful home of the Swine and therefore he delights to be abroad and cares not to come back again But a Godly man if he strayes if he sins he is now from home he seeth some steps of lostness in every step of sinfulness his heart is apt presently to smite him for it Alas what have I done whether am I going shall I go again from my Fathers House what ayled me thus to step aside I cannot rest thus I will home again what ever comes of it And back he comes with an ashamed heart as Ephraim did and with a mourning heart as Peter did and with a self-judging heart as David did O my God O my Father I even I have sinned sinned again yet for Christs sake accept of me again Me thinks it is with him just as it is with a poor Child whom evil company hath seduced from home his heart akes and he slips from them and under a Bush he sits and there bethinks himself and sighs and weeps as if his heart would break after which he riseth and home he comes and steals to the door and listens and knocks softly and the Servants comes forth and say they where have you been all this while O your Father wonders at you and hath been much troubled that you have dealt thus with him Now the child takes on and is cut to the heart and will not my Father be pacifyed I know that I have oftended him and dealt unkindly with him Never had a Child so good a Father I pray you speak for me and tell him I am without Let him come in saith his Father In he comes and falls down and with floods of tears acknowledges his strayings and humbly intreats his Father to pass by this wandring and to own him again and to look on him as he was wont to do O Sir saith he I cannot live without your favour nor will I live out of your house Even thus is it with a found Child of God if he happens to stray and sin his heart smites him and his heart akes O saith he what have I done to deal thus with my good God and Father I am ashamed and grieved To one Minister he goes and perhaps to another Do you think that the Lord will be merciful to me again Yea to God he goes and confesseth all and beseecheth him to deal with him like a Father Lord saith he it hath been a woful and bitter time to me I cannot stand it out I come in unto thee sin is my burthen and thy displeasure is my burthen I beseech thee to pardon the trespass of thy servant and be reconciled unto me and own me with thy favour and mercy once again 8. He who is truly found by Gods Grace and Mercy doth desire He endeavours so find others and endeavour to find others or that others may also be found Jâ— 1. 43 45. Christ finds Philip and Philip finds Nathaniel There is no good man who would pertake of Grace and Heaven alone and there is no wicked man who would enjoy sin and hell alone Wicked men are like those that are drowning who catch hold on others and every good man is like a Candle which being lighted holds out light to others or like a stick of fire which being kindled would kindle more sticks Good Lord the same Mercy the same Grace the same Christ the same reconciled God and Father for my poor Child too and for my poor Husband too and for my poor Parents too O Lord pity them too they are lost and they know not the misery of a lost condition nay the happiness of a found condition Good Lord open their eyes and bring them home to thy self in Christ And to his friends he goes O continue not in this condition you are lost I was so
Nature say the Philosophers God say we allots unto them Therefore living Christians are compared to a sucking and thriving child which sucks and growes by sucking And to living branches that grow into more strength and in Scripture True Grace which is the same with spiritual life it is of an increasing and growing nature Christ compares it to a grain of Mustard-seed which is little at first but in time growes and spreads exceedingly and Solomon compares it to the Sun which riseth more and more to the perfect day Paul commends the Corinthians that they did abound in all Grace and praies for the Philippians that their love might a bound yet more and more in knowledg and in all Judgment And he himself forgat what was behind and pressed forward and counted himself not to have apprehended O you who take your selves to be alive do you grow in grace Many men grow worse and worse under the means of Grace many grow in notions but they do not grow in Grace many grow into new opinions but they do not grow in holy affections But do you grow in Grace and do you grow in all Grace and do you grow according to the means of Growth Alas many men decay apace and many men like pictures retain the same dimensions sin is no more weakned after forty years living then at the first their old sins retain their old strength and their faith receives no augmentation they are no more able to trust on God for their bodies nor to rely on Christ for their souls then heretofore The barrenness and unfruitfulness of Christians is an unspeakable dishonour to the Gospel and an evident testimony that they have but a form of Godliness without the power of it I might now have shewn you that true spiritual Growth is 1. Especially an inward Growth 2. And a general Growth 3. And the Growth comes in by the Growth of Faith 4. And appears best in the Growth of humiliâ—y 5. A spiritual cry or breath is another sign of spiritual life There is a spiritual breath If a man can but groan and breath that man is a living man When Paul was converted Ananias was sent unto him as to a chosen Vessel Behold said God unto him he prayeth in Zach. 12. 10. The Spirit of Grace and of Supplication are joyned for the one never goes without the other But will some reply This cannot be a sure sign of spiritual life for a wicked man may pray and cry to God we read of their Prayers and cries in Scripture often I grant it But 1. There is a difference twixt a spiritual cry and a natural cry their cries arise from natural principles but not from a spiritual principle 2. It is the cry of a distressed man but not of a renewed man 3. It is a cry for natural and outward good but not for spiritual and everlasting good 4. And when they cry for mercy and heaven it is not that mercy may bring them into an holy communion with God but only that mercy may keep them from wrath and Hell 6. Lastly A spiritual manner of working is an infallible evidence There is a spiritual manner of working of a spiritual quickningâ— When the Lord converts a man and makes him spiritually alive he now works spiritual work 1. By Spiritual Rules 2. From Spiritual Principles in the strength of Christ by Faith and from love 3. With Spiritual Affections willingly cheerfully and delightfully 4. For Spiritual ends 1. By Spiritual Rules To as many as walk according By spiritual rules to this Rule peace be on them Gal. 6. 16. A dead and unconverted man lives by the Rules of his sensual Lusts or the customes of the World or the wisdome of carnal policy sin rules him and men rule him and his profits and pleasures rule him But when the man is converted now God rules him he stands in awe of Gods Word and lives as 1 Pet. 4. 2. To the Will of God His actions intentions desires steps are measured by the word t is not An libet but An licet The word lets him out and brings him in Whether the living Creature went thither the Wheeles went so c. 2. From spiritual Principles O Sirs From spiritual principles a man may do much work which we call spiritual from a Carnal and low principle self-Love vain-Glory Education a quick Conscience may set out much But the living Christians work arises from union with Christ all is done in the strength of Christ and Faith fetcheth strength from Christ to pray and to preach and to mourn and to repent c. 3. With spiritual affections With spiritual affections There is a connaturalness twixt a spiritual heart and a spiritual work Thy word was the rejoycing of my heart I was glad said David when they said unto me let us go to the House of the Lord. I delight saith Paul in the Law of God after the inward man It is good for â—e to draw near to God There are affections in the works of a living man his works drop out of his heart another mans fall out of his parts 4. For spiritual ends So that Christ may be glorifyed we live For spiritual ends unto the Lord unto him that dyed for us Whatsoever ye do do it to the Glory of God that God in all things may be glorifyed through Jesus Christ 1 Pet. 4. 11. Obj. But will some say if these be signs of the life of Complaints of the want of all these Grace of one being made spiritually alive then I am in a sad condition For 1. I find much sin still living in me 2. And I find very dull if not dead affections and I find 3. Exceeding impotency to what is good 4. And I cannot find that old appetite and those old â—ervent crieâ— of Prayer which here 〈◊〉 I found 5. And as for grow hunder spiritual means O my heart sinks to behold the rich seasons of Grace and my barrenness and unfruitfulness under them Sol. I should Answered be â—â—â—th that any truly living Soul should go away with a sad heart therefore give me leave to answer thy fears 1. Generally 2. Then distinctly 1. Generally thus 1. Such complaints as these ordinarily Generally are the language not of the dead but of the living When shall you hear such inditâ—ments from a base lewd sin-loving and serving person O no these are the complaints of an heart that is spiritually sensible and spiritually tender and spiritually jealous and which would not be deceived in its spiritual condition 2. If such complaints as these be attended with inward humblings and abasings of the heart and with desires and endeavours of help assuredly they are the Testimonies of a living man Who shall deliver me O wretched man was the complaint of living Paul 3. If thou canst not at all times find every one of the forenamed Symptomes of life yet if at any time thou canst find
pleaseth and when he pleaseth He hath the command of the heart and grace Take the heart as usually we do for any or all the faculties of the soul yea as corrupted by nature and custome yet God hath a dominion over it and he can make new impressions and divine alterations and inclinations upon it The Understanding naturally is blind and dark unable to unfold and apprehend the morality of conditions actions objects but God can turn it from darkness to light he can imprint on it the clearest light whereby it shall be able to behold what is good and what is evil The Judgment naturally is erroneous it mistakes good for evil and evil for good judgeth sinfull evil as the best and sweetest way condemneth good as most contrary to us to our delights courses ends But God is able to imprint on mans Judgment a discerning and righteously sentencing ability that a man shall not only see his sinfull nature and life but condemn it I was mad saith Paul such a fool a beast was I. They shall remember their evil wayes and loath themselves Hos 2. 7. as his greatest evil and misery and conclude that a new holy penitent life is the best of all lives and that for himself The Conscience is either sleepy or seared naturally But God can awaken it and imprint on it a power to feel sin to complain accuse indite wound and slay the sinner that he shall have no rest as long as he lies in his sinfull condition Sin revived and I died Rom. 7. The Will is naturally averse and perverse it is set against all spiritual good and set upon evil But cannot God alter this Will He can easily turn it about let him but drop in the least degree of Grace and the Will presently wheels about and is as ready and desirous and cleaving to good as ever it was to evil Lord what wilt thou have me to do Act. 9. So for the Affections the Lord hath the dominion over them He can make them to love him as much and more than ever they loved sin and to grieve and to hate and to fear sin c. Get thee hence what have I any more to do with Idols 4. The Lord doth sometimes convert a great sinner to glorifie his God doth this to glorifie his own grace own Grace 1. The power of it that it is able to cure great and strong diseases If ordinary sinners onely were converted men would imagine but a common and vulgar power lay in converting Grace where there is a lesser opposition there a weaker strength may suffice to do the work But if sin be strong now the power of Grace appears in rescuing the soul even from the Gates of Hell and from the Powers of Darkness 2. The riches of it When all the world knows and the man himself knows That there was nothing in him but a vilest heart and lewdest course and yet Divine Grace hath converted him O saith he this was rich Mercy and Grace indeed The Apostle saith That God quickned the dead Ephesians that he might shew the exceeding riches of his grace chap. 2. vers 7. O saith the great sinner now converted never was there such a gracious and such a mercifull God such a kind and loving God I was dead and he hath made me alive I was the greatest of sinners and I have yet obtained the sweetest of mercies I was the greatest Enemy and yet God would be my kindest Friend overcome by Sin and now overcome by Grace falling down into Hell and now lifted up to Heaven so bad that Justice might have had much Glory to damn me yet God hath been so good that Mercy shall have the Glory to save me Vsâ— â—o relieve the troubled Conscience and distressed Conscience You shall find by experience these two Truths 1. That whiles men are in a dead lost vile and unsensible condition they then imagine that their sins are little and mercies great and they have power to turn to God when they please 2. That when they come to be truly sensible of their hearts and ways then their sins appear exceeding great and the mercy and grace of God seem little O! they have withstood the offers of grace and all self-power is gone and the greatness of their sinning is an absolute bar to their conversion And there are eight Reasons why a man made sensible of Reasons why a man sensible of his great sin thinks God will not convert him his great sinnings inclines to think that God will never convert him 1. Because he hath been one who hath exceedingly provoked God to wrath against him He sees great wrath in God and that he hath by his continual sinnings incensed the Lord. O saith he it is mercy that must convert but I have turned a mercifull God into a just God and a kind God into an angry God my great sins have put me into the hands of his great wrath 2. Because such a person sees his condition lying under the threatnings of God and out of the reach of the promises of God God threatning him Warrants issued out to take and arrest him an Arrow levell'd at him God hath said That he will wound the hairy scalp of him that goes still on in his iniquities and that he who hardens his heart being often râ—proved shall be destroyed without remedy Now I have been that sinner 3. Because such a person feels the impressions of Gods displeasure on his Conscience He is in the very hands of wrath Conscience tells him Thou art the man and these have been thy sinnings these have been thy ways and thy doings and Conscience condemns him for one who hath delighted himself in evil and secretly goes and smites him with unavoidable fears and terrours Now when a man feels wrath 't is an hard thing to perswade him that God hath any thoughts and intentions of mercy and grace for him 4. Such a person ordinarily looks more upon the examples of destruction than upon the instances of conversion rather what God hath done against them than for any of them O saith he God in Scripture hath often left such and such great sinners to their As the Israelites Psal 81. 12. 2 Thes 2. Jâ—r 13. 14. own hearts lusts and he hath given them up to Satans delusions and to a reprobate mind and sense and would not have mercy on them he would deal with them no more 5. The distance twixt his greatly sinning soul and converting grace seems to him wondrously large If I had been but sick and weak but can a dead man live should a Rebel be embraced can a Blackmore be made white It is great grace to convert a little sinner but what grace is sufficient to convert so great a sinner 6. He measures the disposition of Divine Grace by the indisposition of his own heart O saith he I have been how long how stubbornly unwilling to receive grace how violent to oppose grace If I
over-rule the The heart of a sinner may be above his miseries heart or to mend it As it was with Gallio when the Jews did beat Softhenes and kept a stir the Text saith He cared not for any of those things i. they made no prevailing impression on him so as to divert his purpose In like manner may it be with the miseries which personally befal a man his heart notwithstanding may not regard them neither may he lay things to heart they may be thrown off in respect of any beneficial impression as water from a rock as is evident in Pharaoh and in the Jews see Isa 42. 25. He hath powred upon him the fury of his anger and the strength of battel and it hath set him on fire round about yet he knew it not and it burned him yet he laid it not to heart Here was anger and fury of anger and poured out and so as to set him on fire and to burn him yet he laid it not to heart If you should take dross and corrupt stuff and put it into the fire you shall never refine it it is to no purpose the founder in such a case would melt but in vain Jer. 6. 29. so in this case For the proper operation of all miseries is onely moral and rather reâ—resentative then effective i. they can of themselves do nothing perhaps they may point a man to his sins but his heart may effectually resist that evidence of sin by the rod of God as well as by the word of God Look as it is with the Light of the Sun though great and gentle yet it never opened a blind mans eyes nor yet the Lightning which runs swiftly in the time of Thunder For that natural privation exceeds the strength of such Agents So it is with a sinner his heart may so cleave to sin that neither the Light of the Sun I mean the blessed Word of God nor yet the Lightnings and Thunders of afflictions may divorce him so great may the power of sinfull love be that not the kindest mercies nor the sharpest miseries alone shall ever be able to melt him or turn him The love of sin may increase even an incorrigible and desperate perversness in the Will such perversness that the afflicted sinâ—er possibly may be so far from leaving his sins that therefore he will cleave to his sins the more and in a proud despite will forsake God as that prophane person This evil is of the Lord why should he wait for him any longer 2 Kin. 6. 33. 4. Lastly Miseries do not always bring men off from their sins Mâ—n hate holiness more then miseries because Men hate holiness and a godly life more then miseries i. There is a greater contrariety twixt their sinfull natures and holiness then twixt them and miseries it is confessed that misery in some respect is contrary to nature at least to the peace and ease of nature yet misery is not so distastfully contrary to a wicked nature as holiness and godliness Sin can live and rule whiles the sinner is under misery but it never can do so when he is under grace You know that a man never can turn from sin but when he loves holiness now holiness is that which many a sinfull heart like Paul before his conversion persecutes to the death Why if some sinfull hearts will venure the loss of heaven rather then they will be holy will they not rather then endure the loss of friends and estate c. and if they will adventure the pains of hell rather then they will come off unto an holy life will they not rather endure some temporal distresses c. and doth not this shew that some had rather be passive in misery then active in holiness Now I proceed to the usefull Applications of all this to our selves Where 1. for Information Do not straits and miseries always Vse 1. Information bring men off from their sins then 1. An afflicted condition is no infallible testimony of a safe condition Some people are of an opinion that if God doth punish An afflâ—cted condition no infallible testimony of a safe condition them in this life in crosses losses sicknesses penuries c. they have all their portion of misery already and undoubtedly shall besaved To which I reply 1. Though as the Israelites came at length to Canaan through the Red Sea and through the wilderness so a person may after many afflictions and miseries come to heaven Heaven can admit of a poor Lazarus and of a distressed Job and of a pursued David 2. Yet it is not always so A person may be under many miseries and notwithstanding them he may never be happy the meer presence of miseries is of common providence and not a distinguishing priviledge by what is before us whether outward good or outward evil we can know neither love nor hatred but as it is with the Ships at sea whether of the Kings Loyal subjects or of hostile pirats either of them are exposed to winds and storms to leaks and rocks and sands so is it with good men and bad men each of them are exposed to outward calamities as each of them are capable of outward mercies there may be a change in their outward condition when yet there is no change in their inward dispositions Job may hold fast his uprightness under all his miseries and Pharaoh may retain his hardness under all his Judgments And where the sinful affection and practice is still retained he shall not be free because of his present miseries but for ever rejected because of his continued iniquity 2. That the Conjunction twixt Sin and the sinful soul is very The Conjunction betwixt sin and the soul is very strong strong For as much as very great straits and miseries effect nothing many times You see here that though the Prodigal had spent all and a famine yea a great famine arose over the Land in which he was yet he is so far from returning and giving over his sinful course that he does not so much as think of it or mind it assuredly the Covenant of affection is very firm which cannot be untied with the fairest promises nor with the severest indurances When the Lord shall come to a sinner meet him in his course and way and because of his contempts and rebellions distrein his estate and goods and then lay an Attachment of sickness on his body and more then this indite him for his life by the summons of death And yet neither the loss of all the Mercies which once he had nor the presence of all the Evils which now he feels neither the poverty of his Table nor the rags on his Back nor shivering in his Bones nor anguish in his Conscience no nor appearance of Death nor yet the roâ—râ—sentations of Hell do turn him from his sinful affections and courses judge whether the tree be not tough which no Wedge can cleave and the disease be not
deep which no Potion can remove and sin doth not sit close and strong to the heart which no not extreme miseries can occasionally and effectually discharge and quit There are no penalties so grievously and unspeakably afflicting and miserable as those in Hell which cause weeping and gnashing of teeth and yet these though highest for intention and endless for duration never are able to turn the sinning soul so madly and excessively is the person enthralled that the greatest Calamities effectually avail not to bring him off from the least course of Iniquities 3. Not to wonder if some men make ordinary Revolts after ordinary miseries Some persons may like some stones which Wonder not if â—ome men Revolt after miseries yield a sweat in change of weather somewhat reflect on themselves and relent and confess and profess what they will be and do if God will take off his heavy hand And may I not appeal to many of you this day whose hearts have been visited with the plague that thus then it was with you c. Yet when the plague is off and the smart and fear gone the bitterness of death is past that health succeeds the sickness and plenty succeeds the want and strength succeeds the weakness good Lord what are they how live they what do they what mind they what affect they what work they Do they leave their sins ah as the Pharisees made their proselites twice as much more the children of the Devil then before so these men become more vile more profane more careless more rebellious against the truth of God more earthly sensual then ever Brethren if as Solomon spake in another case When thou seest a violent perverting of judgment and justice in a Province marvel not at the matter So Eccl. 5. 8. if thou seest a man to pervert the judgments of the Lord to pervert his afflicting hand to go on in his sins after he is punished for his sins I say in this case do not much marvel at the matter for miseries alone cannot make any saving impression or sanctified alterations If men may hold fast their sins even under their miseries as a Thief may steal under the Gallows what marvel then if they go on in their sins after their miseries And what cause have we to think that any pious semblances and pretences should hold long which did owe themselves to such temporary causes as were never able to alter the sinners heart though they were in some degree able to stop the sinning person But I proceed to a second Use which shall be a little to reflect on our own hearts and wayes and to enquire how it is with us Use 2. Reflect upon our own hearts notwithstanding the miseries and straits that are upon us as Solomon spake concerning sin Who can say My heart is clean that I may speak this day concerning punishment of sin Who can say I have been free As it was in Egypt upon the departure of the Israelites so it hath been of late with most of us there is scarce an house of us where at least one hath not been dead I may confidently affirm That either death in opposition to Life or death in opposition to Livelihood to some one kind or degree of outward comfort hath within this year befallen most of us that are now here this day Nevertheless I pray you tell me Can you shew your repentance yet as you can relate your straits and miseries still Have not we the Ministers of God faithfully and plainly told you of your sins have not your miseries and straits been clear Glasses to represent your sins have not your Consciences delivered up your sins and said as Jonah I know that for my sake so they for our sake this great Tempest is upon you Jon. 1. 12. Were you not in great fears in great griefs and troubles of mind need I say in great Protestations and Purposes But now I demand of you Have your great straits brought you off from your great sins did they not find thee in a sinful way and do they not now leave thee walking in that path Ah! and must the Lord say of you They refuse to receive instruction they turn not to him that smites yet have they not returned to me they will know no shame they are reprobate silver they are not refined nor purged their scum is not departed If we continue in sin after miseries wherefore should they be smitten any more they revolt more and more Well if it be thus with thee yet remember 1. That this continuance in sin notwithstanding our miseries may give us just suspicion to sear that our Corrections come not We may suspect our corrections comâ— not from mercy from mercy because they go off with impenitency You need not ascend into heaven to pry whether your chastisements come out of the land of Indulgence or of Vengeance when they come from a merciful hand they are assisted â—â—th some recovering and curing blessing The Prophet saith That the Lord did not smite his people as he smote others and in two respects he Isa 27. 7. manifests the difference one of Proportion He did debate with them in measure ver 8. Another of Operation v. 9. By this shall the iniquities of Jacob be purged and this is all the fruit to take awy his sins God never strikes in mercy but he in some measure betters the sinner Look as every outward good if it comes in mercy it proves a step unto more holiness so every outward misery if it come in mercy it proves a stop nay an abatement of more sinfulness 2. We may justly fear that our hearts are hardned for the soft We may fear our hearts are hardned heart will tremble with Josiah at a correction in a threatning and much more will it melt and amend when it is in execution as he in Job 34. 31. I have born chastisement I will not offend any more But when the heart can feel wrath as well as hear of it and receive the stroaks with stoutness and strike God by sinning when God strikes it by punishing is it not hardned unsensible I had almost said desperace And is an hardned condition a good or safe condition 3. Do we not treble our accounts unto God by not We treble our accounts to God coming off from sins which have brought on our miseries Now we must answer 1. For the sins which brought down our corrections 2. For the continuing in those sins still 3. For doing this being corrected thus for our sins not onely thy sins but Gods punishments being thus abused come into the account the Vineyard was reckoned with for the pruning as well as the withering 4. And lastly What can we look for from God when former miseries bring us not off from former sins Christ said Sin no What can we look for from God when miseries do not bring us off from our sins more least a worse thing befall
moved to endure much in his body for the preservation and defence of it for sin is an evil thing and therefore worthless Or 2. Because any sin is less evil then misery and therefore this shall be endured rather Noâ— because any sin is less evil then misery But because The sinner doth exceedingly love his sin then that shall be forsaken But 1. The sinner doth exceedingly love his sin The heart of a sinner is set on his sin he hath made a Covenant with death and an agreement with hell He loves darkness and is held fast with the bonds and cords of his sinful affections A person doth many times suffer pains sharper then death because he doth exceedingly love life Why a sinner loves his sin as he loves his life nay more then his life the which he doth often hazard for ever to preserve his sin 2. The sinner is a Fool Put a fool never so oft in the Stocks it doth The sinner is a Fool. him no good he understands not the cause nor end of it Evil men are chastized and punished by God but they know not nor understand they know not that their sins are the cause thereof and that Conversion from sin is the end thereof 3. There is a marvellous stout Spirit of pride in the sinner who is therefore said to There is a stout spirit of pride in a sinner fight against God and to resist him and though he be smitten yet to refuse to return and wilfully to transgress and that they will not hearken Stifnecked are they called and foreheads have they which cannot be ashamed and faces that cannot blush 4. A vain presumption From a vaine presumption that yet their sinful wayes shall be well at last From the Contrariety betwixt the wayes of God and the Sinners heart that yet their sinful wayes shall be well at last It is but bearing a while and at length their calamities will off He who goes on in a sinful way is never without some sinful project and chimeraes silly fancies of some good and some support and wearing out of his troubles c. 5. There is a bitter contrariety twixt the wayes of God and the sinners heart Light and darkness are not more opposite hence is it that in Job they say unto God Depart from us we desire not the knowledg of the Almighty And in Psal 2. They break the cords in sunder And Heb. 10. They are said to offer despight unto the Spirit of Grace Holiness and holy walking ah it is that which their hearts hate more then hell they will adventure their damnation before they will affect and practice holiness no greater burden and torment to them then it 6. And sometimes Unbelief may be a special cause why a sinner doth thus shift and From unbeliefe try The guilt of his sins under his afflictions may lie heavy upon his conscience and he may be so wholly taken up with the apprehension of wrath and judgment and an implacability in God towards him that God will never shew him mercy who hath been so much and so long provoked that it is in vain to return now there is no hope 7. The Vanity of a corrupt Judgment which deludes From the Vanity of a Corrupt Judgment the sinner as if he could be sinful and safe or that he could subsist well enough without returning to God Now I proceed to the Application of this point the Uses are many 1. For Conviction of Error in Judgment Use 1. Conviction It is no easie work to Repent 1. That it is an easie work to Repent and to leave sin When I am sick or come to dy then I will think of that work No brethren if the heart of man be of so subtil a temper and so perverse a frame can afflictions do it of themselves if the love of sin be so strongly in grain that many waters of afflictions cannot wash it out nor many beams of mercy melt and turn it you must then imagine it not to be an easie work to turn the heart from sin if it will adventure the loss of heaven and the endurance of hell and the actual presence of many sore calamities confess then That the descents into sin are easie but the returns from it are not ordinary or facile Faciles aditus Dificiles oxitus saith St. Austin More is required to Convert then External and Congruous Grace Where all the means tending to the Conversion of a sinner are opposed and as it were wholly defeated and frustrated there the heart is not so easily wrought upon to retâ—rn 2. That no more is required to Convert a sinner but External and Congruous Grace as if the heart were like a Fish upon the hook which might be drawn at pleasure to the shore or like Wax prepared and it were no more but to put on the Seal or as if to Convert a sinne were no more then to report a History or to offer a man a Purchase Nay but there must be likewise Impressions as well as Invitations not only Means but Grace it self not only the Rod and Word but likewise the Spirit of God and his mighty Operation not only a Voice saying This is the way but also the Spirit of God which must cause us to walk in that way there must be healing Medicines put within the Soul by the hand of God himself or else all the means in the world the Word the Sacraments the afflictions and miseries and examples may say and complain with the Prophet Isa 49. 4. I have laboured in vain I have spent my strength for nought 2. For Information 1. Of that excessive stubbornness and madness in the hearts of us sinners Good Lord what an hand hath sin Information Of the excessive stubbornness of the hearts of sinners over us That terrors should arise like an horrible tempest within the conscience for sinning and drive a man to his feet yea to the dust yea almost as low as hell That his sinning should pull down one calamity after another take away the dayes of peace of plenty of safety of health and darken them with war and tumults with scarcity and indigence with danger and trouble with losses and diseases cloath a mans body with rags fill a mans body with rottenness obscure a mans name with infamy and yet yet after all and under all that a person should hold fast his wickedness which is the cause of all and will not let it go he will not be weaned from it nor charmed No Mercy nor Justice nothing can dissolve the Covenant twixt his heart and sin but llke that Athenian Commander if I forget not the story who when he was threatned to let go the Ship held it when one hand was cut off he held it with the other when both were cut off he held it with his teeth The Lord be merciful to us thus is it with us though God threatens yet we sin though he
will not become obedient he can quickly destroy us for our disobedience There is a day wherein God offers himself to be ours in grace and peace how long or how short that day is I cannot justly determine onely of this we may bee sure that God may in justice refuse us for ever if we refuse him once Note these Scriptures and they may perhaps awaken and recall us Ezek. 24. 12. She hath wearied her self with lies and her great sâ—um went not forth out of her her scum shall be in the fire v. 13. In thy filthiness is lewdness because I have purged thee by afflictions and thou wast not purged by repentance thou shalt not be purged from thy filthiness any more till I have caused my fury to rest upon thee Ver. 14. I the Lord have spoken it it shall come to pass and I will do it I will not go back neither will I spare neither will I repent aocording to thy waies and according to thy doings shall they judge thee saith the Lord God Luke 19. ver 42. Oh! if thou hadst known even thou at the least in this thy day the things which belong unto thy peace but now they are hid from thine eies Hebr. 3. ver 10. I was grieved with that generation and said they do alwaies err in their hears and they have not known my waies Vers 11. So I sware in my wrath they shall not enter into my rest Psal 81. ver 11. But my people would not hearken to my voice and Israel would none of me v. 12. So I gave them up to their own hearts lusts and they walked in their own counsels These four places do afford us four sad things which may befal persons refusing to return from their sins and deluding that work 1. That the Lord will not still be usiâ—g of means 2. That he will draw off the means 3. He will leave such sinners and give them up to themselves 4. They shall never enter into his rest and this the Lord binds with an Oath Every one of these is a Judgment sufficiently fearfull for what shall become of the sinner when the Lord shall judicially draw off the means of his Conversion or if the means be continued in common to others yet he will not work any more upon that person through them but he shall despise the counsels of the Word and slight the message of all Afflictions and that a person should run so far and so high in a way of wickedness that the Lord gives him over as a desperate hopeless and forlorn wretch to walk in his own counsels and after the lusts of his own heart and when the Lord seals him up by his Oath that this is a person who shall never see my face though many a sinner shall be pardoned and saved yet this sinfull Transgressor shall never enter into my rest Now what doth the sinner know who seeks new ways to secure his sinning and opposeth thereby all the ways which God useth for his converting I say how doth he know but that the Lord will deal thus with him God hath dealt so with some for dealing thus with him he closed up the day upon Jerusalem and left the Israelites to their own hearts lusts and never answered Saul any more neither by Prophets nor by Dreams and threatens to remove the Candlestick Revel 2. 3. Consider That if the Lord should shew almost the Miracle of his Goodness towards such a shuffling sinner his Conversion The conversion of such a one will be will be 1. the Harder 2. the more Bitter It will be the Harder for as much as all further degrees and steps The Harder in sinning do engage the heart more to the love of sin and naturally infers more hardness of heart and resistance against the motions of Grace When a Skaine of Thread is more and more clotted and entangled it will be the harder to clear it and a Cord may be so knotted that you cannot undo it but by cutting it asunder Though the work of Conversion be not difficult to God yet the far running sinner shall find it for his part a more intricate and hitching thing to wind his heart from those acts and paths of iniquity into which it hath been so long accustomed However it will be the Harsher the child which sticks so often in the birth causeth the birth to be Or the harsher more sharp and dolorous Usually the more sinfull a man hath been and the longer he hath held off God his soul is more cut partly with Fears for now he hath many doors to unlock ere he can fasten on grounds of comfort not onely that he hath held on a course of sin so long but also that he hath so subtilly and frequently withstood the tenders of grace and Gods manifold dealings with him already Though the person may have grace truly wrought in him to make him see all this vileness yet it may be long ere his faith shall be able comfortably to apprehend Gods mercy to forgive it He may have doubts not onely of mercy but of the truth of his conversion as if it seemed rather to be compulsive God may long withhold from him the testimony of his love who hath a long time perversly withheld the consent of his heart from returning unto him Partly with Shame It will be an exceeding reproach and confusion of face unto this person when ever the Lord converts him that he should deal with the Lord thus resist his Spirit so much and withstand that great kindness of God intended to him by the many means which he hath used Surely after that I was turned I repented saith Ephraim and after that I was instructed I smote upon my thigh I was ashamed yea even confounded because I did bear the reproach of my youth Jer. 31. 19. Then shall ye remember your own evil ways and your doings that were not good and shall loath your selves in your own sight for your iniquities and for your abominations Ezek. 36. 31. Ah! how it will rent and press the soul Such a fool such a beast was I to pursue my own ruine to reject my own mercies to slight so great salvation to vex so good a God and to be so infinitely unthankfully base that if I could have found any means of support I would never have submitted unto him and left my sinfull course Ah! how doth the Lord take this at my hands how unacceptable may my returning now be which may seem rather to be forced through extremity than to spring out of any ingenuity So that you see by our sinfull shiftings either God may deny us converting grace or else we shall make our Conversion much less easie and comfortable Object But some may say What can we help it can we turn our own hearts it must be the Lord who must do that and he We cannot convert our selves might do it at the first as well at at the last if he would Sol.
and a seeing what we have done a pondring of our paths It is opposed not only to Ignorance and Nescience but also to Negligence yea to rashness and suddenness and indeed it is a very deep searching and minding and weighing of matters When a man sits down and museth so that his mind and thoughts are throughly imployed he makes it a special business he bends all his strength rightly to inform himself to bring himself to a right understanding of his estate this is a proper consideration There be two kinds of thoughts and mindings some are only Intuitive they are but the cast of the eye a glancing lightning motion Others are Discursive fully searching the mind in them doth throughly insist on the Natures Kinds Circumstances Occurrences and Issues of things it is taken up with it as a business The serious consideration of a mans sinfulness falls into this latter it is not a confused work or a light overly sight of sin it is a setled and deep pondering of the estate in the Qualities Acts and Fruits of it Nature Number Circumstances Danger v. g. When I seriously consider of my sinful estate I reflect on my self what kind of life I lead what are those qualities what those wayes which I find and walk in my Thoughts my Affections my Speeches have been thus and thus my actions and thus my course of Life I have many bonds upon me to serve the Lord and not to sin against him but Wretch that I am I see all my ways which I took for pleasures and profits have been sinful and vile By them all I have violated a righteous Will dishonored and provoked a great God whose wrath is a consuming fire I have to satisfie them lost all my comforts caused many evils to others brought many miseries on my self put Christ to death and if God be not merciful lost my miserable soul for ever These wayes will I not believe mine own eyes are extremely sinful and therefore should I not believe the Scriptures are damnable many a year have I run this course and often times under checks of Conscience very much evil hath already been upon me and all for sin some troubles of Conscience And that wrath which God threatens and is behind is terrible If I go on thus I perish for ever for whilst I keep my sins the least sin of them I must necessarily part with God and lose my soul Tell me O my vainly deluded soul can that be good which God hates or safe which God doth curse Wouldst thou dye thus O then thou dyest for ever and why then wilt thou live thus any longer O thou hast presumed too far already perhaps Patience will bear no longer and Mercy being often abused may be for ever recalled and then thou O my Soul then whither wilt thou go No no we must no more of these forbidden fruits and no longer must we trade in the paths of death there is a God who hath lookt on thee all this while and hates thy wayes and hath sealed his implacable wrath with an Oath if thou return not Come my soul think aright of God of thy past acts of thy present estate of thy future condition believe me thy Guilts are many thy Accounts will be bitter God hath been still dishonoured he will not be mocked let us return for we are out of the way of Heaven and are even upon the brink of Hell 2. Concerning the right Comparison of the miserableness of a What this right Comparison is Opposita juxta se posita c. sinful with the happiness of a penitent Condition I need say but little It is nothing else but after a distinct view of either to set the one against the other in the Nature Kinds Qualities Concomitants Ends and Issues v. g. Thus base and foul is an In penitent estate thus excellent and glorions is a Converted estate That how opposite to God This how suitable That how odious to God This how acceptable That how covered with threats This how inriched with promises That is a cloud of thunder This a river of delight That is a path of misery This a way of mercy in that God Abhors me in this God loves me in that I feel his Frowns and strokes in this I feel his Smiles and comforts that brings down all Curses on me this all Blessings on me In that I shew my self a Rebel and do nothing but dishonour God in this a Servant and in some measure bring him Glory if I continue in that farewell all Mercy and happiness I perish with hunger I am lost for ever if I attain to this God is mine Christ is mine Mercy Pardon Favour Comfort Grace Heaven Happiness I shaâ—l be saved for ever Now O my Soul thou seest both Estates in their Nature in their Fruits in their Ends yea thou hast felt the bitterness of the one say Is not Mercy better then Misery is not God better then Sin is not Heaven better then Hell is not Plenty better then Famine Life then Death O then arise up be gone relinquish thy course of Sin of Misery of Death of Hell and arise and go by true Repentance unto God unto Christ unto Grace unto new Obedience unto Mercy unto Joy unto Blessing unto Life unto Eternal Life and that most happy c. 3. The third thing is to clear it How these two are prime steps How these are prime steps to Repentance to Repentance viz. A Consideration that a sinful course is most miserable and a penitent is most happy and comfortable are steps c. Only premise a difference twixt a Cause and twixt an Occasion of Repentance The Spirit of God is the Cause these considerations are Occasions and work by way of argument or means They work by way of Argument or Means proved By Scripture 1. That they do so appears by Scripture 1 King 8. 47. If they shall bethink themselves in the Land whither they were carried Captive and repent Ezek. 18. 28. Because he considereth and turneth away from all his Transgressions c. Nay if inconsideration be given as a proper reason why some repented not no man repented saying What have I done then è contra Consideration of our sins must be a right step unto Repentance Here you see clearly that solid consideration is as it were the Foundation of true Conversion there it begins and takes rise there is a Bethinking of sin before a Repenting from sin 2. Nay and it is evident in Example too I thought on my wayes said David Psal 119. 59. and turned my feet unto thy By Example Testimonies Like a Traveller who in a Journey stands still and considers with himself surely this way is wrong I am out of my way and then he turns about and gets him into the right way again So in this case the like may be said for comparison of an Unconverted course with the happiness of a Converted and penitent condition Hos
be it in Spirituals or Naturals or Civils or Morals dwell within you and rule over you it may be said of you what the Prophet spake of the stout-hearted They were far from righteousness 3. Few men use the means to make them humble they seldom are at home they are so studious of other mens sins that they Few men use the means to make them humble neglect their own This is a most ordinary truth that they who are so prying after the faults of others seldom search themselvs and hereby onely enable their own pride but disable themselvs for humbleness It is not forreign but experimental knowledge which makes us lowly But you may reply How may it bee known that our hearts are not lofty but lowly that so we may How it may be known that our hearts are not lofty but lowly judge our repentance not to be be formal but sound Sol. Premise a word or two and then I have done that I speak onely of Lowliness as it is to be found in Christians in this life which is not a state of perfection but imperfection Secondly as it in conflict and combate not as absolute and free Now then 1. If you be truly lowly then you live altogether upon free and meer mercy You then live upon meer mercy Every mercy is an alms unto you and is sued out not upon desert but upon promise you can find no mony to buy corn but all must be free gift you will be content to buy without mony and to receive without price 2. You will then be more patient under delays it is but a proud beggar who will be served at first knock or else will be gone It is a very ill sign when we are so You will be patient under delayes quick with God that he shall lose our service if he doth not presently send out his answers Were we indeed sensible of our own unworthiness we would hold it no disparagement to wait at heaven gates he will patiently wait for some mercy who humbly knows that he deservs none Even an humble heart may urge God to make haste but it is our proud heart which accuseth and quarrels with him for delay 3. You will be silent in denials and withdrawments Doth not God answer me Why I deserv no look nor answer Doth he You will be silent in denials not give what I ask but take away what he hath given Why it is the Lord let him do with his own what he pleaseth It is mercy that I have yet any mercy I am unworthy to enjoy any good who am most worthy to enjoy all evil When we are our selves this will be our temper if we be humble God shall use his own authority and pleasure to dispose of the mercies which we crave and of the mercies also which we have we will be more patient in denials and silent in losses What can we say who are unworthy of all 4. You will be very thankful for any answer or the least mercy If nothing will content us but great mercies assuredly we are not You will be very thankful for the least mercy humble but have too great spirits He who indeed judgeth himself not worthy of the least of all the mercies and truth which God shews unto him will take up a great misery with quietness and a little mercy with thankfulness The body of man if it bee sound can stoop for a pin as well as for a piece and the heart if it be humble can bless for little mercies as well as for great The touch of the little finger as well as of the great will make a well-tuned stringed instrument speak and even the whisperings of the voice are ecchoed back in an exact concave The least drops of mercy affect the lowly heart which can awake upon the least noise The proud heart like the mountain yields a poor crop after a shower of mercies but the humble heart like the Gardens yields plenty of sweet smelling sacrifices after the least dews or drops of merciful blessings and answers from God Now say How do you plead with God when you approach unto him what can you shew for the mercies that you ask onely his own mercie no worth in you to move him And how are you when God delaies or denies or removes his mercies can you then be in dust and ashes and not in fire and flames can you yet quietly serve him wait on him depend on him submit to him upon this ground Ah! I am a sinner I have wronged the Father of mercies abused all his mercies am not worthy of the least of mercies It is mercy that ever I had mercy that now I have any that which is lost and denied I am not worthy of them that which I have I am not worthy of And when God answers you either in spirituals to your souls or in temporals to your outward man How do you look upon his answers Do you look a squint on them as he upon Solomons Cities Are you able to abuse great mercies and slight the least 5. If you bee The more meâ—cies from God will make you more humble truly humble then the more mercies and answers from God will still add and make you more humble and lowly Not onely the sense of your iniquities but the experience of Gods mercies will make you low in your eies Mercies have two effects upon humble hearts they make them more humble and more fruitful David in 2 Sam. 7. when God gave him the advouzon and as it were confirmed and added to his former Charter an intention of greater mercy to his posterity Why this casts David down ver 18. Then went King David in and saâ—e before the Lord and he said Who am I O Lord God and what is my house that thou hast brought me hitherto The more corn is in the ear the more it hangs down the head and the tree bends most when laden with fruit But if mercies make us forget God as afflictions make us forget our selves if it be with us as with the Arrow which when the Bow is most bent and drawn it flies farthest from us Or as with the Dial which casts the shortest shadow when the Sun is highest or as with some grounds which yields the rankest corn after the fullest tillage we grow careless of God of his Ordinances in publick of his worship in private scornful of heavenly reproof admonition obedience alas this shews we are not humble If upon due search we find our hearts lifted up with an opinion 2. Vse We should be humbled for the want of this humbleness of our own worth and excellencies and far from penitential humblings We should be humbled for want of this humbleness as Hezekiah though his heart was lifted up yet the text saith He humbled himself for the pride of his heart 2 Chron. 32. 25 26 27. And use the means by which we may become humbly sensible of our own
much good thou needest not what thou canst deserve but it looks on what God will bestow Is it the many sins thou hast committed which present an utter unworthiness to thy conscience why Faith will teach thee to confess the debt and yet to crave for pardon Is it the hardness or vileness of thy heart which makes thee afraid Oh! the Lord is of purer eyes than to look on such a dead dog so vile a wretch as I Why Faith will teach thee that though the Lord be lofty and high are his habitations yet of all people he looks after the humble and contrite and hath respect unto them and looks on such through the bloud of the Covenant and that he will give Grace as readily as he will give Mercy and as freely bestow on thee a new heart as a gracious pardon 5. God onely must have the glory to be the Giver of Good and God only must have the glory to be the giver of good therefore be not thou discouraged if thou be admitted onely to be the receiver of good To be King no way befits the Subject the King honours the Subject highly if he make him the Kings Receiver O Christian let it suffice thee let God alone find gifts to bestow do thou study more for hands to receive them if ever thou wouldst have mercy get such an humble and believing heart as to be willing to receive any mercy upon any of Gods terms LUKE 15. 20. And he arose and came to his Father But when he was yet a great way off his Father saw him and had compassion and ran and fell on his neck and kissed him These words contain in them two parts 1. The very Life of true Repentance Which consists not in a bare Resolution but in an active and real Execution I will arise said the Prodigal and here he did arise I will go to my Father and here did come unto his Father He arose and came unto his Father 2. The gracious Acceptance of a real Penitent The Graciousness of it appears 1. In the present observation of him when he was yet a great way off his Father saw him the very intentions much more the present actings of repentance are quickly eyed and observed by a mercifull God 2. In a present affection to him and had compassion the bowels of mercy will stir when the heart of a sinner is penitentially touched 3. In a present Application His Father saw him and his Father pitied him but this is not all His Father also ran and fell on his neck and kissed him Mercy runs and Mercy embraceth and Mercy cheareth the penitent sinner The first part affordeth us this Proposition viz. That penitent intentions and resolutions should be accompanied with present executions and performances The Text properly Doct. 5. Penitent Resolutions should be accompanied with present Executions yields this for the words of it are but the lively and written copy of the Prodigals private and conceived purpose to leave his sinfull courses and to come back to the obedience and service of his Father It is observed of Hezekiah 2 Chron. 29. 3. That he opened the doors of the house of the Lord in the first year and in the first moneth of his reign and repaired them The publick Reformation was the principal work and it was the prime work too So must it be with a true Penitent as soon as God sets up a Throne of Grace in him presently to act that Grace in purging out of sin and walking in the paths of righteousness We read this in Josiah as soon as ever he heard the threatnings of God out of the Law his heart melted and humbled it self 2 Chron. 34. 19 27. and instantly he gathered all the Elders of Judah and Jerusalem v. 29. and made a Covenant v. 31. and they took away all the abominations out of all the Countreys and turned back to serve the Lord their God v. 33. This you see in Practise you may see the same likewise in Precept Joel 2. 12. Therefore now turn unto me with all your heart and with fasting and with weeping and with mourning The Duty is charged upon them for fuâ—ness in all the parts of Repentance and for quickness Now turn c. For the better opening of this Assertion premise with me a few particulars 1. That the execution of a penitential resolution is nothing This is meant of the very practise of Repentance else but an acting course or the very practise of Repentance When not onely the Judgement approves of the parts and rules of Repentance and the Will embraceth them with consent and desire but the Endeavour also doth as it were copy them forth in the Conversation I exercise my self to have a good conscience said the Apostle So when the sinner doth exercise Repentance when he doth hate sin indeed and flies from it and forsakes it indeed and when he doth indeed walk in the ways of new obedience becomes a very servant of righteousness and works the work of God this is the execution or the performance of a penitential purpose and resolution As walking is to a journey or as writing is to a copy or as fighting is to a war that is penitential execution to penitential resolution It is but the Theory as it were drawn down and put forth It is as the tree shooting out into blossoms and fruits It is repentance in life which is the life of repentance 2. That presentness of Execution is an undelayed acting Our actions fall vvithin three spaces of time either of the vvhich is And of an undelayed acting past as vvhat vve have done or of that vvhich is future as that vvhich shall be done or of that vvhich is present as that vvhich is doing Look as true Marriage it is not a future but a present acceptation So true Repentance is not a delayed but a present reformation Or as in Writing the motion of the Pen and the forming of the Letter are simultaneous Or as in a Clock the vvheel doth move and the finger doth move So in the business of Repentance the purpose of amendment should at the same time drop out into the change of heart and vvays To have repentance onely in our purposes is onely to have water in a cloud or physick in a glass it is not yet to do it Resolutions may be for the future but Executions are for the present act an hearing while it is to day and not hardning of the heart As St. Paul being called vvent immediately up to Jerusalem so present execution of repentance is vvhen we do not defer the penitential work a not allowing of our selves in giving vvay to our sins no not an hour as the Apostle spake in another case 3. That there is a two-fold present execution of penitential purposes One is immediate or vvhen the purpose and the acting And of a present execution either for immediateness or seasonableness vvithout distance of time
death what rewards after death it shall procure to persons upon the one and the other he is stirred up to the sense of his sins to the admiration of Holiness to a condemnation of his evil course to a resolution for a better But then it is with him as with some ship sometimes as soon as it is putting out of the Harbor it strikes upon a rock or falls into the sands and loseth all the precious lading Or as with Corn sown and let fall in an open and solid place where the Birds come down and instantly pick it up so is it here with this man the world meets him again at the Church door or at his own door and all these impressions and resolutions are spilt and gone Worldly engagements take present possession of his thoughts and all the service of his affections so that he hath no time to consider what God did speak or work in him no time secretly to beg of God to write those truths in his heart to keep all this in the purpose of his heart to give him the Spirit of Grace and strength to walk in the wayes of God revealed now unto him When you turn the course of the water another way the Mill cannot stir so when men turn the course of their thoughts and affections to secular and vain imployments all resolutions stand still they have nothing now to elicit or draw them on and out into any holy or careful diligence of obedience and performance The Oxen and the Farm c. took them quite off and they made excuses .i. for the present they had other engagements therefore take heed of worldly cares It is impossible that you should be much in the actings of any Grace if you be very much in the service of worldly cares 6. Lastly Presumptuous Confidence is also an Impediment to the Presumptuous confidence present executions of good resolutions whether it be of future time hereafter shall serve the turn it is not wisdom to be so forward soft and fair will go far we have day enough yet before us a year two or ten hence after such a business is effected or which is worse after the pleasures of such a sin is a little more tasted Or of Future ability This is a work which we will do at pleasure and at leisure when we see the scouts the forerunners of the army then we will buckle on our armor when we espy the harbingers of death approaching old age sickness weakness diseases then we will think of heaven and forsake hell what need we be troubling our selves to be doing of that a long time which we can dispatch at any time if we have but time to say Lord have mercy upon me what would ye more Or of Future Mercy Wherefore hath God Mercy but for sinners and he hath said That if at any time a sinner convert he will have mercy We have found him kind unto us all our dayes and doubt not of his fatherly compassion at the last Thus do men post of all penitential executions and for ever endanger their souls Alas for future time whose is it Seneca the Heathen could see more truth then this Solum tempus presens nostrum No time is ours but the present Thou carriest thy life in thy hands thy breath in thy nostrils and seest more Graves made for the young then for the aged And as for thy future ability why dost thou so grosly befool thy self knowest thou not that present Neglects cause stronger Indispositions Qui non est hodie cras minus aptus erit the School-boy will teach thee Every man by more sinning grows more sinful and therefore most unapt and averse to good And then Future Mercy it is of all things the most uncertain to pardon sin where present mercy leaves us not to repentance from sin it is all one as if thou shouldst thus argue God will hereafter pardon me and therefore for the present I will sin against him disobey dishonour vex and grieve and abuse him These are the principal impediments to a present expectation of penitential resolutions and are to be declined by us I now proceed to the helps and furtherances to a present Helps execution of penitentialâ— resolutions which are these amongst many 1. Solid Conviction of a sinful estate This will put us upon a present Execution When the Soul is brought to an experimental Solid conviction of a sinful state sense of the vileness and bitterness of sin it will not then lye hovering Were I best to give up this course or shall I go on in it still No but when the Soul is indeed wounded the wayes shall without delay be reformed take a person in some judicial and close conviction of sin upon a sick and dying bed how forward is a person then to change and better his courses much more do solid and evangelical convictions sweetly dispose and incline the heart to the forsaking of an evil and walking in a good way They in Acts 2. 37. were pricked in their hearts and what did this work in them they cry out presently Men and brethren what shall we do So Saul was struck to the ground and was astonished and trembled and then presently cries out Lord what wilt thou have me to do Act. 9. 4 6. Outward afflictions you see many times do put on men to alter and reform their wayes of much greater force are inward afflictions of spirit Go on yet in sin God forbid shall I continue in sin any longer who if I make not haste may lose all mercy and drop into Hell it self what I feel is much what I deserve I cannot bear 2. Holy Wisdome To know times and seasons is an high Holy wisdome part of Wisdome Walk not as fools but as wise redeeming the time saith the Apostle Eph. 5. 15 16. There are four things which solid Wisdome teacheth a man One is to look to the best part Another to make choice of the best good A third to walk in the best wayes A fourth is to do all this in the first place and surest time Have I any thing more near to me then my soul more concerning my soul then God more concerning God then walking before him Where am I if I lose my Soul what am I if I enjoy not God whether run I if I continue in sin if my soul be nearest and God choicest and his wayes safest why do I demur what should I take time or put off the doing of that which is ever best done when it is done If I will live yet in sin for ought I know I may then dye in sin and if I dye in sin I must for ever perish for sin Why should I not Do I not admit the present loss of that which else may be the eternal loss of my Soul But if I set into an holy life this is the very path of God the image of Glory the Ark of safety and the pledg of an happy eternity
graciously accept of it have we not reason to believe that he doth countenance these beginnings who presently makes all provision for the nursing and supplies of it To make some Application of this 1. It convinceth the common obloquies and aspersions cast upon religion and religious courses to Vse 1. Conviction of that aspersion that if we begin to be penitent farewell all Comfort be meer injuries and falsities viz. that if once you begin to be religions and penitential then farwel all comfort as if the grave of sin were the Resurrection of Griefe or of necessity men must be everlastingly pensive if once truly and seriously penitential But this is false no course so good so comfortable as the penitential mercy to invite you mercy to receive you mercy to pardon you and mercy to save you As soon as ever we begin to be good and to be penitent and are entred into the way of new obedience presently the merciful eye and favour of God is upon us mercy looks after us and though we have been foul Transgressours and have now but the very seeds and implantations of repentance mixt with exceeding imperfections yet the Lord will benignly and graciously accept of us and love us And as it doth convince that errour of the sadness of entring Vse 2. And oâ— that errour of the austerity of God towards Penitents into a good course so also another errour of the austerity and harshness of God towards poor Penitents as if nothing would please the Lord but quantity and great measures of Grace Oh if I had so much sorrow for sin if I had so much hatred if I had so much power over my corruptions Why it were well if thou hadst and thou doest not well if thou strivest not beyond all the measure of grace which thou doest attain But then to think that onely great grace is in grace with God and not little grace Repentance grown and not Repentance begun that God will not look on drops but rivers not on weakness but strength onely that a poor contrite broken troubled soul which prizeth grace above heaven and hates sin above hell but yet is troubled with the presence of much corruption and is apprehensive of manifold wants in all kinds of grace that the Lord will never look upon such a thin new weak Christian unless with austerity and distance Why do we thus belie the Lord and falsifie the graciousness of the Almighty who doth so love holiness and delight in the conversion of a sinner that as soon as ever the sinner begins truly to repent the Lord hath thoughts of mercy and peace for him he is observed and accepted Ananias is presently sent to Paul messengers of peace are presently dispatched Patents of mercy are sealed for him And thirdly It doth justly abase that unworthy proud and censorious harshness and strangeness which many who would take Vse 3. It discovers the proud harshness of men towards such as come short of themselves or others it ill if they be not in your opinion set up in the highest form of Piety do sinfully or foolishly express either in condemning or in contemning such as fall very short in the penitential work of others or of themselves yea and will shun tender society with them till they see some further perfections and ripenesses Alas what do we by what rule do we walk whose example do we look upon We must be wise it 's true and what wisdome is it to leave tender buds to the frost which we might have covered and enlarged with heat and warmth I beseech you let us pause a while 1. Are all in our Family Men Are there not some Children perhaps new-born Babes Are all in the Flock strong Sheep are there not some Lambs perhaps newly yeaned Are all the Stars in the Heaven of the same magnitude some are greater others are less yet all in the Heavens Do you despise Children reject the Lambs or slight the Moon because of her spots and lesser light than that of the Sun Why we read of the like disparity in the heavenly course St. John tells us of Fathers and of Young-men and of Chidren too yea and of Babes and Christ advised Peter's respects as well unto the Lambs as unto the Sheep 2. Were not we Beginners once our selves Was our Sun at the top our Gold so exquisitely pure did not we then need compassions and helps in times of infancy weakness conflicts temptations What is our present strength but some help to former weakness Time was we could hardly go or stand although now we can walk and run What a childishness is it for the Artist in Grammar to slight the Youth who is now spelling his Letters when this was the first Line of his own Learning the first step whereby he went to his height 3. And did God despise us in our beginnings Did not he gently lead those that were with young and carried the Lambs in his arms as the Prophet speaks How often hath he laid our fainting and weak souls to the brests of consolation comforted us in our fears strengthened our feeble hands answered our doubts 4. Nor doth he now slight them whom he tenderly owns upon the very entrances into a new and holy course sees them afar off and hath compassion Why then do we so slight and neglect them and put them from us who have as good a God as our selves and if we be good the same the same Christ and also the same truth and reality of Repentance And is not Minimum Christi amabile But they are indiscreet Surely they are no true penitents that are very fools No man so wise as he who is wise for his soul But they have many failings And not one of them approved all bewailed But they come short in Duties alas they are very short In expressions which the vilest hypocrite may excel in not in affections which the true penitent onely abounds in Therefore repent of your pride and state Seest thou a penitent higher than thy self honour him and imitate seest thou a penitent lower than thy self honour and cherish him God will meet him with much mercy do thou meet him with much love and pity Ten Evidences of True Repentance though Initial And take these Ten Evidences that a mans Repentance is true though weak and real though but initial 1. He is much Much in Grief though little in Strength He hates sin though he cannot be rid of it Conflicts with sin though he cannot conquer it He will not be its servant though its Captive He cries for help though not delivered He must have God reconciled though he questions it He would obey in all things though he falls short He prizeth more grace though he enjoy little He holds up his purposes He mourns for what he wants Vse 4. For Comfort to such as have the Initials of Repentance in Grief though little in Strength He will grieve for sinning though he
Hos 14. 4. and that he forgives them for his own sake Esa 43. 2. There is Abundant mercy God is Abundant mercy said to be rich in mercy to be plentifull in compassion to have manifold mercies even multitudes of mercy and to pardon abundantly Though the penitent hath many sins to be pardoned and many necessities to be supplied yet the Lord is very ready to multiply pardons unto him not to forgive some sins onely but all the sins committed It is not the quantity of sins for number nor the quality of sins for kind nor the aggravations of sins by circumstances which hinders mercy if a a man be penitent but though the sins were as red as Scarlet they shall be as white as Snow and though they have been like Crimson they shall be as Wool Esa 1. 18. 3. There is Tender Tender mercy mercy Tenderness consists in an easiness of Compassion and forward willingness to help The tender Mother easily draws out the brests Such a tenderness of mercy is there in God to the Penitent he is most willing to forgive he rejoyceth to shew mercy and doth it with his whole heart Nor doth he upbraid and grieve the sinner when he sheweth mercy but in the shewing of mercy onely shews mercy he will forgive sins and never mention them any more to the forgiven Penitent 4. There is Sure mercy A penitent person may be Sure mercy unsure of many things of his earthly comforts of his worldly friends of his own life but of two things he may be sure of Heaven hereafter and of Mercy presently as soon as ever his heart is taken off from sin his faith may look on mercy Though he hath reason to be grieved for sins yet he hath no reason to doubt the pardon of his sins for that God who hath promised to pardon abundantly hath also said I will surely have mercy on him Jer. 31. 20. 5. There is Loving and Reviving mercy reviving mercy such as takes off the turbulency of the Conscience settles and composeth and speaks peace unto it and admirably refresheth it by the impression of Divine consolations even such mercy is God ready also to give to the penitent even to bind up their bruised spirits and to give them beauty for ashes the oyle of joy for mourning and the garment of praise for the spirit of heaviness Isa 61. 1 2. He will create lips of peace and words of comfort Speak comfortable to Jerusalem say unto her that her sins are pardoned Isa 40. 〈◊〉 But why is God so ready to shew mercy to the penitent person Sol. There are reasons partly respecting God and the penitent Reasons of it 1. In respect of God 1. It is his nature to be the Lord the Lord God gracious merciful abundant in goodness and truth forgiving iniquity In respect of God It is his nature transgression and sin therefore called a Father and the Father of mercies a Husband Friend Physician Every nature is apt to produce or send out such acts as lye within it and are suitable unto it The Fire is apt to heat and the Sun to shine and the Water to moisten The liberal man it is his nature to be apt to give and the courteous man to speak kindly the nature of the Lord is merciful and therefore no wonder that he is ready to shew mercy 2. It It is his Promise is his promise to shew mercy to the penitent his nature is ready to pity any man in misery and to offer him mercy and help but besides this he is ready to make good his promises he hath passed his holy word of truth that he will have mercy on the penitent the promises are so many that I cannot mention them See Isai 55. Ezek. 18. c. 3. It is his delight to shew them It is his Delight mercy he delighteth in mercy Mic. 7. 18. What any delights in that he is ready to do there is nothing more facile to action or more abundant in action or more unweariable in action then delight delight is no burden when God shews mercy he is doing that wherein he delights Two things God delights in One is a penitent soul there is joy in heaven for his conversion and another is to shew mercy to that Soul Jer. 33. 8. I will pardon all their iniquities whereby they have sinned against me v. 9. And it shall be to me a name of joy 4. It is his glory is it the glory It is his glory of a man to pass by an offence and is it not the glory of a God mercifully to pass over transgressions you get by it and God gets by it Isai 30. 18. Therefore will he be exalted that he may have mercy upon you there be many things which do exalt God set his glory on high our humility doth it our faith doth it and his own mercies do it Jer. 33. 9. This shall be to me a name of joy and praise and an honour before all the nations of the earth who shall hear all the good that I do unto you When he pardons a sinner and shews him mercy why now he gets him a Name Who is a God like unto thee forgiving iniquity transgression and sin God gets him a name three wayes sometimes by Omnipotent acts as when he works wonders never was the like seen in Israel Sometimes by Vindictive acts as when he over rules and confounds the great enemies of his people so he got him a name upon Pharaoh Sometimes by his Gracious acts as when he pardons a sinner Paul sets it down for all posterity to look on that mercy which was shewed unto him The Lord gives the Penitent mercy and hereby he gets unto himself much Glory 5. His love is great to Penitents and therefore his mercy is ready His love is great to Penitents for penitents his general Love his Philanthropie inclines him thus far as to reveale mercy and to offer mercy and to beseech by mercy even the unkindest Impenitents Why will ye dy turn and live When shall it once be O then what must his special love produce if he be ready to shew mercy to enemies is he not ready to shew it to sons If to Rebels surely then to friends if to them that disobey him how much to them who do humble themselves at his footstool who repent for whose souls he gave the blood of his Son Secondly in respect of the penitent themselves God is very ready In respect of the Penitent to shew them mercy 1. There is nothing in the World that they need like mercy It is the only Plaister for their wound and They need nothing like mercy Anchor for their Ship if they have not mercy they are undone Usually there is in every condition some one thing which the heart of man doth most need if he be sick then health if poor then sufficiency if dejected then comfort Christ tells Martha of
because Interest in Christ precedeth our Benefits by Christ Again as the Robe before the Ring so the Ring before the Shoes not because the Hands are more estimable then the Feet but because our Feet can never tread well with Shoes of Patience untill we first finger the Ring of Faith we can never go well nor bear well unless first we believe well I begin with the first of these the prime Favour bestowed on The prime favour bestowed upon the Prodigal The matter of it The Author of it the Prodigal in which you have observable 1. The matter of that favour called a Robe and the Best Robe What this Robe is and why called the Best whether for Order or for Dignity or for Necessity or all we shall presently discuss 2. The Author of this favour The Father said Why that phrase the Father why not God said Surely because our mercies choicer mercies come out of the hand of a reconciled God they come from the Father of mercies who is also the God of all grace And why no more then The Father said c. because saying from God is enough it is as good as doing his Imperative saying is a Causative saying if he speaks the word we are made whole and we though naked are cloathed The manner of conferring it 3. The manner of conferring it He said to his servants Bring it forth and put it 〈…〉 think the servants here are the Angels Others 〈…〉 them to be the Ministers of the Gospel But why saith he to his servants bring it forth and put it on is he not able to do it himself True God alone is able but he who for power is able alone to confer any grace being Lord of all in wisdome thinks fit to confer and dispence Grace by the Ministry of servants that so the use of means should alwayes accompany the dependance on his power But why saith he not let the Prodigal put it on himself I conjecture because as God only hath Grace so he only can invest us with it we can no more dress our selves with spiritual abilities then the child that is newly born God finds the Garment and he also finds the hands to put it on gives Christ and an hand of Faith to put him on gives grace and a will also to receive it If the Prodigal had been naturally able as the Pelagians clamour it it had been enough that the Gaâ—ment had been brought forth and shewed unto him as the best and then he could have of himself put it on but there is no such matter the Prodigal wanted not only a Robe to wear but strength also to put it on and therefore the Robe is by his Fathers will both represented to him and he invested with it by a Forinsecal Induition So that you have at this time 1. The gift and the excellency of it 2. The Author or cause of it 3. The means or manner of Application of it Touching the first two questions crave our resolution 1. What this Robe or Garment is which is here bestowed on What this Robe or Garment is the returning Prodigal Sol. There is you know a forefold Garment 1. Natural Our Skin is the Garment that swathes our flesh and body Job seemeth to insinuate this to be as a moth-eaten Garment c. 13. 28. and a changeable suit c. 30. 18. The Text speaks not of it 2. Civil Such as we wear for use and distinction nor of this doth the Text speak 3. Evil The Apostle calls it a Garment spotted with the flesh Jude v. 23. and the Prophet stiles it a menstruous cloath and S. Paul adviseth us to put it wholly off Eph. 4. 4. Spiritual Which is of that regardand concernment The Spiritual Robe to the Soul as a civil Garment is to the body this is the garment of which the Text doth speak This again is twofold either 1. Imputed righteousness 2. Or Inherent righteousness both of these are in Scripture expressed as Garments and we are often called to put them on as Rom. 13. Eph. 4. and 〈…〉 in the Revelation is said to be cloathed with the Sun The Robe though as I conjecture in this place is that of imputed righteousness namely the active and passive obedience of Of imputed Righteousness Put on by Faith Compared to a Robe For Necessity Jesus Christ which we then put on when by faith we receive Jesus Christ and it is well compared to a Robe or Garment 1. For necessity though all sorts of Garments be not necessary yet some are partly to cover our shame and nakedness and defects that they appear not before the fall of Adam nakedness was a badg of innocency but after it a reproach and shame and therefore God made our first parenâ—s Garments to cover their shame In like manner if we would have our sinful naked Souls which are shameful in the eyes of God and man covered from the revenging eye of his justice that our nakedness appear not Rev. 3. 18. Of necessity we must be cloathed with the Robe of Christs righteousness Partly To protect us from injuries of extreme cold in the Winter and violent heat in the Summer c. Of the same virtue is the Robe of Christs righteousness to secure the Soul from the scorchâ—â—g flames of divine wrath and the piercing terrours of a guilty and accusing conscience by the shadow of it we enjoy peace unspeakable and most delightful tranquillity To preserve and cherish natural heat and life our Garments are the warm Bed we walk in and somewhat answerable to food for preservation â—uch is Jesus Christ in respect of justifying righteousness a very quickning spirit our life and the stay thereof and the spring of our sweetest comforts and refreshings in conscience for what is justification but life from the dead mercy at the bar pardon to a condemned person God at one with us and we estated into his favour and happiness 2. For For Ornament Ornament Therefore you read of costly Apparel of Purple and soft Raiment of Cloathing of wrought Gold and Raiment of needle work all which are beautiful adornings and set us out in a kind of Majesty and State Doth not the righteousness of Christ do so it is our comely and glorious Ornament which for the glory of it is called the cloathing of the Sun and beautiful Ornaments â—uch as make us altogether comely and lovely without spot or wrinkle and very pleasant and precious It is the choicest Jewel which the Christian can wear 3. For distinction For Distinction Nations you know are distinguished by their habits and so amongst us the orders of Callings are or should be differenced by variety of Garments Thus our profession of and reliance only on the righteousness of Christ doth distinguish us from all Inâ—idels Jews Papists who either deny the thing or else rely on something else 2. But why is this Garment called the best Robe Some think To the best Robe
is Knowledge of Christ as revealed in the Word which a man may have and utter too and yet not have Faith there is Profession of Faith for the truth against errours and yet the Grace of Faith is another thing A man may have so much faith as to believe that there is a Christ and to confess his excellencies and in some sort to see his own necessities of Christ yea he may begin to article and capitulate as the Young-man and yet break off and be far enough from a Faith which doth indeed espouse and marry his soul unto Christ 4. Lastly The misery and danger Suppose The misery and danger you do deceive your selves and in the event it appears that you are not espoused to Jesus Christ by Faith that you never gave your hearts unto him that there never was any conjugal Union and Bond twixt you if thou indeed shouldst live Christless and die Christless what helpless hopeless happyless person art thou But you will reply We trust that we are truly penitent persons and that God hath given unto us such a Faith whereby we are really married unto Christ Sol. Well if that be so you have great cause to bless the Lord And that you may not be deceived therein I will deliver unto you some proper effects which that Faith produceth in every soul that is indeed married unto Qualities produced by an espousing faith Christ There are four Qualities produced by an espousing Faith 1. Estimation Let the Wife see that she reverence her Husband saith the Apostle Ephes 5. She must both acknowledg Estimation him as a Head and honour him as a Lord juâ—â—e and esteem of him in a relative consideration above all other The like effect doth Faith produce if it espouseth us to Christ it sets up Christ above all accounts of him as most excellent judgeth of all other things but as dross and dung in comparison of him will part with all for to get Christ The beauties of Christ are glorious in the eyes of every believer Christ doth not seem a mean thing an ordinary or common thing but he is the Pearl the Sun of Righteousness My Lord and my God saith Thomas In a word Faith if right exalts the Excellency of Christ and the Authority of Christ the Excellencies of his Person and the Authority of his Will and Laws 2. Election Election We make choice of Christ before all other Though sins though the pleasures and profits of the world proffer themselves yet as the Martyr at the stake None but Christ Or as Paul I desire to know nothing but Christ crucisied So the true believer Give me Christ I have enough I have that which is best of all he is the the Optimum and the Vnicum to Faith 3. Affection Conjugal Affection Faith ever produceth conjugal Love It were a monstrous evil for a woman to marry a man and noâ— love him and it were an adulterous thing for her to love any more then her own Husband Marriage doth by way of Duty infer and draw with it two qualities of Love one is exclusive and it is an unity of Love the other is intensive and it is a redundancy of Love Thus is it with us if Faith hath espoused us unto Christ it doâ—h kindle in us a love unto Christ not a divided love a love to Christ and a love to sin a love to Christ and a love to the world but an united love none is by us esteemed and loved as our Lord but Christ Nor doth it satisfie it self with a remiss and diminutive love which may serve any inferiour object but as Christ is in himself the most excellent object so Faith produceth such a degree of love which bears some proportion with that object viz. a superlative love a love of Christ above all and more then all more set on Christ than on any other object which yet may lawfully be loved more than our father or mother or wife or children Do we find this love in our hearts to Christ against all and above all Nay again True conjugal love infers with it a Love 1. of Complacency to delight in the thing loved 2. of Society to be with the person loved Is it so with us what delght have we in Christ in his person in his excellencies in his works in his ordâ—â—ances Is it our best joy to hear him to see him to speak with him 4. Subjection I confess that marriage doth not make the Subjection woman a slave yet by vertue thereof she is bound to submission or subjection she doth in a sort give away her self unto the disposal of another in the Lord Thy desire saith God Gen. 3. 16. shall be to thy husband and he shall rule over thee If thou hast a Faith which doth espouse thee unto Christ that Faith brings thy heart into the obedience and subjection of Christ It subjects thy will to Christs will and thy judgment to his truths and thy desire to his rule and thy works to his laws If Christ would have thee be and do one thing and thou wilt be and do another that thy will is still contradicting of Christs will and thy way is still contrary to his way Though a man may be married to such a stubborn and perverse piece yet Christ is not for all that are married unto him by Faith have in some measure wrought in them an obediential spirit desirous to know the mind of the Lord and willing to live godly in Christ Jesus Now this subjection which is the effect of an espousing Faith hath these properties in it viz. 1. Vniversality the wife is subject in all things 2. Diligence we must take care to please him 3. Delightfulneâ—â— it must be no burthen 4. Constancy as long as we live we must be subject to the will of our Lord. The last Use shall be for Exhortatiou That in case you find Vse 2. Exhortation this Ring of Faith by which you are espoused unto Christ given unto you then be very carefull to wear it and to bring it along with you to this next Sacrament We usually put on our Robes and our Rings when we come to any solemn Feasts The Sacrament of the Lords Supper is a Feast of good things there is Christ and mercy and redemption and sanctification and what not for the soul but bring your Ring with you Christ looks that you should come with it and you can do no good at the Sacrament if you have not the Ring on your hand Though you put forth your hand yet if the Ring be not on it the hand may take the bread but the Ring is it which onely can take Christ therefore bring Faith with you to the Sacrament Josephs Brethren must bring Benjamin with them or else they must not see his face nor should get food And let your faith work upon Christ all along on the love of Christ on the sufferings of Christ of the
that finds a lost sinner Sol. The Answer Who finds the lost sinner God onely is easie It is God onely I will seek that which was lost Ezek. 34. 16. It was he who found Abraham in Caldea amongst the Idolaters and David among the sheep-folds and Manasses among the thorns and bushes and Paul in the way to Damascus and Matthew at the receit of Custome and the Israelites in their bloud and Mary Magdalene in her uncleanness The sinner cannot find himself he can lose himself but he cannot find himself he can wander but he cannot return of himself Avertere a Deâ— man can do that but convertere ad Deum man cannot do this Man loves to wander but to come back man hath neither will nor power No man can â—ind a lost sinner He may find a lost sinner by way of discovery but he cannot find him by way of recovery I may discover but not recover 2. Bewail but not prevail 3. give Counsel but not give Grace I may see one running from God but I cannot bring him back to God I may see him wandring to Hell but I cannot set his heart to turn back to Heaven and I may bewail a lost sinner yet I cannot prevail upon a lost sinner and I can give him counsel to come home but I cannot give him grace to come home It is God God onely who can find a lost sinner Quis ovem perdicam requirere debeat nonne qui perdidit quis perdidit nonne qui habuit Quis habuit nonne qui â—ecit So Tertullian appositely He onely that made man he onely it is who can find the sinner Quest 2. How God finds a lost sinner Sol. There are How God â—inds a lost sinner seven Acts of God which are conversant about the finding of a lost sinner 1. He is moved with compassion towards him the He is moved with compassion towards him Lord pities such a sinner Alas saith God this poor ignorant foolish man is gone from me the fountain of his life lo how his lusts deceive him how Satan rules him how he wanders up and down in vanity he is quite out of the way of his happiness he is running towards hell but perceives it not he is undoing and destroying his immortal soul but observes it not he knows not whether he goes he is undone for ever if I stay him not if I turn him not 2. He intends good to this particular lost sinner I will surely have mercy on him I have seen his ways He intends good to this lost sinner and will heal him I know the thoughts that I think towards him thoughts of good and not of evil I will glorifie all my mercy and goodness in this very sinner I will not suffer him to run on thus I will look after him I will bring him home to my self and save him 3. He sends out after him one servant and another He sends out after him servant one Minister and another Minister Go saith God to such a Parish and to such a Family and preach and make enquiry Is there not such a miserable sinner here is there not such a lost man there one that is gone from his Fathers house one that hath spent all in riotous living Is there never a man here who hath departed from God lived without God run all his life in sinfull loose base courses of disobedience and would now be glad of mercy This is the general seeking of a lost sinner 4. He makes a privy search after him for perhaps He makes a privy search after him the general Hue and Cry will not find the sinner and therefore the Lord makes a privy search As to find out Achan there was Tribe searched by Tribe and Family by Family and Person by Person and thus doth the Lord in finding of a lost sinner He comes more distinctly and his Word or Afflictions draw after this sinner more personally they light at his door upon his person and knock and enquire Art not thou the man doth not the lost sinner abide here Art not thou he who hast lived ignorantly or proâ—anely and gone astray from thy God 5. He He lights on hâ—m at length lights on him at length And then the Lord lights on a lost sinner when he actuates and quickens Conscience in him which now can be silent no longer but cries out Lord here he is Here is the Swearer Drunkard Whoremonger Sabbath-breaker c. And now out comes the lost sinner with a trembling heart and a guilt-smiting spirit Lord who is it that you look for do you look after a sinner a lost sinner I am the man you look for Oh I have sinned I have wandred I have been lost all my Oh I have sinned I have wandred I have been lost all my days What shall I say unto thee O thou preserver of men or what shall I do Oh! if thou takest not pity on me if thou shewest not mercy unto me I perish I die I am lost for ever 6. He deals with this sinner to return and come back unto him Hos 14. 1. O Israel return unto the Lord thy God for thou He deals with him to return hast fallen by thine iniquity And there are four ways which the Lord useth to prevail upon a lost sinner to turn back unto him Four ways 1. By Expostulation What have I been unto thee or what have I done unto thee or what iniquity hast thou found in me By Expostulation that thou hast all this while departed from me Was not I the God that formed thee the Father that brought thee forth the Master that fed thee and took care of thee Was there not goodness and kindness and fulness enough in me why hast thou dealt thus unkindly with me 2. By Conviction of his By Conviction wandring condition with the baseness and miserableness thereof These are thy ways and these have been thy doings and what profit hast thou by those things whereof thou art or mayest be now ashamed Why what hast thou got by all thy sinfull wandrings See how naked thou art of all spiritual good how shamefull thy course hath been Is the Wilderness a place for a Child How poor and undone thou art Thou hast spent all and if thou continuest in thy sinfull ways thou wilt certainly perish with hunger Sin hath been thy loss and if thou return not it wâ—ll certainly be thy ruine Return O lost Sinner return return why wilt thou die and perish for ever 3. By By Propositions of Mercy Propositions of Mercy As S. John ran after that young lost man of Jerusalem crying unto him Return my son return Christ will yet accept of thee Christ will yet shew thee mercy So doth the Lord God when he would bring back a lost sinner Return saith he and live return and live Ezek. 18. 32. Though thou hast forgot the Duty of a Child yet I have not put off the Affection
a quickning and regenerating Word it carries Christ in it the Author of Life and the Apostle calls it the Ministration of Life And perhaps it hath been so to some poor man and woman and to some of thy children But O how long hast thou heard it how often hast thou come to this Bread of Life to these Waters of Life What! and yet dead in thy sins not yet quickned and made alive Why thou art a reproach to the Gospel and thy sins have not only given death to thy soul but death to the Gospel of Christ the Gospel is made by them a dead Letter it is not so in it self but thou hast made it so And how wilt thou answer God for killing thy soul and killing his Christ and killing his Gospel 2. Many have a name that they live but like the Angel of Many have a name to live and yet are dead the Church of Sardis they are dead Revel 3. 1. Oh Sirs Spiritual life the life of grace is a rare thing and a difficult thing Every man loves his life but few love this life No man hates his own life almost but most men hate this life of grace because it is destructive to this life of sin And many think they have it and others think so too and yet they have it not You know it is one thing to put Flowers upon a dead body and another thing to put life into a dead man It is one thing for the Sun to convey light another thing for the Sun to convey life I might shew you that mâ—n mistake spiritual life exceedingly Education in a person may lead him far and so may an enlightned and generous Conscience and so may restraining Grace and so may Art and so may the common gifts of the Spirit they may enable a man to strange conceptions and strange affections and strange actions and yet the man may be spiritually dead Not any of these flow from a gracious principle of spiritual life Why common Gifts may lead up the soul far and Education may lead to Duties much and Conscience may awe sin exceedingly and Art or Hypocrisie may counterfeit the very life of Grace as a Stage-player doth a King wonderfully O therefore look to it that you have more than a name of life that you live indeed 3. If you should deceive your selves and when you come to It would be very sad to be deceived in this die you find that you have been dead all your lives and never were spiritually made alive Oh! in what a condition will thy poor trembling soul be To die and see nothing but death I thought there was life in my heart and life in my strong faith and life in my troubles of spirit and life in my obedience but alas I never lived I never enjoyed Christ never enjoyed grace c. 4. If the Lord hath made thee alive from the dead I do not To be alive is cause of great joy know any man living on the earth that hath such cause of joy unspeakable and glorious I will mention but three particulars unto thee 1. Hereby thou mayest be assured of thy interest in the richest mercy and greatest love of God to thy poor soul Read but the Apostle in Ephes 2. 4. But God who is rich in mercy for his great love wherewith he loved us v. 5. even when we were dead in sins hath quickned us 2. Thou mayest palpably discover the tokens and vertues of Jesus Christ upon thy soul the very Effigies of the saving works of Christ that which Paul so longed to know even the power of the death and of the resurrection of Christ Philip. 3. 10. In thy death to Sin and in thy life of Grace doth the power of Christs death and of Christs resurrection appear 3. Thou mayest certainly know that Heaven shall be the place of thy rest hereafter Spiritual life comes from Heaven and bends to Heaven and shall bring to Heaven It prepares for Heaven and it is a part of Heaven and it shall be perfected and filled up in Heaven O what things are these who would miss of these For Christs sake search throughly whether you be made alive Now me thinks I hear some soul secretly longing to know how it may be cleared unâ—o it That God hath quickned it from the Signs of spiritual life dead That as it was once dead yet it is now alive Sol. There are many things which may clearly declare it for indeed life is such an active thing especially spiritual life that it may easily appear sometimes or other to him who hath it 1. If sin be alive then thou art still dead and if sin be dead thou art certainly alive I will open both these parâ—s 1. If sin be alive then the man is dead for it is impossible that the If sin be alive the man is dead same man should be alive and dead under the same consideration Spiritual Life and spiritual Death are incompatible at the same time in the same subject And therefore if sin be alive questionless you are spiritually dead Now there are four things which manifest sin to be alive in any mans soul 1. The flaming bents and inâ—atiable desires of the heart after things forbidden in the Word Ephes 4. 19. we read of sin with greediness 2. The universal and easie authority law or command that it hath over the soul and body that it can use them in the service of lusts when and as it pleaseth Ephes 2. 2 3. 3. The joyfull contentation and satisfaction which the heart takes in evil things as we do in meat and drink 4. The customary trade and course of our life in sinfull ways a walking in them a living in them O if these be yet found in thee sin is alive still and thou art dead still 2. But if sin be dead thou art certainly alive If sin be dead thou art alive I confess sin may be restrained and a man not alive and sin may be troublesome in some respects and a man not yet alive But if it be dead the man is spiritually alive for sin in thee can never come to be dead but by spiritual life Now sin is dead in thee if thou canst find two things 1. If it hath lost thy affections If love to sin be gone and hatred of sin be come if delight in sin be quenched and sorrow for sin be implanted Oh Sirs the love of sin is the life of sin and if the hatred of sin doth live then the love of sin is dead 2. If it hath lost its Authority its free and uncontrolled power although it molests still and tempts still yet it rules not thou art not a slave to it and subject to it thou wilt not serve it obey it any longer If thou hast Christ for thy Lord the Law of Christ for thy Rule and Sin for thy Enemy thou art alive 2. A second sign of spiritual life is a spiritual sense
the History of him he was one who would be gone from his Fathers House and into a far Country he went and there he did waste his substance with riotous living He made an end of all of it and in the basest of wayes amongst Harlots and then betakes himself to â—ordid shifts He offered himself to â—eed Swine and would have fed with the Swine nay would have lived upon the Offals and Husks which the Swine left He stood it out to the last if he could possibly have subsisted if he could but have lived he would never have come back to his Father Yet this Son this Son at length comes back at length is converted and is alive again But I obtained mercy said Paul 1 Tim. 1. 13. Misericordiaâ— donantem mercy of Conversion misericordiam condonanâ—em mercy of remission I obtained mercy Why what was he more then another that he does so emphatically speak of himself I obtained mercy Yea there was reason to set it off thus with an Emphasis for he was a notorious sinner I was saith he a Blasphemer and a Persâ—cuter and Injurious yet I I obtained mercy Some of you know that it hath been an ancient question and debate about the equality or inequality of sin I think thus 1. That Original sin quantum ad se is equally divided amongst all men there is aequalis carentia debiti and aequalis inhaerentia Indebiti as touching the nature of Original sin in every man in respect of it one sinner is not a greater sinner then another 2. Yet the actual exercise of that sin may be more in one man then in another and hence it is that some sinners we call them lesser and others we call them greater By a great sinner I mean one who exceeds another very much in sinful wayes and guilt And one may be called a great a very great sinner in four respects nevertheless they have not hindered conversion One may be called a great sinner in four respects 1. One may be called a very great sinner whose single sin is of an amazing quality such as not only Scripture condemns but When a single sin is of â—n amazing quality even nature shrinks at it as Incest and Sodomy there is a kind of reluctancy and abhorrency in nature against those and the very Heathens start at them Yet God hath converted some men guilty of these sins The incestuous Corinthian whom Paul would have delivered to Satan was wrought upon and converted and repented and 1 Cor. 6. 9. Some of them who were abusers of themselves with mankind v. 11. Were yet washed and sanctifyed and justifyed 2. One may be called a very great sinner whose kinds of sinning are very many and all of them exceedingly Whose kinds of sinning are very many and provoking provoking When they are as a volly of poysoned arrowes all of them levelled at and shot into the very face of God every one of them like Saul is higher by the head then other sins which in comparison are of a lower stature Such a great sinner was Manasses he was one of the highest Idolaters that ever we read of and a witch and dealt with the Devil and offered some of his children to the Devil 2 Chron. 33. 3 4 6. and shed much innocent bloud Yet this notorious sinner at length humbled himself greatly and was converted See vers 12 13. 3. One may be called a very great sinner Who hath continued a long time in a course of great sins who hath continued a long time in the course and practise of great sins perhaps twenty forty fifty years Abraham continued a long time in his Idolatry and at length was called and converted The Ephesians walked according to the course of this world and had their conversation in times past in the lusts of the flesh fulfilling the desires of the flesh and of the mind Chap. 2. vers 2 3. yet at length were quickned and converted vers 5. 4. One may be called a great Whose sins are â—reatly circumstanced sinner whose sinnings are very greatly circumstanced Circumstances you know give a very great accent unto moral actions Quest But how may it appear that a very great sinner may Demonstrations it be converted Sol. There are four Reasons of it or Demonstrations for it 1. Because some great sinners belong to the Election of Gods Grace Paul was as you have seen a very Some great sinners belong to the Electioâ— of Grace great sinner yet saith God of him Act. 9. 15. He is a chosen vessel unto me There are two things amongst many other which belong to the Divine Election 1. It is a free Act and if I may use the word without offence an Independent Act raised only from the good pleasure of the Divine Will and not from the condition of the Object Rom. 9. 15. I will have mercy on whom I will have mercy and I will have compassion on whom I will have compassion Vers 16. It is not of him that willeth nor of him that runneth but of God that sheweth mercy If God will choose foolish things and base things c. 1 Cor. 1. 27 28. 2. It is an infallible Decree I mean such a Decree which God will certainly fulfil In Election God doth decree or ordain a person unto salvation and this person God will certainly bring unto salvation by those means which he hath appointed for that purpose And therefore if a great sinner be within the compass of Gods Election him in time will God convert Act. 13. 48. As many as were ordained to eternal life believed 2. Because the Conversion of a Sinner is an omnipotent work It belongs to God to whom nothing is too hard he can pardon The conversion of a sinner is an omnipotent work great sins as well as little and convert great sinners as well as ordinary sinners There is as much power put forth to convert a sinner as there was to make a world yea and more For in Creation there was nothing in the Subject created to resist and withstand but when a Sinner is to be converted there is an exceeding great resistance such a resistance as is able to put by all the strength and power of a moral Agent No created and finite power can convert a sinner An infinite power is required and if that be put forth the stoutest and strongest sinner must and doth yield If the Sun riseth then the thickest darkness flees away and vanisheth If Christ speaks the word then Lazarus who had been dead four dayes lives again Steven preaches and not only Paul slights his Sermon but consents also to his death But when Jesus Christ spake only a few words unto him Paul now quakes and trembles and yields Lord what wilt thou have me to do 3. Because the Lord God hath the absolute dominion over the God hath the absolute dominion over the heart heart he can dispose fashion alter turn it as he
to another or from a present and sudden apprehension of matters or from the defect of strength or from judicial impressions by the appearing of death or from education or from respect to our superiours and friends and hopes which we have from them c. 2. If the heart should never graciously be changed If the heart be never changed the man is damned as sure as God lives the man will be damned though the man may have parts abilities honours be civil ingenuous candid and punctual with men and in-offensive in his dealings O friends the Heart or Soul is that which God looks on and every man is as his heart is as that is so the man is he is so for the present and he is so for eternity Except a man be born again he cannot enter into the Kingdome of God said Christ to Nicodemus Joh. 3. 3. If any man be in Christ he is a new creature saith the Apostle 2 Cor. 5. 17. Old things are past away all things are become new Christ you know is the way the truth and the life Can the Christless man ever be a heavenly man assuredly no Christ no Heaven But then if a man be in Christ he is a new Creature .i. Christ doth change him and forms him a new he strips him of his old heart and puts into him a new heart These things being premised I now come to answer the Case The case answered propounded Only I must crave favour to acquaint you with two things One that I speak not of such a change as implies perfection but only of that which although it be true and saving is nevertheless imperfect for so is all the work of grace in this life Another is that I intend not to give you Characters of a progressive change which may be found in Christians whom God hath called and converted and changed for many years in whom the work of Conversion is come to much maturity and strength but only of an initial change as it stands in truth and sincerity although newly wrought and perhaps it be very feeble and weak yet it is to be found in every man whom Divine Grace doth convert Now this Initial change may be evidenced by the several contrary habitudes and fixed carriages in the converted The initial change evidenced by the several contraricties person as to time past and time present and time future in respect of all which you shall clearly discern a singular alteration if the Conversion be true 1. The first contrariety or alteration respects the time past As to the time past Before the sinner was converted there were four unhappy qualities possessing of him as touching his sinfulness 1. A marvellous blindness and reflexive unsensibleness of his sinful condition dead in trespasses and sins Eph. 2. Past feeling Eph. 4. 19. 2. A wonderful erroneousness and false judgment of his estate thinking highly and proudly of himself as once Laâ—dicea did and the Jews and Pharisees did We are Abrahams seed and never in bondage Joh. 8. 33. 3. A miserable security of spirit extreamly careless and negligent about the internal and eternal concernments of his soul alive once without the Law Rom. 7. 9. Soul take thine ease c. They say peace and safety 1 Thes 5. 3. 4. A remorseless pursuing of his sinful lusts without any heart-smiting troubles for his sinning and provoking of God No man repented saying What have I done every one turned to his course Jer. 8. 6. 5. Alienation from the life of God Eph. 4. 18. Thus it was with the man before God converted him and changed him but now behold the alteration and contrariety 1. There is a graciously quick and active quickning light fallen into him which opens his eyes and affects his conscience to a clear and right sight of his sinful heart and life Rom. 7. 9. But when the Commandment came sin revived c. As if the light of the Sun brake into a darkroom and represented all the nastiness in it Acts 26. 18. To open their eyes and to turn them from darkness to light and from the power of Satan unto God His sins are set before him and conscience acquaints him with his forepast evils so that he is convinced and can make no defence but cries out with the Leper I am unclean unclean 2. All his erroneous and proud conceits of himself are tumbled down the Mountains are laid low and the man judgeth of himself as if he were the greatest and vilest sinner that ever lived he abhors himself Oh how wicked Oh how vain Oh how vile Oh how mad Oh how foolish Oh how beastly I have been a transgressor from the womb I have lived without God against God none so ignorant none so proud none so filthy none so froward and rebellious against the Will of God against the goodness of God as I In me there dwelleth no good thing I am without strength No man living hath such proper thoughts such humble thoughts of himself as he Oh unfit to dye unworthy to live undone if mercy be not free mercy and abundant mercy 3. His Castle of security is demolished and the secure negligent man becomes now a most anxious and solicitous and careful man about the condition of his soul 2 Cor. 7. 11. What carefulness it wrought in you this now takes him up What shall we do say they to John the Baptist And what shall we do say they to Peter And what shall I do to be saved Acts 16. 30. O my Soul my poor lost wandring sinful undone Soul what shall I do what will become of me and what will become of thee for all these sins And now the man inquires and hears and confers and prayes as for his life Oh saith he I need mercy and mercy I must have I need Christ and Christ I must have I need grace and grace I must have and as that impotent person lay at the Pool for cure so doth this converted sinner he lyes at the pool of the word and at the gates of heaven day and night and there he cries out God be merciful to me a sinner and there he wrestles with God as Jacob once I will not let thee go unless thou bless me until thou be reconciled until I have Christ until my heart be sanctifyed 4. His hardned remorselesness is now turned into a singular brokenness and grief of spirit the Rock is smitten and the waters gush out a Fountain is opened within him He who made but a sport of sinning before he who could grasp the nettles and tread on hell and vex mercy and shoot through the heart of Christ and not be moved or troubled at all Oh now how is the man altered I see him trembling and quaking with Paul I see him bitterly weeping with Peter I see him washing his Couch with David I see him in heaviness and bitterness for his sinnings as one for his first born One while he meditates and then weeps
the Word of Conscience of Death The third Use shall be to exhort and entreat us to stir up all our hearts to beg of God to work in them this admirable change by Vse 3. Exhortation to beg of God to work this change Conversion I read in Scripture that the blind man cryed out Jesuâ— thou Son of David have mercy on me and again Thou Son of David c. and all this was for a change in his eyes and I read that Naoman took a great journey into the Land of Israel and all was to be cleansed of the Leprosie of his body And why will we not take a little pains to have our hearts and souls changed by grace Consider seriously 1. That a man is not excluded No other want excludes from heaven This want certainly excludes us from heaven for any other want not for want of wisdome or parts or riches or dignities 2. Thou art certainly excluded from heaven the door is shut up against thee if thou be not converted and changed the holy God will never look upon thee and thou shalt never look upon that holy God in his holy place The unclean person was shut out of the Camp and no unclean thing shall ever enter into heaven 3. It is thy duty thou art It is thy duty to be changed bound to be a converted and changed person every man is bound to hate and forsake his sins and to come back and love and serve his God did God make thee to serve thy lusts hath he preserved thee all this while to sin against him Is this the fruit of thy dreadful Covenant which thou hast made with him 4. What wilt thou get by keeping thy sins or any one of them What wilt thou get by keeping thy sins Be perswaded To beseech the Lord to change thy heart Be perswaded therefore at least unto two things 1. To beseech the Lord to change and convert thy heart even thine also remember well 1. None can change a sinner but God The Musician must tune the Instrument 2. It is no sin to beg of God a Conversion from sin No no thou canst not put up a more acceptable request Lord I am weary of my sins I would dishonour thee no more I would be good I would serve thee thou only canst change me and enable me for thy Mercies sake do so and heal and turn me so shall I be healed and turned 3. God hath changed and converted great sinners was not Manasses so M. Magdalen so Paul so the Corinthians so Why venture toward his mercy seat who can tell but he may do so to thee 4. He hath changed sinners who have not sought him and will he refuse it for them who do seek it of him if he many times be found of them that seek him not will he deny to them who seek 5. You have his promise to do this very converting work for you He will give his holy Spirit to them that ask him Luk. 11. 13. I will give a new heart and a new spirit Ezek. 36. 26. Behold he calls thee he tells thee that he is willing to convert thee why then art thou not willing to receive it to have it done do not say thou art a sinner God never did convert any but a sinner nor does he promise to convert any who is not a sinner 6. Did ever any beg this and failed of it Lord said one to Christ If thou wilt thou canst make me clean what saith Christ to him doth he not answer him at all Doth he say I cannot Or doth he say I will not O no his answer is and it is a present answer I will be thou clean 2. To come to the Word and come for this end that God may convert and change many came Come to the word for this end to the Pool of Bethesda to look on it and an impotent man came thither to be cured in it and there he was cured many come to hear the Word to mock at it and many come to get some notions from it and many come to catch the Minister at it but he who comes for this very end to be converted and changed by it I believe he shall first or last attain his end the word shall convert and change him The word is sometimes compared to a Glass which discovers Jam. 1. 29. and sometimes to a Laver which washeth and cleanseth Psal 119. 9. even the young man who of all other is most unruly and wild is converted by it The Power of God goes with the Word of God and the Grace of God comes by the Word of God it is Vehiculum Spiritus canalis Gratiae Thousands have been converted by it and so maist thou Hath God converted and changed thy heart hearken then to Vse 4. Counsels to the converted a few counsels 1. Take heed of sinning after Conversion Do not sin against grace received if thou dost thou wilt weaken and lame thy strength wilt darken thy heaven wilt perplex thy conscience wilt shew thy self more ungrateful then any man no wicked man can have such an aggravation of sin upon him as thou hast 2. Honour God with that Grace which thou hast received Conversion fits and enables a man for Gods Service and Glory And they began to be merry Luke 15. 24. These words are as the Banquet after the Feast they are the close and the reckoning that is brought in upon the lost Son being brought home The case is wonderfully altered with him all is altered when the sinner is altered when he was wandring from his Father he ran up and down the Country and wasted all his estate among Harlots he shifted himself to his very skin and out he is turned amongst the Swine and no man regarded him the poor wretch wanted Father and House and Cloaths and all Comforts and was upon his last Leggs at the very point of starving and famishing But now being found and returned home all mercies come in unto him there 's a Father to embrace him and an House to entertain him and Raiment to cloath him and Friends to welcome him and a feast to rejoyce him And they began to be merry As formerly you have had the nature of Conversion so in these you have the fruit of Conversion When Jesus Christ was born there was great joy and when a sinner is born again hereupon also ariseth great joy The Proposition on which I intend to insist is this That Conversion brings the Soul into a joyful a very joyful condition They began to be merry Mirth is the accent of joy Doct. 7. Conversion brings the soul into a very joiful condition it is an emphatical joy but when did they begin to be merry why as soon as it was said This my Son is alive and this my Son is found now they begin to be merry Conversion may be considered three wayes 1. Antecedenter For the precious qualities and works which
loves him Christ hath satisfyed for him his heart is sanctifyed and his conscience pacified 5. It is a well ending joy A joy which ends A well ending Joy in joy an unconverted man hath his joyes and pleasures but they end in Griefe and horror O my poor Soul said Adrian when he was dying whither art thou now going all thy Mirth and Joy are at an end nec ut soles dabis jocos thou art going away and all thy joyes are going away Luk. 16. 15. But Abraham said to Dives Remember that thou in thy life time receivedst thy good things and Lazarus evill things but now he is comforted and thou art tormented Dives fared sumptuously every day he had pleasure on earth but after them his soul went into hell torments he never had pleasure more Babylon it is said of her Rev. 18. 7. how much she hath glorified her self and lived deliciously so much torment and sorrow give her Job speaking of the Wicked chap. 21. 7. saith That they take the Timbrel and Harp and rejoyce at the sound of the Organ v. 12. they spend their dayes in wealth and in a moment go down to the Grave Solomon speaks ironically to the Voluptuous Youthes Eccles 11. 9. Rejoyce O young man in thy Youth and let thy heart cheer thee in the dayes of thy Youth and walk in the wayes of thine heart and in the sight of thine eyes But know thou that for all these things God will bring thee into Judgment So then the converted man's joy is a short joy and a joy that ends in bitterest sorrow But a converted man's joy is a lasting joy and it ends in perfect joy when he dies yet his grace dies not yet his joy dies not Well done good and faithful Servant enter into thy Master's joy the end of life is the beginning of all joy 6. It is a transcendent joy it exceeds all worldly joyes A transcendent joy Psal 4. 7. Thou hast put gladness in my heart more then in the time that their Corn and their Wine increased Psal 60. 3. Thy loving kindness is better then life Quest 3. Why doth Conversion make the souls condition so Reasons of it joyful Sol. â—t cannot but be so if you consider Conversion either as to God or as to Christ or as to Conscience 1. As to God As to God Conversion is the certain effect of Gods election 1. True Conversion is the certain effect of Gods gracious election Although Conversion be not the cause of election yet it is the fruit of election it is the counterpane of election Act. 13. 48. As many as were ordinaed to eternal life believed 1. Thes 1. 4. Knowing Brethren Beloved the election of God v. 5. For our Gospel came not to you in word only but in power also and in the Holy Ghost 2 Pet. 1. 10. Give diligence to make your calling and election sure When the word comes to the person in the Letter only this is no sign of his election but when it comes in power and in the Holy Ghost it is for to come in power and in the Holy Ghost is mightily and effectually to change and convert a person and this the Apostle makes an evidence of election and questionless a copy of a man's election cannot but be a cause of great joy Rejoyce saith Christ to his Disciples that your names are written in heaven Oh what a comfort is it to know that God from all eternity hath written and recorded it down This is the man whom I will have mercy on and will glorifie to all eternity 2. True Conversion It is the singular fruit of God's great It is a singular fruit of Gods Love Love and of his rich mercy to a mans soul the sure token of great love God hath a common love and mercy and God hath a choice love and mercy there are some to whom he hath a great love and unto whom he shews rich mercy Now Conversion is a drop out of that great Ocean the man is greatly beloved of God who is converted by God 1 Joh. 3. 1. Behold what manner of Love the Father hath bestowed on us that we should be called the Sons of God Eph. 2. 4 5. But God who is rich in mercy for his great love wherewith he loved us v. 5. Even when we were dead in sins hath quickned us 3. True Conversion brings a soul under all the good and kind It brings a soul under all the smiles of God Language of God under the smiles of God All the Ordinances are as Milk and Honey and Wine and Oyle to a converted man The Word is a good Word to him and the Sacrament is a good Sacrament to him Why when an unconverted man hearts of all the mercy and kindness and happiness which God portions out for a converted sinner I say when he hears of all this and gets but a lick or a taste of it upon the top of his Tongue it effects him and makes him glad Herod heard John Baptist gladly and the stony ground received the seed with joy and shall not the converted man whose due portion all this is shall not his heart have joy and gladness shall a stranger who peeps over into the Garden and is a spectator only at the Feast shall he find a relish and shall not he who hath the Posie at his Nose smell the sweetnesse shall not he who câ—tes at the Table be filled with the goodnesse and fat and marrow and rejoyce and blesse God 4. True Conversion It is a Claspe the Golden Claspe of It is the clasp of the Covenant of Grace that everlasting Covenant of Gods Grace Note here two things 1. All the desireable delicacies of the soul are treasured up in the Covenant of Gods Grace in it are contained all the gracious attributes in God all the gracious affections of God all the gracious relations of God all the gracious promises and engagements of God There you find the reconciled God the merciful God the pardoning God the sin-subduing God the strengthning and helping God the guiding and upholding God the blessing and comforting God you cannot think of a mercy for the soul of a mercy for the body of a mercy for this life of an happiness after this life but there it is but there it is for you but there it is assuredly for you 2. Every converted person is in this Covenant Why the new heart and the new spirit is not this Conversion are a very part of it Ezek. 36. 26. I will give them a new heart and a new spirit If this be so then certainly Conversion brings a person into a very joyful condition Mark a little If the mercies which many receive only from Providence do delight and please them shall not the mercies which men receive from Gods Covenant please and rejoyce them Bread is sweet to an hungry man out of whatsoever hand it comes and is it not more sweet when it
comes out of the hand of love and kindness O Sirs even the ordinary mercies to a converted man have a sweet distinction in them they are so perfumed they are so distilled they are so carved they are all of them the kisses of a father the gifts of a gracious God Every bit of Bread thou eatest and every draught of Beer thou drinkest and every piece of Cloath thou wearest it is the special provision of thy most gracious God and thy loving Father If some one royal mercy in the Covenant be able sometimes to sweeten an Ocean to turn hell into heaven to wipe off all tears and put the soul almost into an extasie of joy what rivers of joy then can the whole Covenant afford If the lifting up of the light of Gods countenance upon the soul which is but one beam of the Covenant if his saving to a man Soul I am thy Salvation if one word Son be of good cheer thy sins are forgiven thee imprints a superlative comfort a joy unspeakable and full of glory if one drop be so sweet how sweet is the Fountain if one Grape what is the cluster of Grapes Now not only this or that mercy in the Covenant belongs to a converted man but every mercy the God of all mercies and all the mercies of God the God of all comforts and all the comforts of God 5. True Conversion It is the infallible fore-runner the It is the infallible forerunner of glory earnest the pawn of Glory the pledg which God leaves in hand the first fruits of thy eternal Glory in the highest heavens and is not this a cause of great joy if I look back and see a love from all eternity if forward and see a glory to all eternity Truly if I should never taste Honey on earth if all the Wells of a present comfort were stopped up if my Father should never smile on me in the way if all my Life were a sayling on brinish tears and my Ship were still to be tossed with troublesome waves yet if I were sure at length to put in at this Port to come safe to Heaven at length to appear before the God of Gods at the last to see him in Glory and enjoy his face and the pleasures at his right hand for evermore even this confidence and assurance were enough to make me to rejoyce in the hope of the Glory of God Oh Christian besides all that joy which ariseth from converting grace which is it self a sweet Rose and besides all those Honey dewes which fall upon the soul in the exercise of grace in the way to Heaven Thou meetest him that rejoyceth and worketh righteousness those that remember thee in thy wayes Isai 64. 5. There is also reserved in the highest heavens that most perfect happiness that most perfect tranquillity that most perfect joy Oh I cannot express it I cannot comprehend it 1 Pet. 1. 3. He hath begotten us again unto a lively hope v. 4. To an inheritance incorruptible and undefiled and that fadeth not away reserved in heaven for you Ponder the words an inheritance the best of possessions incorruptible the best of inheritances undefiled the best of incorruptibles unfading the best of undefileds and reserved in heaven the best of unfadings Nothing is so surely kept as that which is kept in heaven for us and born unto all this and a lively hope of all this Oh what comfort Oh what joy comes out of all this If I had all the world and lookt up towards heaven but my heart should tell me that goodly Canaan will never fall to thy portion it would be now with me as once with Ahab who though he enjoyed a Kingdome yet was very sad because the heavens were as Brass to him But in the midst of all distresses to look up to Heaven to think of God and the future Beatifical Vision and upon infallible grounds to say that God is my Father that Heaven is my inheritance that place of Glory is my home there shall I be shortly there shall I be to eternity I have the earnest of it the pawn of it in my heart the first fruits c. 2. Secondly As to Christ The converted condition cannot As to Christ but be joyful because the converted person hath 1. A neer relation to Christ Bone of his Bone 2. A singular propriety in Christ my beloved is mine c. 3. An admirable revenue by Christ wonderful riches of and by Christ all are yours for ye are Christs 4. He is bought by Christ and reconciled by Christ and loved by Christ and discharged by Christ and owned by Christ and defended by Christ and kept by Christ and shall one day be saved by Christ 3. As to Conscience As a mans conscience is so is his comfort As to Conscience or discomfort so is his joy or sorrow One drop of an evil conscience saith Luther doth imbitter the whole Sea of worldly joy an evil conscience is an hell in the brest and in hell said Latimer there is no mirth and on the contrary a good conscience it is a kind of heaven one good word from it will sweeten all our miseries and cause us to rejoyce under all sorrows Solomon saith it is a continual feast it is the year of Jubilee conscience speaks the truest joy and the strongest joy and the highest joy and no man hath a good conscience but a good man Conscience cannot speak peace till a man be converted and when he is converted conscience hath then a commission and authority to look on the man and speak to the man as God doth When thou hearest of pardon of sins Oh saith conscience hearken and be of good cheer that 's thy portion when thou hearest of Jesus Christ and of his sufferings and of his satisfactions and merits hearken saith conscience and take hold for all this also is thy portion when thou hearest the Covenant of Grace graciously explained and all the glories in heaven Oh saith conscience all this also is thy portion when thou art about to pray and fears are intruding themselves do not fear â—aith conscience thou art speaking to thy Father when thou art about to dye and tremblings are upon thee do not doubt or tremble saith conscience thou art going to thy God when Satan suggests thou hast nothing to do with the mercy-seat what such a sinner thou hast saith conscience when unbelief suggests Christ will have nothing to do with thee he will saith conscience Now against all that hath been said it is objected That the assertion of joy for a converted person cannot be true Because 1. No persons are so exposed to afflictions and persecutions and infamies as converted persons They are appointed to them 1 Thes 3. And they that will live godly in Christ Jesus must suffer persecutions how can that condition be so very joyful which may and oftentimes doth deprive a man of all his comforts 2. Conversion brings the person into
before true Grace but follows it Do you use to gather fruit before you plant or reap before ye sow 4. Then if ever you would have joy and live joyfull If you would have joy get converted hearts lives get converted hearts Every man desires joy and as the Bee hunts for honey so do men naturally hunt for delight 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 aut jucunde aut non omninò Let the thing or condition be what it will if we take no delight in it it is a burthen to us Heaven would not be Heaven to him who cannot find delight in it Now Conversion is the true path to true joy If God would be pleased once to convert thy soul his converting Grace would lick thy sores and pull out the stings in Conscience and sweeten the bitter Springs and clear the Heavens to thee it would make thy bed to be easie and thy bread to be sweet and thy condition to be a Paradise even the Wilderness should drop honey to thee and thy heart should sing for joy It is a witty passage of Bernards de bonis deferendis Be willing to sacrifice thy Isaac and thy Isaac shall live Isaac you know signifies laughter do but sacrifice thy sinfull pleasure and then thy true pleasure shall not die but live Caius gave unto Agrippa a Chain of Gold which was as heavy as the Chain of Iron that he endured in the Prison Sins do â—ut upon us a Chain of Iron which if we would forsake Conversion would put upon as a Chain of Gold thou shalt not lose but better thy pleasures by forsaking of thy sins and the pleasures of them O! that all the joys which you have heard attending a converted condition might allure all our hearts to become converted persons I observe five things about the converted condition in Scripture 1. The invitation unto it and there joy presents it self Turn and live turn and live hearken diligently unto me and eat ye that which is good and let your soul delight it self in fatness Isa 55. 2. 2. The entrance into it and there joy embraceth the person As soon as the Prodigal Son returned his Father saw him a far off O how quick is Mercy to espy a Convert and had compassion O how tender is Mercy to yern over a Convert and ran O how swift is Mercy to receive a Convert and fell on his neck O how how out-stretching is Mercy to embrace a Convert and kissed him O how kind is Mercy to entertain a Convert 3. The motion or course of it and there joy attends the person I have rejoyced saith David Psal 119. 14. in the way of thy testimonies as much as in all riches When a converted man doth Mediate his meditation is stiled sweet Hear he hears With joy When they heard this they were glad Pray this is a sweet incense to David And I will make them joyfull in my house of prayer Isa 56. 7. Believe he doth believe and rejoice Mourn there is appointed the oyâ— of joy for mourning Isa 61. 3. Do the will of God it is his delight to do the will of God Suffer Rejoyce saith the Apostle 1 Pet. 4 13. in as much as ye are partakers of Christs sufferings 4. The conclusion or end of it why there also doth joy accompany him Psal 37. Mark the perfect man and behold the just for the end of that man is peace 5. The reward and recompence of it and there also joy doth clasp the converted person Enter into thy Masters joy saith Christ to the good servant Gaudium supra omne gaudium At thy right hand are pleasures for evermore said David Oâ— that all these things might so affect our hearts this day as to forsake our sins and turn back to God Pleasure is the great â—â—it which is laid forth to catch the soul of man Satan draws us to sin by pleasure and God draws us to grace by pleasure shall pleasure move thee to damn thy soul and shall not true pleasure move thee to save thy soul Our Aversion from God depends much upon pleasure and our Conversion unto God depends much upon pleasure me thinks that Gods promise should be more accounted then the Divels temptation is it not more probable to buy a better penniworth from heaven then from hell and is it not more reasonable to traffick at the gates of life for joy then to trade at the gates of death for comfort Return return O sinner yet yet come back to thy God and do not for lying vanities any longer forsake thine own mercies But God must perswade Japhet Try whether you are in a converted condition or no. There Vse 2. Try whether converted or no. Nine things shew a man is unconverted are two sorts of persons 1. Some plainly unconverted 2. Some deceiving themselves about it Nine things do shew that a man is as yet absolutely in an unconverted condition 1. Vnsensibleness God promiseth to take away the stony heart quanto insensibilior tanto pe jor This is the Stone upon the Grave 2. Love of sin Wicked men are described by this in ScriptuÌ„re 3. Walking in the path of sin It is his work his trade when a man chuseâ—h an evil way and sits in the Chair is a servant of unrighteousness walks in the way fo wicked men 4. Hating to be reformed It is an abomination to him to be good that will rather be damned then reformed breaks the Cords will not have Christ to reign 5. Despising of the means of Conversion The word of the Lord is a reproach to him his heart rageth when the word finds out his sins and would separate him and his lusts 6. Loathing of converted persons cannot endure the sight of grace his special dislikes are of the godly and disgraces and discountenancings of them he is exceedingly displeased and grieved at the estimations of godliness and rejoyceth in the cloudings and setting of it 7. In communion with God It is a note of a wicked man that God is not in all his thoughts and that he call not upon God but is a stranger to him the stil-born child is a dead child 8. Disvaluations of Jesus Christ and of all the precious seasons of grace and opportunities of mercy the Swine tramples upon the Pearl the dayes of the Son of man are of no account with him 9. An earthly rest and satisfaction When he is a man only for this life and for this present world sets up his staff on this side Jordan all his hopes are in this life Secondly Five things which do shew that a man flatters and Five things shew a man deceived about his conversion deceives himself about his condition that it is converted when yet it falls short thereof 1. Meer knowledg though a man knows never so much yet if he be but a knowing man he may be a learned man but he is not a converted man It is one thing to know controversies another thing to know
so for other duties 5. Spiritual joy will exceedingly It will exceddingly facilitate the way and work to heaven facilitate the way and work for heaven It is our facundus Comes which is pro Vehiculo As the fear of the Lord is our treasure Isa 33. 6. So the joy of the Lord is our strength Neh. 8. 10. An heavy dull sad spirit is a burden ofâ— it self and is very apt to make every thing else a burden Now spiritual joy it takes off dulness and deadness and enables us to run the way of Gods Commandments and to run the race that is set before us Amanti nihil difficile it makes our spiritual work to come off the Wheels run if oyled Quest This is true will some reply but what should converted What should converted persons do to walk joyfully persons do that they may walk joyfully Sol. There are two sorts of converted persons Incipientes who are newly called newly wrought on newly brought home and these ordinarily are full of fears of doubts of temptations of conflicts of heaviness Proficientes who are long standers in the wayes of grace Will you favour me to speak a few words to either of these 1. To persons newly converted I would humbly present Directions To persons newly converted these directions as proper means or Conduits of joy and comforts to their souls 1. Draw up your spiritual condition to some issue Do not live with a doubtful suspition perhaps you are converted perhaps Draw up your Spirituall condition to some Issue you are not converted As ignorance is an enemy to grace so doubtfulness is an enemy to comfort That man who is still in suit whether his Conversion be true will not dare to lay claim to the joyes which result from Conversion If I fear my grace I shall much more fear my comfort Give all diligence to make your calling and election sure Therefore do this bring thy souls estate to the word that is the rule that is the fire that is the touchstone if the Word of God will approve and decide for thee bless God and maintain the truth of thy spiritual estate against all the suggestions of Satan and cavils of thine own heart when once that doth say truth of grace is in thee conscience will say truth of comfort belongs unto thee 2. Get a little more faith one dram more would turn the the scale and settle thine heart Faith trades with the Fountain Get a little more saith with the God of Comfort and of Peace and with Jesus Christ It is Faith that lets you into Christ and it is Faith which lets comfort into you The God of hope fill you with all joy and peace in believing Rom. 15. 13. There are five priviledges of Faith It hath the first look of Mercy it hath the first kiss from Christ it hath the first news of acceptance unto Life it hath the first answer of Peace it hath the first draught of Joy Oh get a little more faith a little more faith would weaken the grounds of thy fears quell the motions of thy doubts clear thy way to the fountains of comfort imprint on thy heart a most joyful Communion with thy God and Christ no life of joy but that of faith 3 And Learn to live by faith and then you will have more Learne to live by faith joy and comfort Four things would make a mans life very joyfull and comfortable 1. If he were eased of all burthens 2. If he were secured from all prejudices 3. If what he had were good and enough 4. If he were assured that whatsoever good he should need of that he should not fail but be supplied with it in due time Now the life of faith 1. Easeth you of all your burthens There are but two burthens upon us 1. The sinfull Faith sees this taken off by Christ He bare our sins 2. The earthly of cares Faith sees Gods providence taking that off The Lord is a Sun c. Psal 84. I will never leave thee Heb. 13. Bread shall be given to him his waters shall be sure Isa 33. 16. Cast your care on him for he careth for you 1 Pet. 5. 7. 2. Secures you against all prejudices and hurts Faith finds us still in Gods hands and in a safe custody Though there be evils in the world yet they shall not come nigh you and his work goes on though ours do not God is with you who can be against you There 's a Deluge but Noah's in the Ark a storm but you are in an hiding place He holds you in his hand and covers you under his wings makes all things to work for good Faith sees the Trouble and the Sanctuary both Occurrences and Providence both ruling carrying on observing watching preserving If Earth won't keep you safe Heaven shall 3. It renders the present possession as good and enough Your portion is so For what is a Christians portion Is not God is not his favour And is not God enough is not his favour better then life He who cannot be contented with a God and a Christ and a Covenant of Grace and Heaven will be satisfied with nothing You have but little of Earth Aâ— but you have God and Christ If a man have but a little Garden yet if he have a large field c. A little of Earth and much of Heaven makes a fair Estate 4. It assures you of supplies universal and seasonable Vniversal I shall not want Psal 23. 1. No good thing will he withhold Psal 84. 11. No good for soul no good for body you have his Bonds for both and this is for life Surely goodness and mercy shall follow me all the days of my life Psal 23. Nay for everlastingness I will marry thee to my self for ever Hos 2. 19. 2. Seasonable In an acceptable time c. In the mount God will be seen 4. Get a little more understanding and judgment about your converted Get more understanding and judgment about your converted condition and gracious condition Shall I help thee a little with a few Considerations and Informations Know then 1. The great Fountain of thy Joy lies more in thy Justification then in thy Sanctification Thou hast not so much Holiness as another but thou hast of Christs Righteousness thou canst not apprehend so strongly but thou art apprehended as strongly Christ lays as fast hold of thee 2. That Grace and Weakness may dwell together It may be very true though very weak the smoaking flax and the bruised reed and the grain of mustard-seed A Father hath one Child in the Cradle and another in the Shop a Shepheard hath Lambs in the flock as well as Sheep the Gardiner hath Plants as well as Trees and Christ hath Babes as well as strong Men belonging to him 3. That the least Grace and the great Love of God do go together The little drop of Grace comes out of the Ocean of his great Love
provoking of the Lord and the more that the Lord is provoked against a sinner the more misery and punishment is the sinner like to feel from God 3. No punishment which any sinner hath already felt is a discharge Punishments already felt is no discharge from greater to be inflicted but onely a part of greater punishment yet due unto him As the first-fruits were a pledge of the crop We may not think that because God doth for precedent sinnings afflict and judge the sinner in some particular kind therefore he is now secured and discharged for the time to come as if God did not intend to reckon wiâ—h him for after sinnings But this we must know viz. 1. That infinite and full wrath is the due debt of the transgressing soul not one or two punishments but all the testimonies and degrees of wrath 2. That particular demonstrations of Gods wrath are no acquittances but rather certificates of a fuller wrath yet behind If ye yet shall walk contrary unto me saith God to the Israelites Lev. 26. 21. I will punish you seven times more for your sins q. d. If ye will go on in sinning I will surely rise higher in punishing I have greater punishments yet behind so that if you consider that debt unto sin which is the full latitude of punishment it must be that if the sinner goes on in sin he shall not thrive but still become more miserable 4. Nay do but consider the Nature of divine Justice and this will clear it to be so Divine Justice appears in two things one in The Nature of Divine Justice an Homogeneous Retribution if I may so phrase it according to the quality of actions and persons If thou dost well shalt thou not be accepted and if thou dost ill sin lyeth at the door said God to Cain there is an acceptance upon well doing and vengeance for evil doing The just God will recompence every man according to the quality of his work so that in this regard the sinning person who doth not change his sinful work must look for no other pay from God at any time but the wages for sinful work which the Apostle assures us in Rom. 2. is tribulation and anguish Another is A proportionable Retribution according to the extension of actions or works and therefore you read of more stripes according to the greatness of the fault in the knowingly disobdient servant Now as it were against the natural retribution of Justice to give unto the wicked as unto the righteous so it were against the proportionable retribution of Justice to repay either no punishment to a greater sinner or less punishment for greater sinnings That when he continues worse in sinning he should either prosper at all or that the punishment should be more mittigated when the offence is more raised and aggravated 5. Lastly God would hereby teach all men that no time whatsoever is safe to sin Before punishment come it is not safe to sin To â—each that no time is safe to sin for we see that sinners do pluck down punishments and as it is with the winds which bring the clouds and fly away yet the clouds pour themselves down on the earth so the sins which bring out the threatnings of God though in respect of particular facts they are gone yet the threatnings pour down many a curse and misery upon sinners and when punishments are off it is not a safe time to sin forasmuch as God is still as ready to punish as men are forward to sin as we may see in the Israelites whose pride and murmuring caused the earth to open her mouth and to swallow up Corah Dathan c. And the next day when they murmured again God presently sent the Plague amongst them which swept away many thousands of them for as time is not allowed to sin so no time can at all secure the sinner from punishment Object But now against all this truth it may be objected That we do not allwayes see it so that men after punishment making We do not alwayes see it so progress in sin find it to prove a worse work in respect of greater miseries and straits Nay Secondly We see oftentimes the contrary Sol. I answer to the first part of the Objection That you Distinguish Betwixt Immediate and Certain punishment must distinguish 1. 'Twixt immediate punishment and twixt certain punishment It cannot be denyed but granted that a worse punishment cometh not alwayes immediately unto the adventurous sinner Indeed sometimes God doth shoot an other arrow of punishment as soon as the sinner shoots up a second arrow of rebellion as you read in the Israelites case of murmuring I say sometimes God doth thus but alwayes he doth not so Sometimes he doth so that sinners might know his Justice can be quickly even and meet with a daring sinner but alwayes he doth not so because that even great sinners might confess somewhat of his great patience Nevertheless there is a certainty of a worse misery unto the progressive sinner for as when God defers a Mercy it usually comes down in a cluster so when God defers a Judgment it ordinarily falls down in a thunder he is therefore in the Psalms said to whet his sword The whetting of the sword is but a time of preparation and a putting on a sharper edge to give the deeper wound so c. and he is said to be righteous in recompensing vengeance therefore there is a certainty of a worse punishment 2. Twixt Visible punishment and Real punishment though to the eye of others a man may seem either not to be punished Betwixt Visible and Real punishment at all or less now in his continued sinnlngs then before yet the person may be more really punished then before the misery upon him may be a greater misery not for the quantity of the thing but for the quality of his affection to the thing for that evil is alwayes most grievously miserable unto us which meets us in our highest way of Love or closest suspicion of fear And again the greatness of the punishment is as God mingles more wrath in the conscience at the time Even a little outward misery if it be joyned with a greatly accusing and condemning conscience is a misery more then all other miseries besides Object Yea but we do see that wicked men who do continue their sinnings more after their punishment that their conditions Obj. But we see the contrary are so far from being worse that they are most merry and prosper Sol. 1. This is not always true but onely in some and but for some Sol. This is not always true This argues the sorer wrath First or last they shall find it true time 2. These very things prove to them very sore judgments for by the abuse of them like an ill stomach which gathers a surfeit upon good meats they do more increase their sinnings and the wrath of God 3. First
or last they shall know that it shall not be well with the wicked and that between a former punishment and a greater there may step in many mercies as twixt the fits of a Fever some real slumbers and pauses Now I proceed to the Application of this Point which shall be for Conviction 1. Of the vanity and deluding presumption Vse Conviction of The vanity and deluding presumption of the sinner in the heart of sinners who imagine that worse they cannot be and as much misery is befallen them as can be and therefore they will on to their sins again Let us not deceive our selves that God with whom we are to deal is of infinite power and wrath and the conscience of a guilty sinner is capable of infinitely many miserable impressions The Bee may leave her sting in the flesh and so be disabled c. Therefore let no man say as Agag Surely the bitterness of death is past you know Samuel presently hewed him in pieces before the Lord in Giâ—gal Alas thou knowest not the wrath which is yet behind God doth never fully manifest his wrath upon any sinner in this life nor doth he punish him so in any kind but that a greater judgement a worse thing as Christ spake to him in the Gospel may yet befal him Consider that as greater judgments are yet behind all the punishments which we have felt so it is Gods method to begin low but to end his work of Judgement heavily he doth by some lighter afflictions skirmish with a person or a Nation and if they yield not then he will bring the great Army of his Plagues and Judgements And again know that multiplication of sins is a just cause for the addition of Judgements Renewed sinnings are alwayes the more hainous and strong in deserts but renewed sinnings after punishment for sin are yet of a deeper dye because They relish much of Presumption though God hath already testified his displeasure yet the sinner will adventure on his wrath and provoke him again They receive universal condemnation the sinner now sins against all the waies of recovery the Word of God which called upon him to be wise and to receive instruction and to return unto him that smote The punishment or rod which did tender him the sins which brought this upon his back The mercy of God which drew off the wrath and though it might have been a destroying sword at once that destruction should not have risen up the second time yet it so wrought with the master that he would try the sinner yet a little longer thou mightst have been among the dead yea among the damned for thy former sinnings yet mercy hath so tempered justice that time is left thee to repent and this space thou abusest to sin again yea though justice met with thee for them already yea though mercy released thee yet a little longer yea though thou didst confess these sins yea though thou wert greatly troubled for these sins yea though thou didst resolve against these sins and if thou thus sinnest more will not thy punishment be greater Doth not God hate sins now as well as then Or if thou be greater in transgressions will he be less in justice Canst thou expect mercy should come more easily when sin is raised more deeply He that being often reproved hardneth his neck saith Solomon Prov. 29. 1. shall suddenly be destroied and that without remedy The same may be affirmed of being punished usually perseverance in sin after punishment brings a sudden and a sore destruction God hath many arrows which flie over the heads and after that hee hath arrows to wound the hearts of his enemies You know that there be not onely warning-pieces but murdering-pieces in the roial artillery The punishment which a man hath already felt for his sins are but so many warning-pieces to repent to return from sin but if men will harden their hearts there are murdering-pieces God can so deeply strike that destruction shall not rise up the second time 2. The second conviction shall be of Duty If the further Conviction of duty men go on in sin the worse rhey shall speed then let us learn a double duty 1. To avoid such things as will occasion a further progress in sin after punishment 2. To apply our selves to such Avoid waies as may take us off from sinning being punished 1. Vitanda The things which we must avoid as occasioning a further progress in sin are these 1. Ignorant Misconstruction as if Gods Ignorant misconstruction arrows did flye out as his who shot at an adventure and lighted on Ahab so that our punishments are but meer casual things naked acts but no lessons Nay brethren if we had but an ear to hear every affliction and punishment hath a voice to speak this may be said of every punishment what Ehud said to â—glon I have a message unto thee from God 2. Atheistical pride as Pharaoh who is the Lord that I should let Israel go When a Atheistical pride person will exalt himself in the times of wrath and will not tremble nor fear before the Lord but slights the operation of his hands and for all this will not lay to heart the hand of God alas this makes way for sinning 3. Froward Impatience when persons are sensible of punishment but vex against God who strikes so close yea and like that Froward impatience King in the strait This evil is of the Lord why should I wait on the Lord any longer When men will forsake God because hee doth punish them this is a further sin and makes way for more sinning The soul which is most apt through a murmuring impatience to question God will be apt through a presumptuous confidence to sin against God in the dead sea there is least sailing and in the raging sea there is most ship-wracking 4. Empty confessions when persons satisfie themselvs with words and a meer form of Repentance putting on for the time a grave Empty confessions countenance and fetching a sigh and dropping a tear and acknowledging that all is not well but all this while they search not to the root they do not strive to examine their hearts to humble them to cleanse and reform them and what then can be expected but upon some convenient occasion the old heart should return to its old waies and courses Pharaoh confessed that he and his people had sinned but still he hardned his heart and would not let Israel go Hypocritical humiliation or repentance because rising from mutable causes lasts not long nor changes the disposition of the soul The sore which is but covered and not cured will break out again 5. Negligent remissions An heart which likes not to change its course may ye for the obtaining some special good give out Negligent remissions unto the doing of much good and for the removal of some evil make a stop of much sin You may observe that
Return to God you know not the sweetness of his mercy of his love 9. If God hath found thee indeed Then thou mayst be found in Gods wayes The wayes or course of life which a man leads He will be found in Gods wayes plainly discovers whether he be found or lost a man that is still lost he continues in wayes which are loose and lost which will bring him to everlasting perdition and loss A man that is found by Grace is now in such wayes as brings Glory to him which finds and also brings him to Glory who is found What! talk of being found by Gods mercy and yet wallowing in thy lusts still running on in thy sinful base wayes what brought back to God and still running away from God! Assuredly the found man is to be found in new wayes in the paths of righteousness and holiness he is a shamed of his old wayes and forsakes them Paul is not persecuting now but humbling himself for it and praying and preaching and living to Christ The next Use shall be of Exhortation unto a twofold Duty Vse 2. Exhortation 1. To find out your lost condition 2. To get out of a lost condition 1. Labour to find out your lost condition Be convinced To â—ind out our lost condition Consider The extream pride and selfconceltedness of every siâ—ner We shall never seâ—k to God till we find our selves lost that naturally you are lost men There are two Reasons which may move you to this 1. The extream pride and self-conceitedness the self-conceit and self-deceit in every sinner there is no sinner thinks himself so safe and well as the lost sinner I have need of nothing said Laodicea I was alive once said Paul We were never in bondage said the Jews 2. You will never seek unto the Lord to bring you out of a lost condition until you â—ind your selves lost Who seeks his bread but the hungry or asks the way who thinks himself in the way or comes home who is not gone abroad Obj. But you will say how may a man be convinced that his condition is lost Sol. I answer there are seven special convictions of it 1. The fall of mankind in Adam Our nature â—even Convictions of our lost condition was like a stock deposited in his hand what he had we had what he kept we kept when he fell we fell and what he lost we also lost his condition was not personal but natural not particular but Universal Oh that Ship is split that Tree is fallen that Stock is spent 2. The Observation of our wayes and pathes do but eye them and judg of them As when God opened the eyes of the Syrians they saw themselves to be in the midst of Samaria so if God ever open thine eyes thou wilt see and confess that all thy wayes are but wandrings and all the time of thy life hath been lost in iniquity and vanity 3. The study of the Law Ah! When wilt thou read thy self in it thou wilt find thy self many a thousand mile from home and to have been a long very long wanderer a lost and undone person Rom. 7. 9. When the Commandment came sin revived and I dyed 4. A conscience inlightned and quickned There is no one faculty in man which can discover his present condition to him so certainly and so clearly as Conscience Men speak fancy speaks corrupted judgment and reason speak yea but what doth conscience speak in private on a sick bed in an immâ—ent judgment 5. The judgment of Godly and experienced Christians who have known experimentally a lost condition and a found condition 6. The un-inclination of his spirit to all Communion with God Nay the very aversness of it thereto 7. The absolute inexperience of his soul in the family of God never yet knowing what such a fathers house doth meâ—n Secondly When you have found out your lost condition then Sâ—â—â—ve to get out of this lost Condition strive to get out of it O do not continue in it either through presumption that you can quickly come home or through despair that God now will never look after you nor regard you But pray the Lord in mercy to turn thy heart to give thee an heart to come back unto him Obj. But I have wandered so long that I shall never be accepted nor welcomed although I should come back Sol. Say not so But consider well of these ensuing particulars 1. The Lord saith That he hath been found of them that sought him not and will he not then be found of them that return and seek him Si peccanti quid penitenti si erranti quid quâ—renti If he looks after thee then will he not look on thee now 2. There was never awandering lost Soul that ever returned back to his Fathers House but the door hath been opened to him and he hath found mercy the Prodigal here Manasses Paul c. 3. If thou hast a heart to turn home it is a certain sign that God intends thee mercy he hath put returning thoughts in thee because he hath already contrived thoughts of mercy towards thee We love him because he loved us first we turn to him because he first turned to us 4. The Lord God hath sent Jesus Christ from Heaven to look after and to find and to save that which was lost Now though thou canst not expect to find the door opened for thine own sake yet thou shalt see the door open and the Armes of Mercy open to thee for Christs sake 5. How many messengers and servants hath God and doth God still send after which cry earnestly unto thee Come back return and live Thus the Gospel cries thus Conscience cries thus all thy mercies cry thus all thy afflictions cry If God be yet seeking after thee thou mayst yet be found and if thou wilt seek and wait a while thy poor lost soul shall also be found 6. God hath chalked out the wayes and steps of returning home to him 7. God hath found men in their blood and hath said unto them Live Ezek. 6. For this my Son was dead and is alive again These words do hold forth a pithy description of a sinners conversion that is a passage from death to life or a mutation from a dead condition into a living condition the estate of sin is a dead estate yea a deadly estate and the state of Grace is a living estate yea a lively estate There any many Doctrinal Propositions which are couched in these words As 1. That an impenitent or unconverted man is a dead man This my Son was dead 2. That when a sinner is converted he is then made a live And is alive 3. That God doth sometimes convert a very great and notorious sinner This this my Son 4. That great afflictions are sometimes the means of a great sinners Conversion This my Son was 5. That there is an almighty power required to convert or change a sinner As much as