know our Lords will we must prepare for the doing of it 243 The Contents of the eighth Sermon upon Proverbs 29 1. 1 A double exposition of the Text. 1 Doct. From the first exposition viz. He that reproveth another and is guilty himself in the same kind or in any other kind and hardeneth his own heart in it that man shall be destroyed without remedy 244 7 Reasons First because the office of a reprover bindeth him to be blamelesse 2 Because such a reprover as is guilty himself can never reprove to a right end 250 3 Neither can he do it in a right manner 251 4 Such a reprover is an hypocrite 252 5 Such a reproving of another mans sinne makes him inexcusable in his own 253 6 It is an absurd thing for a person to reprove another for that whereof he is guilty himself 254 7 Such a reproving is a signe of impenitencie 254 Object Shall not a wicked Magistrate or Minister reprove others c. Ans He is bound to reprove in regard of his office â—ut is bound in conscience to amend himself first 155 Use For instruction first Let every reprover take heed lest he make himself inexcusable 256 2 Let him endeavour to walk unblameable and inoffensive 256 Two Doctrines from the second exposition of the Words viz. Doct. 1. The Lord doth not destroy man willingly but for sinne 261 Doct. 2. It is a great mercy for a man to be reproved for his sin 261 Three Reasons of the Second Doctrine 1 Because reproofs primarily come from love 262 2 They tend to the good of a mans soul 264 3 It is brutish not to take reproofs in good part 265 Use 1 First for information that God is bringing destruction upon a Kingdom when he takes away reprovers from them 267 Use 2 For the reproof of those that despise the reproof of the wise they despise not men but God 269 The grievousnesse of their sin who stand out against reproof is aggravated under severall heads 270 Doct. 3 The Lord proportions punishments to mens sins 271 Reas 1 Because hereby a mans punishment appears to be so much the more equall and worthy 271 2 This stops mens mouths and convinceth their consciences 3 All the standers by may see the equity of it when the punishment is according to the sin 273 Use for instruction First to teach men not to complain of Gods dealing with them if their punishment be for the kind of it according to their sin but rather let them learn to see Gods immediate hand in it 274 2 To teach men to consider how God many timeâ— proportions punishments to sins 1 For kind 275 2 For quantity 275 3 For quality 276 4 For time 277 5 For place 277 The Authors Preface upon these ensuing Sermons THE cause of that little heavenlines which is in the profession of Christianity is the want of Meditation Many can meditate cursorily but that is not enough it must be a sticking Meditation that must affect the heart That place in 2 Pet. 2.8 is marvellous pregnant it was the means why Lot was so touched with the abominations of Sodome That righteous man â—welling amongst them in seeing and hearing their ungodly deeds vexed his righteous soul from day to day Many heard and saw too besides Lot and were not vexed Why Other matters stuck in their thoughts they never throughly meditated on it but he vexed himself that is the meditation of those evils and bringing them home to his soul vexed him The word is a fit word implying two things First the searching and examining of a thing his meditating heart examined their sins how many they were how grievous how damnable how likely to pull down some vengeance or other upon them Secondly the wracking or vexing upon trial so it was with Lot he observed all their evils and weighed them in his soul then he wracked his spirit with the consideration of them The Evangelist useth this very word for tossing this word that is here put for vexing he puts for tossing of a ship in the seas Matt. 14.24 The ship was toss'ed with the waves so meditation did tosse his soul with vexation sometimes down to the deep O miserable wretches that we are or How brutish how beastly and how hellish are our sins Sometimes up O that the Lord would humble us and spare us Sometimes over head and eares in the storme O fool that I was to chuse my dwelling amongst such men These meditations vexed hiâ— soul Many have studied meditations and yet are not acquainted with this cordiall meditation Many Ministerâ— that study Divinity all the day that study the Word all the week that study their Sermons all the year may yet for all this be carnall Ministers Why Because their meditation is but inventing and mentall meditation thiâ— meditation is a practicall meditation the thing meditated feeds the heart that meditation is like a fluttering Pheasant that flutters before their eyes it feeds their eyes indeed but never feeds the stomack as long as they neither catch nor eat it The saving mysteries of God flutter before their eyes and before their understandings they feed their eyes with knowledge but never feed their souls unto everlasting life unlesse they fowle for it dresse and digest it in their hearts There is an apt word Gen. 24.63 Isaac went out to meditate in the field the originall hath it to signifie mutuall conference his mind conferred with the truth and the truth with him a mutuall working he wrought upon the truth by meditating of it and it wrought upon him by leaving an impression upon his soul this is a rare practice in the world and yet as necessary as most it is the art of the soul in being heavenly it is the inuring of thee to every good duty for by meditation a man comes to have his mind and heart fixed upon every thing that he would Would he pray he that hath inured his heart to meditate his mind is fixed in his prayer Would he receive the Sacrament He that hath inured his heart by meditation his mind is fixed in the Ordinance David that was excellent at meditation had a fixed heart Psal 57.7 Psal 112. 1.7 A SERMON OF The use and benefit of Divine Meditation HAGGAI 1.5 Now therfore saith the Lord of Hosts Consider your wayes THe Prophet reproveth the people because they could finde in their hearts to mind their own houses and yet were carelesse of the house of the Lord the Lord had sent a drought and a famine and sundry punishments upon them for this thing and yet they laid it not to heart and therefore he sends Haggai the Prophet unto them to call them to repentance and which is an admirable course and little thought of in the world he begins with holy meditation and consideration Now therefore thus saith the Lord consider your wayes that is both in regard of the course of them your wicked wayes and also in regard
how doth he know but this one robbery may bring him to the gallows So the man that sins this day how doth he know but that this very dayes work may bring him to hell Deut. 32.35 To God belongs vengeance their feete shall slide in due time Therefore if a man sin against him he may stand to day and to morrow and many dayes but when the due time comes even the time which God hath set then up goes his heels he shall slide and break his neck thy houre-glasse runs in heaven and thou seest not when the sand comes to the bottome but when t is out then down thou goest to hell for ever There was one resolved to kill Julius Caesar such a day the night before a friend sent him a letter to acquaint him with it but being at supper and busie I will not look upon it now saith he to morrow is a new day The next day when he should have read his letter he was stabd Whence this Proverb came in Greece To morrow is a new day God sends thee a letter and a message from heaven to day hear his voice to day repent and come out of your sins or for ever to hell to day be converted and sanctified or for ever be hardned Dost thou refuse to bearken to day and puttest it off untill to morrow it may be to morrow may be a day of Gods wrath and then thou maiest be hardned seared and bound over unto the great day of Gods vengeance to morrow God may set the decree upon thy soul that thou shalt never repent Therefore if thou refuse this thou refusest all for what knowest thou but this very day may be thy day Reas 1 The reason is because Gods patience is in his own brest and who can tell how long it will last Hast thou Momus his glasse-window to look into Gods secret counsell hast thou a key-hole to look into Gods treasurie canst thou stand on tiptoe to look over Gods shoulder to look into Gods decree to see how long his patience will last It may be God hath suffered thee till this day thou art guilty of ten thousand sinnes and yet he is patient towards thee God hath stayed thus long for thee that hast sworne I know not how many oaths God hath born thus long with thee that hast told I know not how many lies prophaned I know not how many Sabbaths contemned I know not how many ordinances and sleighted I know not how many judgements yet Gods patience is in his own brest it is the long sufferance of God Thou mayest say I would fain have it to morrow and this seven yeers but alas it is his long sufferance and not thine and how dost thou know when he will conclude it it may be this day as well as to morrow Joel 2.13 Rent your hearts and not your garments saith the Prophet for the Lord he is gracious and mercifull This word for hath a great deal of force in it First It is a descriptivum for for he is gracious and a mercifull God therefore rent thy heart and let thy soul burst within thee that thou hast sinned against him for he is a mercifull God and it may be he will pardon all thy sins and heal all thy rebellions committed against him Secondly it is an upbraiding for upbraiding thee for thy sins rent thy heart therefore why he is a patient God wilt thou goe on in thy sins against such a patient God and rebel against such a loving Father that hath loved thee with so much compassion Rent thy heart for he is patient Thirdly it is a comforting and incouraging for rent thy heart for there is incouragement for thee to repent give over thy sins and go to the throne of grace For there is much mercie to welcome thee and great patience for to bid thee come home and abundance of grace for to incourage thee therefore rent thy heart and come home unto the Lord for he is patient and long-suffering Fourthly it is a forewarning for rent your hearts for the Lord is gracious and mercifull slow to anger and of great kindnesse yet his mercie lasteth yet his patience endureth yet hee hath all his attributes and yet he is pleased to manifest the same still tendring grace and mercie unto thee Oh turn unto him while these endure or else thou shalt perish for ever Fifthly it is a threatning for now he is gracious now he is mercifull but his mercy will end his patience will end and then if thou hast not rent thy heart before it will be too late then Therefore as ever thou lovest thine own soule now rent thy heart and turn unto God It is Gods own proclamation The Lord the Lord slow to anger and of great mercie forgiving iniquity and sin Yea what man soever it be that humbles his soule before him he shall find grace and mercie with him yea abundance of mercie pardoning iniquity transgression and sinne yea any thing Let but a soul come prostrate before him humbling his soule he will pardon his sin But as it followeth in the words He will by no means clear the guiltie if notwithstanding all Gods patience and mercie thou go on in thy sins the Lord will never forgive thee but will visit thy sinnes upon thee unto the third and fourth generations because thou hast withstood the day of grace Beloved men run on in their sins as if so be an Angel from heaven should cry unto them and tell them yet God will be good unto them yet God will show them mercie and forbear them Beloved let your consciences answer if you ever heard the Lord God say to any of you thus long I will forbear you No Gods patience is in his own breast and therefore no man knows how long it will last Reas 2 A second reason is because Gods patience giveth no marks or inklings of it before it ends commonly when God strikes a man with death he giveth some signes of warnings of it before as sicknesse and pains and gray hairs and many sorrowes c. Now because thy life is in Gods hands thou carest not for it but venturest to go on in thy sinnes hoping to have some warning though thousands be cut off without it but the day of grace may come to an end and yet thou never have any inkling or warning of it before-hand commonly when God strikes a man with death he tells him of it before-hand by aches and pains as if the Lord should say Now thou shalt die now will I take thee out of the world But when the Lord taketh away the day of grace from a man though the spirituall man may take some notice of it yet there is no sensible apparition of it but after the day of grace is set upon a man he may be as strong and lustie as before he may come to Church as well after as before performe religious duties and do many good things as well after as
from the Huntsman it cuts the member for which it is hunted and slings it down and so escapes saith Aesops So pursue thy heart with its sins with the hue and cry of Gods mercies pursue it with the hubbub of Gods judgements let meditation haunt it and let thy soul see it shall never be rid of the haunt at last it will be content to part with its lusts Let meditation say Wilt thou forsake thine own mercies If thou livest thus and thus if thou prayest thus and thus dead-heartedly thou kickest against thine own mercie wilt thou rush upon the pricks This mercie thou maist have if thou wouldst amend that vengeance thou shalt have if thou do not amend Either cut off thy sins or else God will cut off thy soul Return O Shulamite return return it s the voice of Christ to thee Let meditation say Return O my soul return return and thou mayst be saved return or else thou shalt be condemned Now what was the effect of this haunting meditation Or ere I was aware my soul made me like the Chariots of Aminadab vers 12. That is my soul musing and meditating on these and these commandments it so humbled my soul that it made me yeeld yea and made me run as fast as the Chariots of Aminadab freely and willingly to Christ Deal with thy heart as Junius his father dealt with him he seeing his son was Atheisticall he laid a Bible in every room that his son could look in no room but behold a Bible haunted him upbraiding him Wilt thou not read me Atheist Wilt thou not read me And so at last he read it and was converted from his Atheisme So let meditation haunt thy heart hold forth the commandments promises threatnings of the Lord that thy heart may see them let meditation haunt thee in thy luke-warmnesse prayest thou thus luke-warm This prayer will break thy neck one day Repentest thou This luke-warm repentance will cause God to spue thee out of his mouth Hearest thou speakest thou thinkest thou These luke-warm duties will confound thee ere long if thou lookest not to it Let Meditation haunt thee as they haunted Nehemiah with warnings ten times saith the Text they sent to Nehemiah they will be upon thee Nehem. 4.12 Beware of the danger the enemy will be upon thee ten times they warned him never giving over till Nehemiah looked about him vers 13. So do thou haunt thine own heart they will be upon thee this curse this wrath that hardnesse of heart this security will be upon thee Ten times yea a thousand times ten times never give over thine own soul untill thou hast made it to submit Indeed there be some let God send Meditations to haunt them and follow them saying Repent leave this or that sin why wilt thou be damn'd with this sin Oh forsake it presently they will gagge the mouth of Meditation and of conscience and strike them stark dead as Abner when Azahel would haunt him and follow him and turn neither to the right hand nor to the left but follow him at the heels Turn aside saith Abner but he would not turn aside from following him Turn aside from me sayes Abner again or I will kill thee but he would not turn aside he would follow him close Then he up with his Spear and slew him 2 Sam. 2.19 20 21 22 23 So many deal with the meditation of conscience when conscience would dogge them and weary them out of their sins they will not when conscience would haunt them they will not be haunted therewith when conscience would follow them up with their desperate wilfulnesse they gall and wound and murder conscience to be quiet But David haunted his heart and would have it haunted The second duty Let Meditation trace thy heart as it should haunt thee so also let it trace thee in the samesteps So would the Church Let us search and trie our wayes and turn again unto the Lord Lam. 3.40 The word in the originall sayes Buxtorf signifies track or steps step by step this step was in the ditch that in the mire that step awry track them all that we may ungo them all again and turn unto the Lord. Never pray but let Meditation track thy prayer this passage was right that passage was amisse Never keep a Sabbath but let Meditation track thy keeping of it this duty was sincere that was rotten Never do any thing but let Meditation track it This thought this word this action was warrantable that was out of the way track thy heart as the Lord tracted Eliah he tract him in the wildernesse he tracted him under the juniper tree he tract him in the cave What dost thou here Eliah go forth 1 King 19. What dost thou here Eliah go return He tract him in the mount Go return what dost thou here Eliah this is not a place for thee So let Meditation wait thee what dost thou here O sinner what dost thou here O drunkard in thy covetousnesse or in thy prophanenesse what dost thou here this is not a place for thee unlesse thou mean to perish It may be thou art now scard out of these sins and art run into civill honesty let Meditation still track thee What dost thou do here O sinner Civilitie is not a case fit for thee unlesse thou wert better thou shalt be torn in peeces It may be thou art driven out of thy civility and art gone further to the profession of Religion though it be without the power of it let meditation still wait thee What dost thou here O sinner this sorry kind of profession is not a race fit for thee unlesse thou be godlier then so thou shalt be devoured with everlasting fire Meditation is like the coursing of a hare in the snow the hare fearing to be taken by the dogs here she stops there she leaps here she interleaps there she goes backward and forward upward and downward and all to deceive the dogs that they may not find her but they go smelling and maundring winding and turning and track her step by step till they find her so meditation in the coursing of the soul the heart hath a thousand fetches a thousand meanders and labyrinths a thousand crosse windings and compassings and deceits and all to puzle Meditation But Meditation must track the heart as God dealt with Job he counted his steps step by step Job 14.16 Meditation is the souls blood-hound it will never leave howling the wrath of God till it hath taken the hearts sin for a prey Meditation haunts it out of one sin and it runs into another Meditation haunts it out of that and it runs into a third Meditation is a good pursevant it prosecutes the sinner and attaches him Now because the heart is most cunning and hardest to be trackt by its sent when the heart hath taken up abundance of good duties and attained unto sundry graces these good duties and common graces drown the sent of the hearts
name of God in vain Is there never a drunkard here in this congregation that hath been at the Sacrament Is there never a whoremonger never a covetous worldling Where is the man whosoever hee bee amongst you all that is such a one He is in the state of damnation Is there never a luke-warm and carnall Christian that contents himself with a formall worship and a dead performance of holy duties that hath no zeal for God nor courage for his truth but is carelesse of all Gods commandements whosoever amongst you are guilty of these sins or any other and hath come unto this holy Communion in them they are the persons that how oft soever they have received so oft they have taken this name of the Lord in vain And if I should examine this Congregation from the one end of it unto the other I fear that every pew would yeeld some one If not many that have taken a Cōmunion which is one of Gods names in vain Should I but examine thee that comest unto the Communion this day how by the last Sacrament thou receivedst and the last Sermon thou hast heard thy faith is strengthened thy repentance renewed and thy obedience is increased and thy care doubled for to walk with God whether thou art made by them more zealous for God more forward in his worship and service and every day more holy and heavenly minded if not then thou hast taken this Name of the Lord thy God in vain and the Lord will not hold thee guiltlesse that is the Lord will not take away the guilt from thy conscience but he will let thy sinne lie open and thou shalt not be cleansed from it nor justified by the very blood of Jesus Christ but it shall rest upon thee to thy utter ruine and destruction unlesse thou forsake thy sinnes and so come preparedly unto this holy Table and banquet I know here is a covenant of grace a sweet refreshing for every humbled soul that is hungry broken for his sinnes and for every poore distressed conscience let all such come and lay their sinnes upon Christs crosse and welcome But if there be any that come in their sinnes and will not reforme their live◠but be as they came sinners so they mean for to continue the Lord himselfe will lay this mans sinnes upon his own head and they shall never be taken away from him but Christ shall at the day of judgement pronounce him a guilty person to his eternall condemnation King Belshazzar that abused but the holy vessels of the Temple and the Cups thereof what a dismall plague befell him for it Dan. 5.27.28 God hath numbred thy Kingdome and finished it thou art weighed in the ballance and art found too light thy Kingdome is departed from thee and is given to the Medes and Persians So beloved brethren if any of you shall abuse this Cup of the Lord comming to it with a filthy unclean heart and polluted conscience and earthly affections there is a hand-writing against every soule that thus commeth this day unto the Table of the Lord thou art numbred and weighed and found too light thou O man and woman whosoever thou art that prophanest and contemnest these holy things of God thou shalt be found out and the Lord will keep thee out by his spirituall plagues and thy sinne shall never be done away but be required at thy hands and stand in everlasting record against thee O my brethren that you would but seriously consider of it and look about you it being so weighty a thing that so neerly concernes every one of you But I would not have any poor broken heart and humble soul to mistake me and so-thereby be discouraged but give me leave I pray you for to use the words of the Brophet though spoken in another sense Psal 115. Not unto us O Lord not unto us but unto thy Name give the glory So let me apply this doctrine unto the comfort of all poore broken hearted sinners and beat off all carnall prophane wretches that live in their sinnes not unto you O drunkards and swaggerers not unto you whoremasters and unclean persons that wallow in ungodlinesse I say not unto you but unto the poor afflicted soul and contrite spirit that lieth bleeding and gasping under the weight of his sin and that trembles and fears being opprest with the sense of its own unworthinesse panting and breathing after Christ Jesus and suing earnestly unto the Throne of grace for mercie and forgivenesse unto thee only belongs this comfort and therefore take it home to thee and know it for thy selfe Art thou troubled with a hard heart and an unbeleeving soule and art even wearied and tired out with thy many sinnes and infirmities Come thou with comfort unto this holy Communion for thou shalt be sure to finde saying good by it to thee it shall be a spirituall medicine to heale all thy diseases and to cure all thy strong and prevailing corruptions and if thou come unto this holy Table of the Lord it shall make thee as it is recorded of Saint Laurence able to suffer Martyrdome and to get victory over all thy unruly affections yea at last thou shalt tread Satan thy arch-enemy under thy feet Therefore be not dismaied for the Lord Jesus invites thee to come What if thy infirmities be many yet the mercies of God which he tenders to thee in this Communion are many more Samson who was the strongest Souldier and Champion in his time that was in Israel to overcome the Philistims he yet began his strength in weaknesse being at the first overcome by a woman So though the Lord intend to make thee a strong Christian he will make thee to begin in weaknesse to perfect thy power to begin in sinne and misery that he may make thee to end in glory I know Gods children here may receive temporall punishments and bring temporall scourges upon themselves as we may see amongst the Corinthians here but it shall be for their good and amendment namely for their correction and not for their ruine and destruction that so being chastened by the Lord they might not be condemned with the world Therefore if thou comest carelesly and unprofitably God will chastise thee with the rods of men as he did Peter who receiving the Sacrament with his Master over night yet the next day thrice denied him but God whipt his soule and scourged his conscience for it and beat him black and blew so that he went out and wept bitterly Nay he could scarce wipe off that sinne and recover himselfe again whilst he lived Wherefore let us take heed of unprepared coming to the Sacrament for God will not hold such guiltlesse Yea if his own sonnes or daughters transgresse thereby hee will make them to feele the smart of it But now to come to all such as come month by month hand over head without any examination and repentance in their uncleannesse and abomination making no conscience
that reproves Nay let a man be unblameable for the present if he have been faulty before if it were seven or ten or twenty yeares before if it be knowne it is a thousand to one but he shall be hit in the teeth with it when he reproves you committed adultery and you did steale at such a time if it were never so long agoe Therefore St. Paul would not consent to take Mark with him in the ministery Acts 15. because he had been offensive to the Church before We had need be marvellous carefull and wary if wee will reprove I had thought to have named other Uses but I leave this Exposition and take it as it is passively interpreted He that being often reproved hardeneth his neck shall suddenly be destroyed and that without remedy THough it may be expounded the other way yet I rather incline to this The Reason is Because this is the constant current of all Interpreters generally I meet but with one or two that expound it the other way but all passively He that being often reproved hardeneth his neck c. Secondly because the word in the origiall is A man of reproofs that hardeneth his own neck Now though it be indifferent whether it be active or passive yet look in the Scripture and you shall finde it more often passive then active A man of reproofs that is a man often reproved in the passive As in Isay 53.3 Christ is a man of sorrows not making others sorry but made sorry passively And so in Dan. 9.23 It is said Daniel was a man of desires that is not a man desiring other men or other things not actively desiring but passively desired beloved of God exceedingly So it is said of Jeremiah Jerem. 15.10 he was a man of strife not a man striving with others but a man striven with So in 1 King 2.26 A man of death that is not killing others but to be killed himselfe It is taken more frequently in the passive sense so we may more boldly take it so A man of Reproofs that is reproved againe and againe that hath received divers reproofs and yet hardeneth his owne neck shall suddenly be destroyed and that without remedy Here I might observe by the way this point of Doctrine That The Lord doth not destroy man willingly He saith not A man shall be destroyed without remedy but a man when he hath sinned against God when he hath committed sinne and not onely so but when he is reproved for his sin and goeth on The Lord doth not destroy a man nakedly but upon consideration of sin Willingly the Lord doth not afflict any Lament 3. Mercy and punishment they flow from God as the hony and the sting from the Bee the Bee yeeldeth hony of her own nature but she doth not sting but when she is provoked so the Lord is gracious and good and favourable and kind and blesseth his people from his own nature but he doth not punish and plague and destroy but being provoked by sin and iniquity I will not stand to follow this point I let it go The text it self contains the great mercie of God in lending a man a reproof And what a great sin it is what a great ill it is for a man to sin against his reproof The greatnesse of the ill is set down two wayes First by the great sinfulnesse of the thing it is called the hardening of a mans own neck Secondly by the greatnesse of the punishment that God inflicts upon this sin and that is he will destroy him and without remedy For the first namely what a great mercie it is for God to let a man be reproved for his sins It may bee proved by many places of Scripture onely I find in Scripture it is brought as an aggravation of sinne when they sinned against reproof Hosea 5.2 saith hee they are profound to commit sinne though I have been a rebuker of them all As if he should say though I have been so mercifull as to shew them the danger of sinne to tell them what would come of their wretched courses though I have called them to repentance and have given them warning what would be the issue of these things yet for all this for all my mercy they have gone on in their sinnes though I have reproved them This Though is a word of aggravation as we see in the speech of Daniel to Belshazzar Thou O King hast not humbled thy selfe though thou knewest this as if he had said though the Lord let thee know the punishment upon thy Father and the plagues of Nebuchadnezzar thy grandfather though the Lord have let thee understand what it is for thee ro exalt thy selfe against him yet thou art not humbled he aggravates his sinne So this aggravates a mans sinne when he goes on notwithstanding he is reproved The reasons are First because when God reproves a man of sinne the reproof primarily comes out of love therefore when he reproved Laodicea and told her she was luke-worm and said I would thou wert either hot or cold And since she was neither he would spue her out of his mouth he tells her whence the reproof flowed because I love I reprove As many as I love I rebuke Rev. 3.19 It is not out of ill will that I tell thee of thy lukewarmnesse and threaten to spue thee out of my mouth I tell thee these things that thou mayst avoid that ill I say Gods reprofes flow primarily from love to men whereby he would have them lay aside their wretched courses and avoid the judgements Nay it is an argument of hatred when a man doth not reprove his brother of sinne If God let a man goe on in sinne and never tell him of his drunkennesse nor never find fault with his pride and security never convince him or wound or touch him nor deal with him about his unsetled estate and his rotten condition it is a signe God hates the man but when God reproves a man from day to day Man thou art a proud creature thou shalt to hell for thy pride and hypocrisie and securitie and harpnesse of heart When the Lord reproves a man from day to day this is an argument of love the other is an effect of hatred not to reprove Thou shalt not hate thy brother in thy heart saith Moses but shalt in any wise reprove him and not suffer sinne to be upon him Levit. 19.17 Thou hatest thy brother when thou seest him sinne and doest not warn him and knowest he is guilty of sinfull courses and doest not reprove him and when thou hast time and place and opportunity and fit circumstances to reprove and yet thou wilt not doe it it is a signe thou hatest thy brother it is the greatest degree of hatred one of them If a man deny food for the body and let a man rather die of hunger then hee will give him meat or let a man fall into a pit rather
of the bitter fruit of them your wretched and unprosperous wayes Here be two things very remarkable according to the Text 1. The repetition and inforcing of it again for he urgeth it again Consider your wayes in the seventh verse 2. The benefit that came by it it brought them to repentance for they all obeyed the voyce of the Lord and the words of the Prophet verse 12. Doct. 1 So that the Doctrine from hence is this that Serious meditation of our sins by the Word is a speciall means to make men repent Meditation is a setled exercise of the mind for a further inquiry of the truth and so affecting the heart therewith and therefore there bee foure things in meditation The first is an exercise of the mind not barely closing with the truth and assenting unto it and seeing it and there rests but it looketh on every side of the truth I thought upon my wayes and turned my feet unto thy Testimonies Psal 119.59 saith David that is I looked on my wayes on both sides above and beneath it 's taken from curious works which are the same on both sides so that they which work them must often turne them on every side used Exod. 38.23 as being workes with two faces as one well observes so it was with David I turned my wayes up-side downe and looked every way upon them thou never meditatest unlesse thou look on thy wayes on both sides with all circumstances An elegant phrase we have Dan. 12.4 Many shall run to and fro and knowledge shall abound and be increased Run to and fro what is that It is not the bodily removing of man from one place to another so much as busie stirring of the mind from one truth to another so that it seeth the whole selvedge and compasse of the truth thou wilt never get the truth to be meditated of till thou runne to and fro in it meditate it on this side and meditate it on that side looke on it in every nook of it Meditation is like perambulation when men go the bounds of the Parish they goe in every part of it and in every skirt of it so meditation is the perambulation of the soule when the soule lookes how far sinne goes how far the flesh goes how far the wrath of God against it goes Secondly as it is an exercise so it is a setled exercise it is not a sudden flash of a mans conceit but it dwels upon a truth When a man is in a deep meditation upon a thing he neither sees nor hears nor attends any thing else the stream of the heart is setled upon the truth received The word of God abides in you and you have overcome the world 1 Ioh. 2.14 How came these young men to overcome Satan Not by looking into the word or onely thinking of the word but by letting the Word abide in them When a man hath been offered an injury his heart is alwayes setled upon it when he eates his mind runnes on the injury when he walkes and talkes still his mind runnes on the injury so thy heart must goe on the truth 2 Tim. 3. Continue in the things thou hast learned that is take up thy mansion house in them A wicked man may turn into the word sometimes to think of it but it is as a man goes into another mans house there is not his dwelling Thirdly it is to make a further inquiry Meditation doth not onely settle upon the truth knowne but it also would faine know more of those truths that are subjected to it as a man without may see the out side of the house but he cannot see the roomes within unlesse hee come nigh and draw the latch and come into the house and goe into the roomes and look about them Meditation pulls the latch of the truth and lookes into every closet and every cubboard and every angle of it Here is my sin here is my uncleannesse and here is Gods anger here is the wofull evill that will follow upon it and here is a remedy against it Meditation searches into all the lofts and closets of the truth The entrance of thy word giveth understanding unto the simple Psal 119.30 The ingresse as one expounds it or going into thy word gives understanding the wicked stand looking upon the truth without the doores but it is the ingresse or going into the truth that gives understanding Indeede the truth is like a neat palace saith Chrysostome the Spirit of God is like the light of the Sunne that shineth into it the wicked they stand without like fooles peeping in at the windowes and there bee many thousands of pearles that are not manifest unto them The house seems dark to them that stand without Thou must enter into the word and into every particular truth in it and goe up staires and downstaires and have an eye into every roome There thou shalt find humility there contrition there conversion there Christ and his Spirit in one closet there all his Jewels in that and that box all is manifest within doores Fourthly it labours to affect the heart it doth not onely labour to know more and more of the truth but also it labours to bring it home to the heart The good woman considers a field and buyes it Prov. 31.16 that is saith Ambrose the good Christian soule if in civilitie then much more in Divinity considers the truth and buyes it he taketh it for his own and appropriates it unto himselfe Lo this saith Eliphas wee have searched out so it is beare it and know it for thy selfe Job 5.27 When thou canst say of the truth loe this it is we have searched it out I have dived into it perused it so it is even so indeed all this is that thou mayest apply it unto thy selfe and know it for thy good Reas 1 The first Reason is because meditation musters up all weapons and gathers all forces of arguments for to presse the same and lay them heavie upon the heart This usurie is spirituall and good when meditation like usurers who grinde and suck the bloud of the needy and are not content with their principall but will have consideration for every pound they lay out yea for every shilling and that for every week and every month and every quarter and every yeare the poore man could bee content to pay the principall but to exact use upon use this kills him so meditation exacteth upon the soul and holdeth it to use upon use You have committed evill in a corner but you shall not carry it away so Item it was against the knowledge of God revealed Item against many mercies received Item against many judgements threatned against many checks of conscience against many vows and promises remember that O my soul Item for that and Item for this Item for every lust and every circumstance thus oft and in this place anâ— at that time in that manner So meditated the prodigall Looke as it is in
their Dogges their bellies and their backes before they serve God in meditation or prayer unlesse it be the mumbling and roting a few Lord have mercy upon us that pray not till after many other businesses it may be not then neirher David prayed and meditated in the morning In the morning thou washest thy face and thy hands but thy soul hath more need which thou washest not in the morning thou puttest thy cloathes on thy body but thou puttest not on afresh the new man upon thy soule in the morning thou shakest off sleepinesse from thine eyes but thou shakest not off drowsinesse from thy soule Thou lookest into the glasse in the morning to see if thy face be as it should be but thy soule is not composedly looking into the glasse of Gods word In the morning look up in prayer look up in thanksgiving look up in meditation Secondly the night too O Lord I meditate on thee in the night watches Ps 63. not as carnal ones do when they cannot sleepe then their mind runnes on their Cow and their Calfe their markets and vanities this neighbour and that neighbour like Petronius his dogge that was hunting while he lay asleepe in his kennell Thirdly in the evening I prevent the night watches that I might meditate Psal 119.148 he did not as wicked men doe sleepe like a horse in the stable on his litter with his neck tied to the manger they goe to bed with their hearts roped to the world worldly thoughts this thought and that thought and God knowes what Fourthly when the heart is touched at a Sermon or Sacrament or observing of any judgement or mercy or act of Gods providence it is best striking when the Iron is hot David when his heart was touched at the reproaches of the wicked then he meditated Ps 119.23 When the Instrument is in tune then it is good playing upon it when a Churle is in a good mood then it is fittest to deale with him Oft will thy heart be out of tune oft churlish and in an ill mood if thou lettest the good opportunity go thou knowst not when thou shalt have such another When the fish is nibbling at the bait then it is good twitching at the angle rod when the heart is a nibbling at grace then give a pluck at it by meditation See Act. 17.11 now while the tide â—asts see thou maist get into the haven Means 3 Thirdly rub up thy selfe and thy memory call as much to mind as thou canst what evill thou hast done ever since thou wast borne what in the womb what in thy cradle childhood youth age what a servant what a Master what as a servant what as a sonne what as a neighbour what as an inferiour what as a superiour either in thought or word or deed how often thou â—ast omitted good duties or done them by â—alves Item for this and Item for that They shall remember themselves and turne unto the Lord Psal 22.27 First they shall remember themselves and say What have I done O wretch how carelesly have I lived Secondly so meditating they shall turn unto the Lord. Many say Oh! they cannot remember their sinnes They lie in a thousand particulars for they can remember to commit them wel enough See Lam. 3.19 20.21 our Greek translation turnes it I spâ—ke to my selfe and meditated as if they should say O what a rebell have I been how unthankfull how unprofitable under all the means of grace I may thank my sins for all the plagues of the Almighty that are upon me if he had damned me I had been well served What followes The heart bowed and was humbled as it is in the text Means 4 The fourth means Rouze up thy heart As it is with the eye of the body so it is with the eye of the soul when a man would look wishly upon a thing as if he would look through it he sets his eyes on it as Paul set his eyes on Elymas Ah thou child of the Devil thou c. Acts 13.9 Meditation is the setting of the eye of the soul upon a thing set thine eye upon thy selfe and say Ah thou child of the wicked why hath Satan filled thy heart O wretched heart whence hadst thou thy self-love hadst thou not it from the Devil God might do well to send thee to the Devill if thou lovest so to bee his Broker Seâ— thine eyes stedfastly upon thine owne wayes and thou shalt see infinite hellish evils in thy sins Vse 3 The third use is for reprehension What is more usuall then this that men make sleight account of their sins Nay when God tells them in their hearts Thou shalt not do this thou shalt not doe that yet they meditate and think Why may I not Samuel bid Saul stay for directions from him before he sacrificed unto God It seemes that God spake to his heart Stay till Samuel comes to direct thee yet Saul forced himselfe to disobey and to doe sacrifice 1. Sam. 13.12 he was bold as Vatable turnes it hee confirmed himselfe as Pagnin translates it hee thrust himselfe upon the doing of it God forbad him he would doe it God urged him in his conscience not to doe it yet he would doe it God again whispered to him to doe it not yet hee forced himselfe to doe it as if he should say I hope I may doe it I have stayed seven dayes wanting an houre or a piece of an houre and a little piece breakes no squares No God rejected Saul for that venture God would have forced him by meditation O no doe it not by no meanes he made him think Oh it is against Gods commandements I may not doe it No but neverthelesse he forced himselfe to doe it Thus God deals with thousands and millions in the world Be not a drunkard God flings the meditation into the conscience yet a drunkard thou wilt be be not a drunkard again a drunkard notwithstanding thou wilt be Be not again they force themselves they will goe to the Ale-house And so of all other sinnes If men will cast oft this work of meditation darted into their soules they cast off their owne mercy God tells them pray not hear not offer not without directions from me they dread not the commandement they will I trust prayers are good I will say them Thus they will not meditate or if they doe they break it off before it comes to any strength or perfection yea Gods owne servants that desire to look towards Sion is not this your complaint oft I cannot find sinne heavie I confesse the word discovers it to me but I cannot be troubled for it Look as it is with men in the world if five hundred pounds weight bee laid upon the ground if a man never pluck at it he shall never feele the weight of it Your sinnes are not many hundreds but many thousands yea many ten thousands selfe-love security hardnesse of heart base fears c. it is impossible to
break-neck it will be a Devill unto me the more I have been delighted with it the more it will gall me the more I have gotten by it the more it will damne me the sin which I most of all loved will most of all torment me Ecclesiast 11.9 look thus upon sin The third means dive into thine owne soul and heart there is a tough brawn over thy heart that it feels not its sins Now Meditation must look through and come to the heart at the quick and cause the truth to dive into the deep places of the soule When the timber is hard the workman cannot thrust in the nail with the weight of his hand no he must hammer it in Meditation is the hammering of the heart It 's a pertinent phrase Jer. 23.24 Is not my word like a fire saith the Lord and like a hammer that breaketh the rocks in peices There be two similitudes first of a hammer the Word of God is the hammer meditation is the hand that taketh this hammer and knocks the nail into the rocky heart and makes it enter Wilt thou not feele I le make thee feele saith meditation wilt thou not take notice of thy wretched estate Meditation comes with blow after blow and makes it take notice Seeondly of fire the word is like fire Meditation kindles it about the heart A man benummed with cold is senselesse the water frozen with cold though the least peble would have sunk in it before now a great milstone is able to lie upon it and not sink the water is able to beare it so is the heart be it sins never so heavie as the hill of Basan yet it bears it and feels no weight but Meditation thawes the heart and then every sinne pincheth and oppresseth Is not my word like fire as if he should say think of it and muse of it and meditate of it and thou shall feele it as a fire Meditation is the often smiting of the heart with this hammer so did Ephraim smite upon his thigh Jer. 31.19 like a man in a miserable agony he thumps his own breast and in a vexation strikes his hand on his thigh Oh miserable wretch that I am So did Ephraim Oh what an unruly Ox am I how unwilling am I to bear the yoke of the Lord Oh and oh the hardnesse of my heart oh that I could tell how to beat thee black and blue Many men smite their hearts but they smite them not often enough When Elâ—sha bad Joash smite upon the ground he smote thrice and staâ—ed The man of God said to him in anger Thou shouldest have smitten five or six times for then thou hadst smitten Syria till thou hadst consumed them where as now thou shalt smite Syria but thrice 2. Kin. 13.19 So men smite their hearts twice or thrice or so but they will not smite their sins dead it may be they break the head of their sins but they recover again and grow strong upon them as at first Thou must smite five or six times yea fifty times five times till thou hast quite broken the impostume of thy heart Meditate on the mercies of God and with them smite it often and often Meditate on the justice of God and with it smite it again and again Meditate on the wrath of God which is as a consuming fire and with it smite it soundly Meditate on the truth of the Lord this threatning and that threatning this commandement and that commandement this promise and that promise and with all these smite it to powder The forth manner Anticipate and prevent thine owne heart meditate what thy heart will one day wish if it be not humbled and tell thy soule as much thou wilt one day wish Oh that I had been humbled under the reproofes of the Lord Oh that I had been wise to have understood mine owne mercie Cursed bee the day that ever I neglected the means of grace so the Lord brings in a foolish obstinate sinner cursing and banning his owne soule sobbing and howling at the last Oh how have I hated instruction and my heart despised repâ—oofe and have not observed the voyce of my Teachers nor inclined mine care to them that instructed mee Pro. 5.12 13. I had Ministers to preach to me but I would not come at them â—or if I did I cared not for their doctrine I had friends that advised me wel but woe is me damned wretch I heeded them not Thus thou wilt cast the foole into thine owne teeth and fling a thousand curses into thine own face because of thy madnesse I might have learned but I would not I might have been humbled but I would not I was almost in all evill in the midst of the assembly of the congregation vers 14. I lived where the Saints of God were in whole assemblies but I mockt them I hated them I misliked them for being too precise I was not ashamed of my security no not in thy sight Thus thou wilt cry out one day if now thou wilt not yeeld unto meditation which must make this as present with thee Know thou O my soul the time of thy visitation is at hand thou wilt curse thy selfe hereafter if thou doest not now be moved by Gods mercies thou shalt never see mercie more Now be awaked by Gods judgements or else thou shalt feel them for evermore now or for ever thou shalt roare for them Then thou shalt curse thy gains and thy profits that bewitched thee thou shalt curse thy pleasures and delights that besotted thee curse thine own heart and thine own soul and thine own conscience that have damned thee Meditation may tell thee thus it will be with thee unlesse thou obeyest now Hear ye me now oh ye children and depart not from the words of my mouth ver 7. hear the word now and obey it let it not depart out of thy meditation Now be humbled with grace oâ— then thou shalt be humbled with horrour then thou shalt wish Oh that I had been ruled When thou art in hell then thou shalt meditate 〈◊〉 it was good counsell that such and such a â—ster gave me good counsell that such a 〈◊〉 and such a brother gave me but wretch 〈◊〉 I was I had not grace to follow it I had more mind of my pleasures more mind of my vanities then of grace Oh if it were to do again I would not do so for a thousand worlds but alas it is now too late Therefore let Meditation presse this upon thee before-hand Now follows the third thing how to put life to Meditation Foure duties are to be done to this purpose 1. Let Meditation haunt thy heart let meditation dogge thee with the hellish looks of thy sins and follow it with the dreadfull vengeance of God haunt it with promises haunt it with threatnings haunt it with mercies and haunt it with judgements and haunt it with Commandments The heart is like the Beaver when it perceiveth it cannot possibly escape
Christ saying Master my child is possessed with a Devil even a dumb spirit and I spake to thy Disciples that thâ—y should cast him out but they could not Mark 9.18 Bring him to me saith Christ vers 19. How long is this agoe since this came to him Of a child saith the Father and often it hath cast him into the fire and often into the water to destroy him but if thou canst doe any thing as certainly thou canst doe all things have compassion on us and help us verse 22. And then Christ helpt him So let meditation drive thy heart to God saying Lord here is my heart I beleeve possest with a Devill for it is a most abominable sinful heart I brought my heart to thy Ministers to cure it to Sermons to Prayer to all other good duties but they could not help me my heart is a Devillish heart still my heart is wicked and rebellious still the Devill oh the Devill is in it still Oh how he tempts me he holds me hee casts me into the fire of this lust and into the water of ever-flowing iniquity Have thou compassion come and help me for my heart is miserably vexed with Satan when I pray the Devill stuffes me with dead thoughts and drousie desires the Devill fills me with wandring Imaginations and I know not what when I hear the Word the Devil makes me to rise up against it or forget it or not obey it when the Sabbath is come the Devill sets me on thinking my own thoughts and speaking mine own words when a Sacrament is come the Devill hinders me in selfe-examination the Devill disappoints me of my preparation Oh have thou compassion on me The fourth duty let meditation when it hath held thy heart before God there cast thee downe before him when Meditation hath searched out thy case and made it appeare how wofull it is then let it lay thee along before God with What shall I do to be saved So it did with them in Acts 2.27 as if they should say saith Chrysostome we have not one jot of hope to finde mercy so long as we live as we do What shall we do Say what thou wilt our ears are ready to hear it command what thou wilt our souls what ever it be are willing to do it bid us suffer what ever thou pleasest tell us what it is and we will endure it They did not say notes Chrysostome How shall we be saved as wicked men do they desire to be saved but their maine care is not to see what they must do they are told what they must do and yet refuse to do it but thy chiefe study must be to cast thy selfe down before God with the good Jaylor Sirs what shall I doe to be saved Acts 16.30 First what must I do and then to be saved First thy care must be what to do to get out of thy sins how to be rid of thy lusts and then to be saved as if he should say I see I am at a damned passe and therefore I was a making away my selfe the fire of hell did slay my soule but now is there hope of salvation is there indeed Oh tell me I am willing to do any thing what must I do Keep nothing back of all the will the Lord be it punishments to suffer tell me of it I am ready to beare it be it precepts for to do though never so irksome O let me know it and I will not refuse it What must I doe to be saved When the heart is thus humbled upon sound meditation it 's willing to do or suffer any thing Jonah is willing to be cast into the sea being humbled Jonah 1.2 Here I am Lord deal with me as thou wilt Motive 1 The first Motive Is it a folly not to meditate Should a man walk on in a course and not meditate whether it will tend When he falls into mischeife what will he say I never thought of this before I never considered that this would be the end Now it is the part of a fool to say I never thought as the Latin proverb hath it when the Steed is stoâ—len if he should then shut the Stable doore what wouldest thou say Hee should have thought of that before The rich man in the Gospell had these meditations in his heart he thought within himselfe What shall I do because I have no roome where to bestow my fruits He said in his heart This will I do I will pull down my barnes and build greater and will say to my soule Soule soule thou hast much goods laid up for many yeares eate drinke and be merry Luke 12.17 18 19 20. Thou fool said God this night shall thy soule bee required of thee then whose shall these things bee that thou hast provided God said thus unto him not as if God spake thus familiarly unto him saith Theophylact but it is a parable and God sayes so in his word Thou soule this night shall they requirâ— thy soule of thee In this night of thy blindnesse in this night of thy security shall they require it hee doth not say I will require thy soule of thee but they he doth not say who but they the Devils in hell God knowes who shalâ— come thou shalt die and they shall fetch away â—hy soul to hell they shall require it A godly mans soule is not required but â—ather he requires God to take away his soule he is willing to die that he may be with Christ but a wicked mans soule is required of him hee would willingly not â—ie but that his soul is required of him and he must die Doubtlesse the rich fooâ—e now thought with himselfe I never thought that I should have died so soone and therefore now he â—alls it may be to his Lord Lord and cries God mercie But what will they say to him Thou shouldst have thought of this before The wise man shall inherit â—lory but shame shall be the promotion of soâ—es â—rov 3.3 â—he wiâ—e and prudent those that truely meditate of things before hand shall have glory but fools that hope to be promoted to glory and salvation shame and confusion of face shall be all their promotion and when they come thereto besides their expectation what will they say We never thought it would be thus with us before but fooles as we were we thought to be promoted to heaven like Haman when King Aâ—ashuerus said unto him What shall be done to the man whom the King will honour O thus and thus saith Haman for he thought I am the man whom the King intendeth to honour Esther 6. â— but when Haman was presently after to be hanged on a gallowes he might rightly say I never thought of this before So what shall be done to the man whom the Lord will honour Thus and thus sayest thou he shall have mercies blessings heaven I for thou thinkest I am the man that God intendeth thus to honour but when thou art come
confirmes it with an oath Therefore if the Lord sweare thou shalt not how darest thou how canst thou hope or think ever to enter into his rest This was almost fourty yeares before he died that the Lord made this oath against them and God knowes how many thousands of them fel short not only of the land of Canaan but also of the Kingdome of heaven So God took Ismael an hundred and seventeen yeares before he died twenty yeares God offered him grace and repentance but he would not take warning a mocker he was and a mocker he would be for he mocked Isaac when he was a child of six yeares old and no meanes would reclaim him before he heard the voice Cast out the bond-woman and her sonne Out with him saith God for he shall never be heire with my sonne this was an hundred and seventeen years before Ismaels death And so God took Saul five and thirty or six and thirty yeares before he died according to Josephus Chronology if it bee true howsoever hee took him divers yeares before his death for so the Scripture makes it plain 1. Sam. 15.20 The strength of Israel will not lie nor repent for he is not a man that hee should repent Therefore because thou hast rejected the word of the Lord the Lord also hath rejected thee from being a King And do not think that thou by thy prayers and crying God mercie canst ever alter him for his councell is immutable and hee is strong in his decree and cannot change Hitherto Grace and Mercie have been offered thee which if thou hadst embraced thou mightst have found mercy from the Lord and the Kingdome should have been established and confirmed unto thee but now it is too late for the strength of Israel cannot lie God took Esau fiftie yeares before his death for so long he lived after he sought the blessing with teares but he was a hunting when God was a calling he was following his prophanenesse when God was wooing him to repentance At last when he called for repentance and sought it earnestly yea his soule was carefull for to get it yet he could never obtaine it though hee sought it earnestly with teares fiftie yeares before he died Now if the Lord so severely punish contempt of temporall blessings O how will he punish the contempt of proffers of grace and salvation I tell you God will be more strict in revenging of this sinne then of any other sinne he will come with Martiall law against all those that contemne his Gospell Joh. 3.18 He that beleeveth not is condemned already Doth Christ preach repentance and salvation and the Kingdome of God and wilt thou not repent and beleeve Martiall Law beloved martiall Law hang him up for he is condemned already Even like a souldier that rebels against his General forsakes his Colours they doe not cast him into prison and stay for the Assizes or Sessions but give him Martiall Law even hang him up So if the Lord sound his Gospell in thine eares and offers thee conditions of peace knocking at the doore of thy heart by his Spirit and thou refuse to open to him thou art condemned already for the Strength of Israel cannot lie nor repent Oh therefore take heed now whiles his word sounds in thine eares while his Spirit secretly whispers in thy heart to thee open to him for else thou art condemned for ever Take notice then that God doth commonly give men a day and no man or Angel doth know how long this day lasteth To some it lasteth to their last gasp to some to their old age and to some it is cut off in their childhood God gave the Angels a day the which because they neglected they are reserved in chains of darknesse untill the great judgement day God gave Cain a day Genes 4. During all the time of this day though Cain sinned again and again and went on in his sinnes a great while yet he heard nothing but a still voice If thou do well Cain shalt thou not be accepted but if thou dost ill sinne lieth at the doore But when no meanes will prevaile but Cain will go on adding sinne to sinne and murder unto all the rest of his sinnes and so let go the season of mercy the Lords tells him from heaven that the day of grace is past the gate of mercy is shut against thee for thou art now accursed from the earth As if the Lord should say Before I gave thee a day of salvation and offered thee mercy but thou wouldst not accept of it but now I have clapt a curse upon thy soul that thou shalt never claw off So God gave Nineveh a day to repent Jona 3. Yet forty dayes and Nineveh shall be destroyed God gave the Fig-tree a day even three yeares before he would have it cut down God gave the old World a day of an hundred and twenty yeares during this time God sent unto them Noah a Preacher of righteousnes to call upon them to repent and so set it down also that his Spirit shall not alwayes strive with man but his time shall be an hundred and twenty yeares yet one writes that the Lord cut off twenty of the hundred and twenty yeares because of their iniquities which were so grievous and provoked him so much that they hasted him to come before he would have done In all this space if they had repented they should have found mercy from the Lord but when this time was gone and the day of grace was out the Deluge came in upon them and God by his judgments overthrew the whole World Object You my ask me when this day or season of grace doth end or cease Answ I answer that neither men nor Angels can tell but this I say it may be yet this day of grace lasteth unto thee now it may bee God speaketh whom to thy soul now it may be God warms thy heart and givs thee good purposes resolutions now it may be the Lord Jesus passeth by thee in a good thought and desire lay hold on it for thy day may cease this very night for ought thou knowest Luke 17.22 The time shall come saith Christ when you shall desire to see one of the dayes of the Sonne of man and shall not see it Now is the day of Christ upon you now is Christ offering and preaching himself to you but if you let this day passe thou mayst desire to have one of the drops of that bloud that hath been offered to thee and yet never have it thou mayst desire to feele one rap of that Spirit that hath knockt at thy heart and yet goe without it thou maist intreat for one dram of that mercy that hath been offered and thou hast rejected but it shall never be granted to thee God may clap that fearfull sentence upon thee Now henceforth never grow fruit more on thee never repentance come into thy heart more If now thou wilt not repent and be
they beare sway in the heart they make that mans end to be destruction How then ought this to fill the faces of them that have the Spirit of Christ with shame and confusion and to make them in a holy manner to be confounded of themselves and to think of the emptinesse naughtinesse and vanities of their hearts Beloved thou canst not go to prayers but abundance of vain thoughts will be about thee like wasps to assault thee thou canst not go to the Word but these vaine thoughts will be a humming in thy eares thou canst not go about the works in thy calling but vain thoughts will haunt thee and creep into thy meditations and take away the main burthen of the work all the day long Beloved this should make a godly man ashamed and confounded in himself in the consideration hereof The Prophet David was so confounded and ashamed hereat that had not God poured in mercie and comfort into his soul he had been distracted and should have despaired considering the company of vain thoughts that lodged within him Psal 94.19 where hee shows what abundance of distracting thoughts he had that if God had not sustained him with comfort after comfort he had even been been overwhelmed in despair by them Augustine saith a mans thoughts are not in his own power the heart of man is like tinder and if the Devill cast a spark into it thou canst not hinder it from taking fire but thou maiest hinder it from burning further A ship may have leakes in her and thou canst not hinder the coming in of water into her but by thy pumping and industry thou maiest save her from drowning in the water even so evill thoughts though they be rooted out yet they will come in again A mans heart is like to the fig-tree that grew out of the stone wall which Epiphanius speaketh of the branches were lopt off and it grew again the boughs were lopt off and it grew again they cut down the body of it yet it grew again they pluckt up the roots of it yet it grew again till at last the stone wall and all was fain to be pulled down Even so it is with vaine thoughts in the heart a man may lop them off by godly sorrow he may cut them down and root them up by mortification and yet they will be sprouting up and rising up again till the whole body of sin be pulled down and destroyed in a man Gregory speaks of them and saith man may pluck them up but yet not so but that they will rise again The consideration hereof should humble us and make us lowe in our own eyes Oh then think with thy self and say Oh that my thoughts should be so base earthly and vain what have I not a God a Christ a heaven to think upon have I not excellent Commandments of my God and thousands of sweet and precious promises in Scripture to think upon and must I be thinking on every bable of every straw not worth the thinking on Take the Apostles exhortation Whatsoever things be true whatsoever things are honest whatsoever things are just whatsoever things are pure whatsoever things are of good report if there be any â—ertue if there be any praise think on these things Phil. 4.8 What are there so many vertuous things so many holy and pure things so many admirable and glorious things-so many heavenly graces and divine promises so many blessed passages of holy Writ to take up my mind and shall I spend my thoughts and time upon such vaine and cursed things as wil yeeld me no profit This should astonish the hearts of Gods people and greatly humble their souls Vse 2 The second Use may serve for matter of condemnation unto the wicked let this doctrine strike terrour into the hearts of those men that suffer their hearts to be taken up with vaine thoughts as Peter said unto Simon Magus so let me say unto them Repent of this thy wickednesse and pray unto God vers 8. that if it be possible the thoughts of thy heart may be forgiven thee The Apostle doth not onely wish him to repent of his simony and briberie but also of the least vain thoughts of his heart pray unto God if perhaps the very thoughts of thy heart may be forgiven thee for beloved the very least vaine thoughts that thou thinkest without repentance is impardonable there is an impossibility of remission of vain and idle thoughts without true repentance Oh what fearfull news is this to the world that lay not this to heart Beloved may we not now run into the eares and hearts of all earthly men with this point whose minds and thoughts are earthly Is it so that he whose thoughts run habitually on the world his end is destruction Then they that make no conscience what their thoughts are what their imaginations are what they think of as they goe up and down how can such escape the vengeance of hell Tell me then what thy thoughts are are they not of thy hawks and hounds of thy cattell and grounds of thy gardens and orchards rather then of Christ When thou walkest in the streets whereon run thy thoughts but on thy pleasures and profits and earthly delights yea of every vanity and every delight canst thou think rather then of God and his Commandments Thou comest to Church thou prayest and hearest the Word of God but do not vain thoughts come along with thee thou goest home again but do not vaine thoughts haunt and dog thee It is the brand of a wicked man not to have God in all his thoughts Psal 4.10 when goods and cattell plough and cart pleasures and outward contentments are in his mind and thoughts when ruffs and cuffs houses and dishes tables and faire hangings or any thing but God can take up their thoughts they can have thoughts of every thing but of God they can think none this is the brand of a wicked man that he hath no bloud of a Christian in him It is a true description of a Pagan and Infidel that hath no knowledge of Christ to be vain in his imaginations Rom. 1.21 When they knew God they glorified him not as God but became vain in their imaginations vaine in their disputes vain in their reasonings vain in their thoughts in their carriages and disputations so then though thou knowest God and hast things enough in thy mind that convinceth thee that this God is to be worshipped and understandest the worship of God and the commandments of Christ yet if thou glorifiest him not as God giving thy heart and affections to him but art vain in thy imaginations thou dishonourest God Hear what God saith unto such All the day long have I stretched out my hand unto a rebellious and gain-saying people which walk in a way that is not good but after their own thoughts a people that provoke me continually to my face Isa 65.2 3. As if God had said I sent Prophet after Prophet
Christian provident thoughts for godly honest and sober thoughts are fitting and necessary but he seems hereby to cut off all distrusting carking thoughts Manner 5 Fifthly worldly thoughts come to be sinfull when they are thought needlesly And here I will shew how farre a man may think of the world namely so farre as his necessary busines requires Suppose a mans businesse be upon merchandise it is lawfull to think of it and of his shop and wares but if thou wouldest know how farre why so farre as is it for thy businesse But if thou hast so many of them that thy heart is taken up with them and thy mind still on them then they are sinfull thoughts There is many a man that in following of his businesse bestowes more thoughts then his businesse requires he hath ten thousands of superfluous thoughts but let such remember the exhortation of the Wise man establish thy thoughts by counsell counsell will tell a man when he hath thought enough and what thoughts are fit for his imployment Not that any man can carry himself alwayes in that golden mediocrity or mean but a Christians care must be daily more and more to pare off all superfluous thoughts of earthly things Now we come to the second thing 2. Thoughts are vain formally when though the matter of them be never so good yet the manner of thinking them is evill It is possible that a wicked man go to hell though he performes the same things for the matter of them that a godly man doth a godly man comes to Church so doth a wicked man a godly man prayes in his family so doth a wicked man a godly man reads the Scriptures so doth a wicked man a godly man repeats Sermons and conferres of good things so doth a wicked man There is no work that comes to the outward act that a godly man doth but a wicked man may do the same here onely is the difference in the manner of working I will set it out to you by a place of Scripture In a great house saith the Apostle there are not onely vessels of gold and of silver but also of wood and of stone some to honour and some to dishonour 2 Tim. 2.20 Mark how the Apostle here sets out the reprobate and the elect comparing them to vessels of honour and dishonour the vessels of dishonour are of the same matter that the vessels of honour are of suppose it be pewter or silver cast it into an honourable forme and it will be a vessell of honour but cast it into a dishonourable forme and it will be a vessell of dishonour for base and mean service even so it is between a true Christian and a meer formall professor the matter of their service is one and the same suppose it be hearing the Word or receiving of the Sacraments prayer or the like the substance and action is the same but take the same prayer and let a godly man cast it in his forme and it is holy and prevailes with God let a wicked man take the same prayer and cast it into his dishonorable forme and it becomes sinfull not regarded and abominable in Gods eyes For hearing of the Word of God the godly man heares and the wicked man heares the matter in both is the same the godly man he casteth the Word into a godly mould he heares the Word and he trembles at it he heares the Word and beleeves it he heares the Word and his heart bowes to it and resolves to practise it a wicked man he heares the Word too but he casteth it into a dishonourable mould he heares it with deadnesse and dulnesse without trembling without faith and obedience So a godly man may think thoughts of God and so may a wicked man think thoughts of God the matter of both is good yet the thoughts of the wicked are vaine though hee thinks of God because he casteth it into his dishonourable frame he feares not God his heart trembles not at God but his heart is as full of dead earthly affections as before he thinks of hearing the Word but it is after his own fashion he thinks of praying but he prayes with his owne spirit and not with the spirit of Adoption The Psalmist tels us that the whoremaster the drunkard and the thief thinks of God but it is after his own fashion Psal 50.21 These things hast thou done saith God and I held my tongue and thou thoughtest that I was even such a one as thy self A wicked man goes on in his sins and thinks that they are not so devillish and abominable as some say that they are and he thinks that God thinks so too he is earthly carnall luke-warme and dead-hearted and if he repent at the last he thinks all will be well and hee thinks God is of the same mind too he goes on in his drunkennesse swearing pride and hypocrisie and he thinks if he do but remember to ask God mercy and to cry Lord receive my soul when he is going out of the world he thinks he shall not go to hell but be carried to the joyes of heaven and he thinks God is of his mind that God thinks so too But mark what the Lord saith I will reprove thee and set thy sins in order before thee Oh consider this you that forget God lest he teare you in pieces and there be none to deliver you Thirdly mens thoughts are vain when the heart that thinks upon them is earthly and vain wherefore if all the wicked men in the world should lay their heads together to think a good thought yet they cannot for their hearts are vain hearts sinfull hearts they may think of excellent propositions concerning God his worship his word and service but so long as the heart that thinks upon them is carnall and vain they cannot speak that which is good as saith our Saviour Matthew 12.34 How can you speak good things Object Why may some man say may not a wicked man read a Chapter in a Bible are the words so hard to be understood and pronounced cannot a wicked man take a Sermon and read it and hear a Sermon and repeat it what are letters and syllables so hard to be pronounced Answ I answer beloved that is not the meaning of our Saviour How can ye that are evill speak good things no no a wicked man may read Gods Word and propound good questions as well as a true Christian but he cannot speak good words that is he cannot speak hâ—m from a good heart and therefore his heart being carnall and vain good words in his mouth are as a jewell in a swines snout It is a word indeed but not a speech when he reads or pronounceth Gods Word Aristotle saith that speech is nothing but the expression of that that is within the heart Now then if the word and truth of God be not ingraffed in thy heart if thy heart be not heavenly when thou speakest of heavenly things