as snow though they were red as scarlet they shall be as wooll What the offer is you heare and how great it is your selfe is able to iudge euen so large an offer of mercy as none can be greater In one word it is as if the Lord should say O Israel thou hast sinned against me thy good God most grieuously and hast deserued that I should not onely punish thee sharply but for euer cast thee cleane out of my fauour Notwithstanding vpon thine vnfeigned repentance for all thy sinnes past and a resolute and full purpose of amendment hereafter A general pardon offered I am content to forgiue forget them all and to giue thee my gracious generall pardon to acquit and discharge thee of all and euerie one of thine iniquities that not so much as anie one of them shall bee able to condemne thee in this world or in that which is to come Here I pray you consider a little with me The cursed condition of the Israelites the estate and condition of this people at the time of this louing offer and therewith also consider what cause there was why the Lord should shew so great fauour to this people Begin you at the second verse of the forenamed chapter and marke aduisedly what manner of complaint the Lord takes vp against them 1 An appeale to all the creatures of disobedience First hee calles heauen and earth with all the creatures therein to witnesse their rebellion and disobedience against him 2 Vnthankefulnes Secondly he challengeth them of so monstrous vnthankfulnes that it is too too shamefull for he shewes they were so farre gone in this point that the brute beasts euen the oxe and the asse which were dumme and without reason were more thankfull in theire kinde to their owners for their fodder then they were for so many thousands of blessings which he had bestowed vpon them 3 A large inditement Thirdly in the third verse he draws out against them a very substantiall inditement both for words and matter wherein he layes forth all their ill behauiour Esa 1.3 and paints them out in most liuely colours calling them with great detestation A sinnefull nation a people laden with iniquitie a seede of the wicked corrupt children Fourthly 4 A proofe of the inditement hee prooues this inditement and euery part thereof by charging them to their faces with murder and blood by reason of their horrible oppression and crueltie towards all in generall Verse 15.17 but more specially towards the poore the widow the stranger and the fatherlesse all this is done in the fifteenth and seuenteenth verses In the practise of which sinnes and all other kind of filthines they were such exquisite workemen Verse 10. that they were more like the people of Sodom and Gomorra whom the Lord with fire from heauen destroyed then that people whom the Lord had chosen Exod. 29.5 6 and pickt out from all the nations of the world Verse 11.12.13.14.15 to be a peculiar and a holie people vnto himselfe Fiftly they were such hollow hearted hypocrites in all the outward exercises of religion Hypocrits in the seruise of God that the Lord detested all their sacrifices and vtterly abhorred all their praiers as you may reade in the 11.12.13.14 and 15. verses To make an end with so bad a people as lightly could not be worse they were so desperate and hardned in their wickednesse that they were past cure and no hope or verie small if anie at all of the greater part of their amendement because the Lord had assayed by all good meanes to bring them to some goodnes He had wooed them with blessings and feared them with his iudgements Sam. 7.14 he had chastised them often with rods and many times scorged them with the plagues of the children of men Verse 5.6 but all in vaine the more they were corrected the worse they were and grew to be more desperate as appeares out of the fift and sixt verses After all this bad dealing as though they had beene no such leude and gracelesse people or as though they had not offended so grieuously The Lord intreates peace at their hands which had highly offended him nay rather as though the Lord had done them some great wrong he seekes to them wheras they should haue both sued and sought to him that there might be a treatie of peace and a ful reconciliation made betweene them For which purpose he offers in most friendly and louing manerto common with them saying Verse 18. Come let vs reason together Nowe giue me leaue once againe to deale with your conscience in this point Charge your soule with as many sinnes as euer you can possibly call to minde A particular application of the former example in any parte of your life either before or since your calling in ignorance or in knowledge in youth or in age howsoeuer or with whom soeuer you haue committed them eithert by thought word or deed in the light of the day or in the darknesse of the night Bind them all and euerie one of them in one bundle cast them into the one end of the ballance when you haue so done take vp the sinnes of this people put them into the other ende and weigh them together without ante deceit Nay for this once you shall haue leaue to shew your best cunning and see if you can make your ende heauier If you can not as I am sure you can not except you will vse some notable deceit which will be soone found out so as you shall neuer be able to answere it then knowe you and let your conscience also vnderstand A strong reason to proone and perswade that if the Lord saide vnto a wicked people frosen in sinne come hee doeth much more saie to you who woulde so faine leaue your sinne come and againe come let vs two reason together For although thy sinnes be in thine own sight as crimson yet shall they bee made as white as snowe though they bee to thy seeming as redde as euer was the scarlet yet they shall bee as white as anie wooll because they shall bee all so perfectly scowred and washed in the bloud of Iesus Christ Rom. 8. â— as not any one of them shall be able to condemne thee either in this world or in the world to come And that you may bee the more bolde to come behold your sweet sauiour who being made sin for you that you might be made the righteousnesse of God saith also vnto you 2. Cor. 5.21 come Matth. 11.28 Another reason of great weight will you not come when your Sauiour calleth you for your good yea for your further encouragement be offers and is readie to take you by the hand and to go with you himselfe vnto the father for whose sake you must needes be most heartely wellcome And if you shall thus answere your Sauiour
vnto your godlie meditations to encorage you concerning the maner of your afflictions The Lord grant you a rich portion of his spirite that your soule may reape a gratious blessing Now you shall further vnderstand in few wordes what shall be the substance of all the matter which foloweth in the remainder of this poore treatise The substance of the whole Treatise folloâ—ing I purpose so neere as I can to gather together those obiections which you and others doe obiect against your selues and so farre as the Lord shall affoord me his grace I entend in order to answer them The first and principall obicetion so far as I can conceiue learne by conference with you The first obiection and answere and with so many as I haue any acquaintance is this The troubled minde doubts of Gods fauour That you doubt much of Gods fauour towards you that you feare it greatly you are not the child of God and if you be yet can not you be thereof certainely perswaded This obiection hath aireadie beene answered in part not withstanding because it is as the foundation of al the other obiections I will in hope of Gods gracious assistance indeuor my selfe to answere it more fully for your better contentmeÌ„t First therfore I would gladly learne this one thing of you or of anie other who is your partner in these temptations who it is that beareth you so greatly in hand A needefull point therefore marke it well you are not the child of God If you answer your conscience through the greatnesse of your sinne doth tel you so then do I againe demaund of you who it is that sets your conscience a worke to vrge this point to what end Harken to Gods 〈◊〉 for he seckes 〈◊〉 God If it be Gods spirit you may be right glad because then it is for your good namely the you may go out of your selfe secke the forgiuenesse of your sinnes and euerlasting saluation in Christ his death and obedience to the full assurance of Gods fauor and the euerlasting peace of your conscience Hearken not to sathan for he hath vowed your destruction But speake the truth is it not rather a strong temptation of Sathan your deadly enemie to trouble the peace of your conscience and if it be possible to driue you to desperation If it be so as I feare it greatly then say I vnto you there is no cause why you should beleeue him First because he is a lyer Ioh. 8.44 Secondly because he is your enemie who meanes you no good at al. That he is a lyar it is manifest because he hath beene so from the beginning And he cannot nowe chaunge his nature It is as much against his nature to speake the truth as it is possible that God should lie Heb. 6.18 Rom. 3.4 who is onely euer true Therefore there is no cause why you shoulde beleeue such a common liar as the Deuill who will lie as fast as a dogge can trot as wee vse to say in our common speach You haue iust cause therefore to except against him in this respect Againe you neede not doubt that hee is your enemy Reuel 12.10 1. Pet. 5.8 and that to the death because hee is the common accuser of the bretheren and like a roaring Lion goeth about continually seeking whom he may deuoure In regard whereof you are not to hearken to him No credit to bee giuen to the deuil though he speak the truth bicause his meaning is badde or beleeue anie thing he shall saie vnto you no although he speake the trueth And my reason is because he will not tell you the trueth to helpe but to hinder you not to cheere but to choake you not to saue but to spill your bloud And whereas you will replie you cannot denie but hee saieth the trueth concerning the greatnesse of your sinnes and that iust condemnation which you haue deserued for them I answere thereto after this manner That you are not to take the knowledge of your sinnes from Sathan because he will not tell you the trueth and the whole trueth as it is in deede Marke thed euils cunning For either he will pare your sins and make them lesse theÌ„ they be to make you altogether carelesse or else hee will make them greater then they be to throw you headlong into despaire But you are to take the persit knowledge of your sins The holy vse of the Ministerie from the true vnderstanding of the Lawe of God Rom. 7.7 fast girded to your conscience by the holie ministerie which GOD hath ordained for this purpose Regard and reâ—erence the ministerie if you loue your soule that you maie thereby come to true and vnfained repentaunce of all your sinnes and bee saued through faith in Christ his blood For the blood of Christ doth clense you from all sinne 1. Iohn 1.7 And if you will yet reason against your selfe that your sinnes are so great that you can gather no assurance of Gods fauour towards you Examples of notorious sinners who repented and were pardoâ—ed then let mee offer to your coÌ„sideration some one or two examples of such notorious knowne sinners as the world cried shame of and yet repenting had their sinnes forgiuen them I meane of set purpose to make choise of those persons and people who in the scriptures are noted to be most infamous Because you and such as are so exercised as you are doe indeed charge your selues further than you ought No easie matter to comfort a troubled mind For you make your selues so bad as though none were to be compared vnto you or as though God had no mercie in store for you And hereupon it comes to passe that almost there is not any word of God which can bring peace vnto your troubled consciences I intend therefore to match you so and with such as you shall be forced to confesse you are outmatched The end shal be this to bring glad tidings to your heauie and sorrowful soule that God both is and will be more fauourable to you then you can as yet be persuaded For if God haue shewed mercie to those Reasons to persuade the afflicted who by reason of their knowne sins were in all mens iudgement further from mercie how can he denie you mercie The Lord persuade your heart who neuer brake into that outrage of sin and yet doe most humblie sue vnto him for mercie That good master who forgaue his bad seruant at his owne intreatte ten thousand talents would not haue beene hard vnto him who ought but a hundred pence if he had sued vnto him as he did to his cruell and vnmercifull fellowe seruant who by no meanes would bee entreated to shewe that fauour in a little debt which was shewed him in a verie great summe Remember I pray you that you haue to deale with a God who is farre more mercifull and therefore you
may bee sure to find more fauour You reade in the Gospell of Saint Luke the seuenth chapter Marie Magdalen a notorious and knowne sinner from the thirtie and sir verse vnto the end of the chapter of Marie Magdalen and of her behauiour being a woman not only vehementlie suspected of lewde life but openlie knowne for a common harlot and generallie so taken as may appeare by the wordes of Simon the Pharisie who receiuing Jesus Christ into his house Luke 7.38 〈◊〉 The hypocrisiâ—â— Pharisie is offended with Christ thought neuerâ— deale the better but much the worse of him because hee suffered so bad a woman to come so neare him but especially to lay any hande vpon him as to wash his feete with her teares and to wipe them with the haires of her head to kisse his feet and to annoint them with aintment Aâ—this notwithstanding 1 Iesus Christ likes Maries doings marke what marueylous great mercie Jesus Christ shewes to this so wretched and sinfull 〈◊〉 man First he takes in very good part whatsoeuer she had done vnto him whereas Simon looked he should not onhaue shewed his great disâ—iking of her dealing but to haue shaken her vp that roundly for her sawtines to come so neare him without his loue and leaue Secondly he is so farre off from misliking her behaniour in that present action 2 Christ coÌ„meâ— Maries reareâ— more then 〈◊〉 mons great 〈◊〉 dinner that hee doth highly commend her to Simon and that after so special a maner that he giues him to vnderstand he takes better liking of her kindnesse then of all the great prouision which he had made for him because whatsocuer she did she did it with an vpright heart towards him and in a sincere loue for the good of her own soule Thirdly for the ease of her heart 3 Aâ—â—ies sinnes â—â—giuen her which nowe was grieuously tormented for her wicked life past as appeared by the abundance of teares she powred out hee saith to Simon in her hearing Luke 7.47.4 that many sinnes were forgiuen her Fourthly that she might take better hold of his wordes 4 Christ speakes particularly to Marie for her comfort and apply them to her selfe for the comfort of her owne soule he turnes his speach particularly vnto her and saith in more speciall manner Verse 48.50 Thy sinnes are forgiuen thee Thy faith hath saued thee Lastly that she might depart a ioyfull and blessed woman indeed wanting nothing which might make for the peace of her conscience 5 Maries happie farewell Verse 50. he giues her a most sweet farewell saying Go in peace Now let mee reason a little with you The application of the first example concerning this woman can you when you haue strained out your sinnes to the vttermost make your selfe as bad as this woman No you cannot you may not you dare not For how dare you staunder your owne selfe Applie the plaister to the sore that your soule may haue ease when it is not any way lawfull to staunder another and if you bee bound to tender the good name of your brother as well as your owne then it must needes follow you are by nature most bound to tender your owne If then you cannot denie but you are by great ovs outmatched in this example shew me what sound reason you can bring to proue why Iesus Christ should not entreat you as kindly shew you as much fauour as he she wed to Mary especially when as your sins euen by your own confessiou are neither so notorious nor so apparant and open in outward transgressions to be seene and iudged by the world as hers were The teares you shed are not spile for the Lord hath put them all into his bottell And yet for all that your teares as manie your hart as much tormented with sorow your kindnesse as great to Christ in his members and your desire as great to be whollie his at his commaundement Did he regard her and will he reiect you did he not shew her a hard countenance and will hee looke sowrelie vpon you did not she let so much as anie one teare fall in vaine did her teares moue him to compassion and doe you thinke he will not haue pitie vpon you put vp all your teares into his bottell Psal 56.8 were many sinnes forgiuen her and can any of your sins be vnpardoned was her faith strong to saue her and shall your faith want strength to saue you did Christ for a farewell bid her go in peace and wil he send you away emptie without peace No verelie If you thinke so you thinke much amisse and therfore such a thought must not depart without som â—ue chastisement A familiar resemblance Suppose there is a man of so great wealth that hee knowes no â—â—de of his goodes And suppose that this man hath many debters which owe him verie great summes of money As for example some owe him thousands some hundreds and some many scores of pounds Amongst them al there is one poore man who owes him twentie pounds which hee is no way able to pay nor anie pente thereof if hee should bee east in prison and lie there till he rot If this great rich man shall cause a proclamation to be made that all and euerie one of his debters should come to him and he will frankly and freely forgiue them all although the debt were neuer so great vpon this condition that they will confesse and acknowledge the debt to bee due whether it were more or lesse If the poore man should come in among the rest of the debters and confesse himself to owe him such a summe as I haue named He that forgiues a great debt will readily forgiue a small lay forth his pouertie and therewithall humbly vpon his knees with teares beseech him to shewe some fauour toward himâ—â— should not he in this case haue good hope to be forgiuen especially if before his face he should see one to haue thousands forgiuen for a word of his mouth Labour to apply if you desire to haue comfort These things concerne you verie nearly and therefore I am so much the rather to intreat you not to make wash way of them but as they do nearely concerne you and your good so to lay them neare vnto your heart by reuerent meditation that your soule may finde a gracious and comfortable blessing A second example of the great rebellion of Israel The second example whereof I would haue you to make diligent consideration is written in the first chapter of the prophet Esay and the eighteenth vers where the Lord makes a maruellous large offer of great mercy vnto a people who had highly offended him I meane the people of Israel To these Israelites in most louing maner the Lord speaketh Come saith he Esai 1.18 let vs reason togither though your sinnes were as crimson they shall bee made white
of the holie apostle Saint Iames who counselleth vs Iames 5.16 to confesse our sinnes one to an other and to pray for one an other But alas say you how should I pray for you True praier is not a set order of fine wordes when I can not pray for my selfe If you cannot pray in set wordes and in fine order can you not therefore pray at all can you not sigh and groane inwardly in the true feeling of your soul as one that is so greatly oppressed with griefe that he hath not a tongue to vtter that which he hath within his minde If you can sigh and grone after this maner be of good comfort For you haue learned long since from some of your faithful teachers who haue many times soundlie taught this point from the word of God and that of purpose for the relief of weake consciences that you pray verie effectuallie Your sighes are prayers which the spirite from whom they proceed vnderstandeth right well yea although there is not so much as anie one worde vttered to expresse them Wordes are for our vnderstanding that we may thereby knowe one anothers meaning But the hoke spirite which is our comfortable schoolemaister and searcheth the deepe things of God knowes our meaning and thoughts before we speake yea although we speake not at all For as the Prophet Dauid saith Psal 139.2 He knowes our thoughts long before And the Apostle saith the spirite helpeth our infirmities for we knowe not what to pray as wee ought but the spirite it selfe maketh request for vs with sighes which cannot be expressed These sighes breaking out violentlie from the consciences of the godlie The sighes of the Godlie are acceptable prayers are prayers and loude cryes acceptable tâ— the Lord and pearcing deepelie into his eares as appeares in Exodus 14.15 Where the Lorde demaundeth of Moses why hee cryed so vnto him whereas the wordes of the Text make no mention of anie one worde hee spake or vttered I pray you tell mee this one thing A similie if the childe of your owne bodie whom you loue dearelie and which is vnto you as your owne soule shall be sicke and being full of paine shall moane him selfe vnto you tell you howe sicke hee is where his paine doth holde him and shall entreate you euen as you loue him to doe what you can to ease him will you not doe it both willinglie and readilie yea will you not doe whatsoeuer you are able euerie kinde of way for the ease of your deare dearling But if his paine shall encrease and grewe so great that it takes awaie his speech so as bee is not able to speake a worde but to fetch deepe sighes and to moane himselfe vnto you by most greeuous groanes will not these groanes pearce your heart more deepelie and cause the bowels of compassion to yerne in you more stronglie to straine your selfe euen to the vttermost of all your power to affoorde him as much comfort as is possible both by your selfe by others shall the groning of your child worke great pitie in you and shall not the the mightie groanes of your poore sicke soul moue the Lord your God to greater compassion The Lord exceedeth al men in goodnesse and compassion and therefore will heare and helpe you readily If in such a case you will be so readie to heare and helpe know you for certentie the Lord will be more readie to heare and helpe whensoeuer you shall in the anguish of your soule groane vnto him For looke how farre he exceeds you and all other in goodnesse so farre also doth he exceede you and all other in mercie and compassion Beside all this there is no sacrifice more acceptable in the sight of God then the sighes and groanes of a troubled minde Psalm 51.17 The sighes of the spirit aâ—e to be regarded For so saith the Prophet The sacrifices of God are a contrite spirit a contrite and broken heart O God thou wilt not despise Therefore make as good account of the groanes and sighes of the spirit as of any prayer you can make euen in the best words you can deuise And for a farewell of this matter remember that the godlie and good king Ezekias Ezekias could not pray but chatter could not in smooth and fine wordes poure out his prayers before the Lord in his great sicknesse but chatter like a swallow or a â—rane as hee confesseth of himselfe Esa 38.14 Consider also that the poore Publican being ashamed of himselfe The Publican prayed feruently but saide little by reason of his sinnes and feareing to lift his eies toward heauen could not deliuer his minde at large in fit and choise words but with much paine Lu. 18.9 10 c. at the last he breakes forth after this manner O God be mercifull to me a sinner Neuerthelesse our Sauiour Christ giueth sentence on his side that he went home more iustified then the proud Pharisie who had both words and winde at will Your fist obiection doth thus offer it selfe That you cannot leaue sinne The fist obiection and answere of leauing sinne And that which doth more trouble you you cannot leaue those sinnes which you haue vowed to leaue but you fall againe into them First you reason thus against your selfe that you can not leaue sinne No maruell Sinne cleapes too fast to our nature to part with it in haâ—â—e for although you be one of Godes saintes and haue receiued the spirit of sanctification in measure to fight the Lords battels against sinne and hell yet are you no Angell in this world so as you can altogether ceasse to sinne because you carrie and shall carrie vnto your graue a bodie and soule subiect to sinne Therfore you must fight this battel euen so long as you haue breath and life This enemie of yours is so strong No perfect conquest ouer sinne vntill death that he will neuer be fullie ouercome vntill you haue ouermastred him by death And then you shall haue a full and perfect conquest ouer him and all your enemies In the meane time plucke vp a good heart gird you fast with all your Christian armour Christian coâ—â—age and armor put on your complete harnesse and euerie part thereof as you finde it set down in the sirâ— chap. of the Epistle written to the Ephesians Ephe. 6.13 14 c. take your weapon in one hand I meane the sworde of the spirite and your buckler in the other that is to say the shield of faith Lay about you lustily with all the strength and cunning you haue Yea bee strong in the Lord and in the power of his might And fear not the issue Be carefull to fight Christ his â—attell and feare not the issue although you latch and catch many a sore blowe no though you be foiled and wounded because you haue a valiant captaine Christ Iesus your Samour who hath alreadie himselfe gotten