and ashes and yet darest thou thy Maker Dost thou saith God lift thy self up against him before whom all the powers of Heaven do tremble whom the Angels do adore Exaltest thou thy self against him who inhabiteth Eternity What oppose thy self a base creature to Almighty God thy Creator Consider this and let the basenesse of the delinquent and the Majesty and Glory of that God against whom he offends be the first aggravation of sin and thou shalt find sin out of measure sinful 2. Consider the smalnesse of the Motives and the littlenesse of the inducements that perswade thee so vile a creature to set thy self against so glorious a God If it were great matters set thee a work as the saving of thy life it were somewhat But see how small and little a thing does usually draw thee to sin A little profit it may be or pleasure It may be neither of these or not so much When thou breathest out oaths and belchest out fearful blasphemies against God when thou rendest and tearest his dreadful and terrible name what makes such a base and vile villain as thou thus to fly in Gods face Is there any profit or delight in breathing forth blasphemies Profit thou canst take none and if thou take pleasure in it then the Devil is in thee yea then thou art worse then the Devil himself This is the second Consideration which may make us to see the vilenesse of sin and abhor our selves for it to wit the slenderness of the temptations and smalnesse of the motives to it 3. Adde what strong helps and meanes God hath given thee to keep thee from sin As I say thou shouldst consider the basenesse of the delinquent the glory of the offended the mean motives which cause so base a creature to do so vile an act so also consider the great means God hath given thee to keep thee from sin He hath given thee his Word and this will greatly aggravate thy sins to sin against his word Gen. 3.11 When God convinces Adam he proceeds thus with him Hast thou saith he eaten of the tree whereof I commanded thee that thou shouldst not eat What hast thou done it as if thou wouldst do it on purpose to cross God God hath given thee an express command to the contrary and yet hast thou done this Hast thou so often heard the Law and pray'd Lord have mercy on me and incline my heart to keep this law and yet wilt thou lye swear commit adultery and deal falsly and that contrary to the command of God obstinately disobey him Now God hath not onely given this great meanes of his Word and Commandement but great grace too Where understand that there is not onely final grace but degrees of grace else the Apostle would not have said receiv'd not the grace of the Lord Jesus Christ in vain Consider then how much grace thou hast received in vain How many motions to good hast thou rejected Perhaps thy heart is touched at this Sermon though it is not my tongue nor the tongue of the most elegant in the world that can touch the heart but the Spirit that comes along with his word Now when thou findest wirh the Word a Spirit to goe with it it is a grace If thy conscience be enlightned and thy duty revealed to thee so that it tels thee what thou art what thou oughtst to doe and not to doe it is a grace Now if for all this thou blindly runnest through and art never the better but obstinately settest thy self against God and doest many things which others that have not received the same grace would not have done know then that thou receivest this grace in vain and thy case is lamentable 4. Consider Gods great goodnesse towards thee 1. First his goodnesse in himself There 's nothing but goodnesse infinite goodnesse in him and canst thou find in thy heart to sin against so good a God To offend and wrong a good disposition'd person one of a sweet nature and affection it aggravates the fault 't is pity to wrong or hurt such a one as injures no body Now such a one is God a good good infinite in goodness rich in mercy very goodnesse it self and therefore it must needs aggravate the foulnesse of sin to sin against him But now he is not onely thus in himself but 2. Secondly He 's good to thee Rom. 2. Despisest thou the riches of his goodness and forbearance c. What hast thou that thou hast not received from his bountiful hand Consider of this and let this be a meanes to draw thee off from thy sinfulnesse When David had greatly sinned against God and when God bringâ— his murther home to him he pleads thus with him When thou wert nothing in thine own eyes I brought thee saith God to the Kingdome I took thee from the sheepfold and exalted thee and brought thee to a plentiful house And may not God say the like to us and doe you thus requite the Lord O you foolish people and unwise that the more his mercy and goodnesse is to you the higher your sins should be against him 5. Besides Consider more then all this we have the examples of good men before our eyes God commands us not what we cannot doe If God had not set some before our eyes that walk in his wayes and doe his will then we might say that these are precepts that none can perform But we have patterns of whom we may say such a man I never knew to lye such a one never to swear and this should be a means to preserve us from sinning Heb. 11. Noah was a good man and being moved with fear set not at nought the threatning of God but built the Ark and thereby condemned the world His example condemned the world in that they followed it not although it were so good but continued in their great sins So art thou a wicked deboist person there is no good man but shall condemn thee by his example It 's a great crime in the land of uprightnesse to doe wickedly to be profane when the righteous by their blamelesse lives may teach thee otherwise 6. And lastly Adde to all the consideration of the multitude and weight of thy sins Hadst thou sinned but once or twice or in this or that it were somewhat tolerable But thy sins are great and many they are heavy and thou continually encreasest their weight and addest to their number Jer. 5.6 A lyon out of the forrest shall slay them and a wolf of the evening shall spoile them a leopard shall watch over their Cities and every one that goeth out thence shall be torn in pieces Why Because their transgressions are many and their back-slidings are encreased If thou hadst committed but two or three or four sins thou mightst have hope of pardon but when thou shalt never have done with thy God but wilt be still encreasing still multiplying thy sins How can I pardon thee Thus David sets
of the thing A thing cannot be remitted before it be committed nor covered before it had an existence nor blotted out before it be written Therefore justification from such or such a fault must have relation to that which is past but for justification for the time to come I will speak anon there I left the last time I have now faith and I believe in Christ I have now relation to him and remission of sinnes past But why then do I pray for it to what end is that Bellarmine objects that it is an act of infidelity to pray for it afterwards but we do it and we ought to do it see Psal. 51. David made that Psalme after the Prophet Nathan had told him his sinne was pardoned See the title of it and we must know that the title is a part of Gods Word as well as the rest A Psalme of David when Nathan came unto him after he had gone in unto Bathsheba Nathan told him that God had took away his sinne Yet he cryeth here throughout the whole Psalme to have his sinne pardoned and blotted out so that though there were faith and assurance yet he still prays for it Now Bellarmine saith this cannot be but doth he dispute against our opinion no he disputes against the Holy Ghost for David having received a message of forgivenesse yet prays Therefore if the Jesuite had grace he would joyne with us to salve the matter rather then through our sides to strike at God But it is a Fallacy to joyne these two together for a man to pray for a thing past it is an act of infidelity as to pray that God would create the world and incarnate his Sonne I answer there is difference between an act done and an act continued when the World was made by God God had finished that work And when Christ took our flesh upon him the act was done but the forgivenesse of sin is a continued act which holds to day and to morrow and world without end God is pleased not to impute thy sinnes but cover them Now this covering is no constant act I may cover a thing now and uncover it again now forgivenesse of sinne being an act not complete but continued and continued world without end and therefore we say the Saints in heaven are justified by imputative righteousnesse Gods continuance of his act of mercy The point then is this As long as we continue in the world and by contrary acts of disobedience continue to provoke God to discontinue his former acts of mercy and our sinnes being but covered therefore so long must we pray for forgivenesse When the servant had humbled himself before his Lord it is said The Lord of that servant loosed him and forgave him the debt but though he forgave him yet he did another act that caused his Lord to discontinue his pardon Matth. 18.33 Shouldest not thou also have had compassion on thy fellow-servant as I had pity on thee He had pity on him yet since he doth another act which turns his Lords heart against him therefore he is now cast into prison and he must not come out thence till he hath paid the utmost farthing He had forgave him to day and to morrow and would have continued his forgivenesse if he had not thus provoked him we must pray to God to continue his acts of mercy because we continually provoke him by new acts of rebellion Adde to this The King grants a pardon to a man In all Patents of pardon there is a clause that the man must renew his Patent If forgivenesse may be renewed then those things are to be renewed again by which the renovation of my remission may be wrought God would have me renew my acts of faith and if of faith why not of repentance and of prayer There is a singular place in Ezek. 36.29 35 37. that makes it plain That though God intends to do the thing yet he appoints this to be the means Thus saith the Lord God I will yet for this be enquired of by the house of Israel to do it for them i. e. though I have done it and intend to do it yet will I do it by the means of prayer Howsoever that God had promised Eliah that raine should come upon the face of the earth yet he goes upon the Mount and saw no shew of a cloud The Text saith not what he did but he put his head between his knees Saint James saith he prayed and he opened heaven and brought down raine It was an humble secret gesture A man may be more free in private than in publick He prayed and the heavens opened God had promised it and would do it but yet he would be sought too So we see the mediate cause is prayer so though the Lord will do this yet for all this he will be enquired of It is not with God as with men men who have promised would be loth to be sued to not to break their promise they account that a dishonour to them but it is not so with God God hath promised yet thou shalt have no benefit of it untill thou sue him for it therefore thou must go to God and say Lord fulfill thy promise to thy servant wherein thou hast caused me to trust God loves to have his bond sued out Lord make good this word performe that good word that thou hast spoken God would have his bond thus sued out And as thy faith repentance prayer is renewed so is thy pardon renewed When God will make a man possesse the sinnes of his youth when a man is carelesse this way it pleaseth God to awaken him Thou writest bitter things against me and makest me to possesse the iniquity of my youth Job 13.26 When a man forgetteth the iniquities of his youth and reneweth not his repentance and hath not new acts of faith and petition then God maketh him to possesse the iniquities of his youth he makes his sins stand up and cry out against him by this means his old evidences are obliterated When a man hath a pardon and it s almost obliterated the letters almost worne out that they cannot be read he would be glad to have it renewed to have a new exemplification Every sinne it puts a great blur upon thine old evidence that thou canst not read it It may be firme in heaven and yet perhaps be blur'd that thou canst not read it and therefore if thou wouldst get them clear'd again thou must go to God by prayer and renew them again so that whether our evidences be blur'd or whether it be that God will make us possesse the iniquities of our youth it is necessary to pray for the forgivenesse of those sinnes which have been before forgiven But now you will say when I have sinned afterward how come I then to be justified Then a man would think repentance only doth it and without repentance a man cannot be justified But you must understand repentance is
upon our selves with false glasses because there is naturally in every one self-love and in these last and worst times men are apt to think better of themselves then they deserve If there be any beginning of goodnesse in them they think all is well when there is no danger in the world then being but half Christians He thinks that if he hath escaped the outward pollutions of the world through lust and be not so bad as formerly he hath been and not so bad as many men in the world are therefore he is well enough whereas his end proves worse then his beginning This superficial repentance is but like the washing of a hog the outside is onely wash't the swinish nature is not taken a way There may be in this man some outward abstaining from the common grosse sins of the world or those which he himself was subject unto but his disposition to sin is the same his nature is nothing changed there is no renovation no casting in a new mould which must be in us For it is not a little reforming will serve the turn no nor all the morality in the world nor all the common graces of Gods Spirit nor the outward change of the life they will not do unlesse we are quickned and have a new life wrought in us unlesse there be a supernatural working of Gods Spirit we can never enter into Heaven Therefore in this case it behooves every man to prove his own work Gal. 6. A thing men are hardly drawn unto to be exact examiners of themselves Coelo descendit 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 a Heathen himself could say to know a mans self is a heavenly saying and it 's an heavenly thing indeed if we have an heavenly Master to teach us The Devil taught Socrates a lesson that brought him from the study of natural to moral Philosophy whereby he knew himself yet the Devil knew morality could never teach him the lesson indeed All the morality in the world cannot teach a man to escape Hell we must have a better instructer herein then the Devil or our selves the Lord of Heaven must do it if ever we will be brought to know our selves aright St. Paul was brought up at the feet of Gamaliel one of the learnedst Doctors of the Pharisees and yet he could not teach him this When he studied the law he thought himself unblameable but coming to an higher and better Master he knows that in him that is in his flesh dwells no good thing Rom. 7. By self examination a man may finde mâ—ny faults in himself but to find that which the Apostle afterwards found in himself to see the flesh a rottenness the sink of iniquity that is within him and to find himself so bad as indeed he is unlesse it please the Lord to open his eyes and to teach him he can never attain it Now we come to this place of the Apostle wherein we see the true glasse of our selves the Spirit knows what we are better then our selves and the Spirit shews us that every man of us either was or is such as we are here set down to be We are first natural before we can be spiritual there is not a man but hath been or is yet a natural man and tâ—â—â—efore see we the large description of a natural man before he is quickned before God which is rich in mercy enlivens him being dead in sins and saves him by grace in Christ. Thus is it with us all and thus must it be and we shall never be fit for grace till we know our selves thus far till we know our selves as far out of frame as the Spirit of truth declares us to be In this place of Scripture consider we 1. Who this carnal man is what they are which the Apostle speaks of to be dead in sins and that walk after the course of the world led by the Devil and have their conversation after the flesh children of wrath These are big words and heavy things Consider therefore first the subject of whom this is spoken Then follows the Pâ—aedicate or 2. What thâ— till newes is which he delivers of them We begin with the first 1. Who they are of whom this is spoken and that is you You hath he quickned who were dead and ye in the words following that in times past walked after the course of the world and in the third verse more particularly Among whom we had our conversation also in times past He speaks now in the first person as before in the second so that the subject is we and ye all Not a man in this Congregation but is or was as bad as the Holy Ghost here makes him But 2. To come to that which is delivered of him he is one not quickned dead in sins no better then nature made him that corrupt nature which he hath from Adam till he is thus spiritually enlivened Now he 's described 1. By the quality of his person 2. By his company Even as others Thou mayst think thy self better then another man but thou art no better never a barrel the better herring as we say Even as others thou art not so alone but as bad as the worst not a man more evil in his nature then thou art When thou goest to hell perhaps some difference there may be in your several punishments according to your several acts of rebellion but yet you shall all come short of the glory of God And for matter of quickning you are all alike 1. First then concerning their quality And this is declared 1. By their general disposition they are dead in trespasses and sins Dead and therefore unable and indisposed to the works of a spiritual living man Besides not onely indisposed and unable thereto but dead in trespasses and sins He lies rotting in his own filth like a rotten carkasse and stinkking carrion in the nostrils of the Almighty so loathsome is he all which is drawn from original sin Not onely dis-enabled to any good but prone to all sin and iniquity 2. By his particular conversation And that appeares in the verse following Where in times past ye walked How Not according to the word and will of God not according to his rule but they walked after three other wicked rules A dead man then hath his walk you see a strange thing in the dead but who directs him in his course these three the world the flesh and the Devil the worst guides that may be yet if we look to the conversation of a natural man we see these are his Pilots which are here set down 1. The World Where in times past ye walked after the course of the world He swims along with the stream of the world Nor will he be singular not such a precise one as some few are but do as the world doth run amain whither that carries him See the state of a natural man He 's apt to be brought into the slavery of the world This
forsaken the fountain of life art liable to everlasting death And for this see some places of Scripture Rom. 6.2 3. The wages of sin is death Consider then first what this wages is Wages is a thing which must be paid If you have an hireling and your hireling receive not his wages you are sure to hear of it and God will hear of it too James 5.4 He which keeps back the wages of the labourer or of the hireling their cry will come into the eares of the Lord of Sabbath As long as hirelings wages are unpaid Gods eares are filled with their cries Pay me my wages pay me my wages So sin cries and it is a dead voice Pay me my wages pay me my wages the wages of sin is death And sin never leaves crying never lets God alone never gives him rest till this wages be paid When Cain had slain Abel he thought he should never have heard any more on 't but sin hath a voice The voice of thy brothers blood cries unto me from the ground So Gen. 18.20 the Lord saith concerning Sodom Because the cry of Sodom is great and their sin very grievous therefore I will goe down and see whether they have done according to the cry that is come up into mine eares As if the Lord had said It 's a loud cry I can have no rest for it therefore I will goe down and see c. If a man had his eares open he would continually hear sin crying unto God Pay me my wages pay me my â—ages kill this sinful soul And though we do not hear it yet so it is The dead and doleful sound thereof fillâ— Heaven it makes God say I will goe down and see c. Till sin receive its wages God hath no rest Again see Rom. 7.11 Sin taking occasion by the commandement deceived me and by it slew me I thought sin not to have been so great a matter as it is We think on a matter of profit or pleasure and thereupon are enticed to sin but here 's the mischieâ— sin dâ—ceives us Iâ— is a weight it presses down it deceâ—â—es men it 's more then they deemed it to be The committing of sin is as it were running thy self upon the point of Gods blade Sin at first may flâ—â—ter thee but it will deceive thee It 's like Joabs kisse to Amasa Amasa was not aware of the spear that was behind till he smote it into his ribs that he died When sin entices thâ—e on by profits and pleasures thou art not aware that it will slay thee But thou shalt find it will be bitternesse in the end A sinner that acts a tragedy in sin shall have a bloody Catastrophe Rom. 6. What fruit had you then in those things whereof you are now ashamed Blood and death is the end of the Tragedy The end of those things is death The sting of death is sin 1 Cor. 15. What is sin It 's the sting of death Death would not be death unlesse sin were in it Sin is more deadly then death it self It 's sin enableth death to sting enableth it to hurt and wound us So that we may look on sin as the Barbarians looked on the viper on Pauls hand they expected continually when he would have swollen and burst Sin bites like a snake which is called a fiery serpent not that the serpent is fiery but because it puts a man into such a flaming heat by their poyson And such is the sting of sin which carries poyson in it that had we but eyes to see our uglinesse by it and how it inflames us we should continually every day look when we should burst with it The Apostle James 1.15 useth another metaphor Sin when it is accomplished bringeth forth death 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 saith the Original sin goeth as it were with child with death The word is proper to women in labour who are in torment till they are delivered Now as if sin were this woman he useth it in the faeminine gender 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 So is it with sin sin is in pain cries out hath no rest till it be delivered of this dead birth till it have brought forth death That is sin growes great with child with death and then it not only deserves death but it produceth and actually brings forth This is generally so Now consider with your selves death is a fearful thing When we come to talk of death how doth it amaze us The Priests of Nob are brought before Saul for relieving David and he saith Thou shalt surely die Ahimelech And this is your case you shall surely die death is terrible even to a good man As appeares in Hezekiah who though he were a good man yet with how sad a heart doth he entertain the message of death the newes of it affrighted him it went to his heart it made him turn to the wall and weep How cometh it to pass that we are so careless of death that we are so full of infidelity that when the word of God saith Thou shalt die Ahimelech we are not at all moved by it What can we think these are fables Do we think God is not in earnest with us And by this means we fall into the temptation of Eve a questioning whether Gods threats are true or not That which was the deceit of our first Parents is ours Satan disputes not whether sin be lawful or not whether eating the fruit were unlawful whether drunkennesse c. be lawful he 'l not deny but it is unlawful But when God saith If thou dost eat c. thou shalt die he denies it and saith ye shall not die He would hide our eyes from the punishment of sin Thus we lost our selves at the first and the floods of sin came on in this manner when we believed not God when he said If thou dost eat thou shalt surely die And shall we renew that capital sin of our Parents and think if we do sin we shall not die If any thing in the world will move God to shew us no mercy it 's this when we slight his judgments or not believe them This adds to the heigth of all our sins that when God saith if thou dost live in sin thou shalt die and yet we will not believe him that when he shall come and threaten us as he doth Deut. 29. when he shall curse and we shall bless our selves in our hearts and say we shall have peace though we goe on c. The Lord will not spare that man but the anger of the Lord and his jealousie shall smoke against him It is no small sin when we will not believe God This is as being thirsty before we now adde drunkennesse to our thirst That is when God shall thus pronounce curses he shall yet blesse himself and say I hope I shall doe well enough for all that There are two words to that bargain Then see what follows The anger of the Lord and his
rather and they have expressed it to be torn in pieces by wild horses so they might be freed from the horrours in their consciences When the conscience recoyles and beats back upon it self as a musket o're charged it turns a man over and over And this is a terrible thing This sometimes God gives men in this world And mark where the word is most powerfully preacht there is this froth most rais'd which is the cause many men desire not to come where the word is taught because it galls their consciences and desire the Masse rather because they say the Masse bites not They desire a dead Minister that would not rub up their consciences they would not be tormented before the time They would so but it shall not be at their choise God will make them feel here the fire of hell which they must endure for ever hereafter This is the sensible blow when God le ts loose the conscience of a wicked man and he needs no other fire no other worm to torment nothing else to plague him he hath a weapon within him his own conscience which if God lets loose it will be hell enough 2. But now besides this blow which is not so frequent there is another more common and more insensible blow God saith he is a dead man and a slave to sin and Satan and he thinks himself the freest man in the world God curses and strikes and he feels it not This is an insensible blow and like unto a dead palsie Thou art dead and yet walkest about and art merry though every one that hath his eyes open seeth death in thy face O this deadnesse this senselesnesse of heart is the heaviest thing as can befal a sinner in this life It is the cause the Apostle speaks of in the Rom. when God delivers up a man 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 to a reprobate mind And so in the Epistle to the Ephes. 4.19 declares such a man to be past feeling Who being past feeling have given themselves over to lasciviousnesse to work uncleannesse even with greedinesse Although every sin as I told you before is as it were the running a mans self on the point of Gods sword yet these men being past feeling run on on on to câ—mmit sin with greedinesse till they come to the very pit of destruction they run a main to their confusion When this insensibleness is come upon them it is not Gods goodnesse that can work upon them Who art thou that despisest the riches of Gods goodnesse not knowing that the goodnesse of God leadeth unto repentance It is not Gods judgments that will move them they leave no impression as Rev. 9.20 And the rest of the men which were not killed by these plagues yet repented not of the works of their hands that they should not worship Devils c. brass nor stone and wood which neither can see nor hear nor walk They repented not though they were spared but worshipped Gods which cannot see not hear noâ— speak so brutish were they to be led away by stocks and stones I think the Papist Gods cannot doe it unlesse it be by couzenage yet such is their senselesnesse that though Gods fury be revealed from heaven against Papists such as worship false Gods yet are they so brutish that they will worship things which can neither hear nor see nor walk They that made them are like unto them and so are all they that worship them as brutish as the stocks themselves They have no heart to God but will follow after their Puppets and their Idols and such are they also that follow after their drunkennesse covetousnesse c. Who live in lasciviousness lusts excess of riot 1 Pet. 4.2 that run into all kind of excess and marvel that you do not so too They marvel that ye that fear God can live as ye do and speak evil of you that be good call such hypocrites dissemblers and I know not what nick-names This I say is a most woful condition it 's that dead blow When men are not sensible of mercies of judgments but run into all excesse of sin with greedinesse and this is a death begun in this life even while they are above ground But then comes another death God doth not intend sin shall grow to an infinite weight His Spirit shall not always strive with man but at length God comes and crops him off and now cometh the consummation of the death begun in this life Now cometh an accursed death 3. After thou hast lived an accursed life then cometh an accomplishment of curses First a cursed separation between body and soul and then of both from God for ever and that is the last payment This is that great death which the Apostle speaks of Who hath delivered us from that great death So terrible is that death This death is but the severing of the body from the soul This is but the Lords Harbinger the Lords Serjeant to lay his Mace on thee to bring thee out of this world into a place of everlasting misery from whence thou shalt never come till all be satisfied and that is never First Consider the nature of this death which though every man knoweth yet few lay to heart This death what doth it First It takes from thee all the things which thou spentst thy whole life in getting It robs thee of all the things thou ever hadst Thou hast taken paines to heap and treasure up goods for many years presently when this blow is given all is gone For honour and preferment it takes thee from that pleasure in idle company keeping it barrs thee of that Mark this is the first thing that death doth it takes not onely away a part of that thou hast but all it leaves thee quite naked as naked as when thou camest into the world Thou thoughtst it was thy happinesse to get this and that Death now begins to unbewitch thee thou wast bewitcht before when thou didst run after all worldly things thou wast deceived before and now it undeceives thee it makes thee see what a notorious fool thou wast it unbefools thee Thou hadst many plots and many projects but when thy breath is gone then all thy thoughts perish all thy plottings and projectings goe away with thy breath A strange thing to see a man with Job the richest man in the East and yet in the evening we say as poor as Job He hath nothing left him now Now though death takes not all things from thee yet it takes thee from them all all thy goods all thy books all thy wealth all thy friends thou mayst now bid farewel now adieu for ever never to see them again And that is the first thing 2. Now death rests not there but cometh to seize upon thy body It hath bereaved thee of all that thou possessedst of all thy outward things that 's taken away Now it comes to touch his person and see what then It toucheth him it rents his soul
of our bodies pulls body and soul in sunder A thing which hath little hurt in it self were it not for the sting of it which makes it fearful To die is esteemed far worse then to be dead in regard of the pangs that are in dying to which death puts an end This temporal death is in an instant but this other eternal whereby we are ever dying and never dead for by it we are punished with an everlasting 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 2 Thess. 1.9 and that from the presence of the Lord by the glory of his power Then which place I have no need to adde more for as much as can be sâ—id of men and Angels is fully comprehended in it The Apostle terms this a fearful thing indeed Heb. 2.15 whereon if a man but think if he hath his wits about him he would for fear of it be all his life long subject to bondage He would scarce draw any free breath but would still be studying how to avoid it and would still be in bondage and drudgery till he were delivered Thus I have declared the nature of the place and of this second death That I may now goe farther know that this Lake and this place is the place that the Lord hath provided for his enemies It is the Lords slaughter-house it s called a place of torments Luke 16. a place wherein God will shew the accomplishment of his wrath and revenge upon his enemies Those mine enemies that would not have me to reign over them bring them forth and slay them before my face Those vessels of wrath those rebels the King is in raged and his wrath is as the roaring of a Lyon which makes all the beasts of the forrest to tremble Prov. 19.12 And where there is the wrath of such a King the issue thereof must needs be death Prov. 16.14 The wrath of a King is as a messenger of death How much more fearful is the wrath of the King of Kings God hath sharp arrows and he sets a wicked man as his Butt to shoot at to shew his strength and the fierceness of his wrath See the expression of Job in this case The arrows of the Almighty stick fast in me and the venome thereof hath drunk up my spirits In so few words there could not be an higher expression of the wrath of God First that God should make thee a Butt and then that thou shouldst be shot at and that by Gods arrows And then they are not shot by a child but as the man is so is his strength by the Almighty by his bow wherein he draws the arrow to the head And then again these arrows are poyson'd arrows and such poyson as shall drink up all thy soul and spirit Oh what a fearful thing is it to fall into the hands of such a God! It 's a saying of Moses Psal. 90.11 for 't is Moses Psal. Who knoweth the power of thine anger the power of Gods anger is unknown And so in his Song Deut. 32.22 he sets it out in some measure A fire is kindled in mine anger which shall burn unto the lowest hell c. So that the King being thus provoked is provoked to curse thee Mat. 25. It 's put into the form of thy sentence this cursing shall be thy lot in hell it shall be thy very sentence Goe ye cursed into everlasting fire There is nothing but cursing As Job cursed himself and the day of his birth so then shall cursing be all thy song thou wilt curse thy self that thou didst not hearken to the Preacher that thou wouldst not accept of Christ and the meanes of mercy and grace when it was offered thee and thou wilt curse the time thou wert acquainted with this man and that man and others will curse thee for drawing them to sin God curses thee and man curses thee and God curses not in vain when he curses others will curse thee and thou thy self and others and think then how cursed will be thy condition All the curses that can be thought on and all the curses that cannot be thought on shall rest on the head of an impenitent sinner to shew Gods terrible and just indignation against him Oh beloved to deliver us from this curse Christ the Son of God was made a curse for us the curse is so great nought else can free us from it But now that I may rank these punishments of the damned and bring them for memories sake into some order although there be no order there for it 's a place of confusion you may consider that the penalties of Gods enemies are penalties partly of losse and partly of sense 1. Of loss And that consists in the deprivation of every thing that might administer the least comfort to him and for this cause hell is termed utter darknesse Now darknesse is a privation of all light so is Hell of all comfort to shew that there is not the least thing that may give thee content nor is the poorest thing thou canst desire to be had there Darknesse was one of the plagues of Egypt though there were no kind of sense in it yet we may think what a plague and vexation it was to them to sit so long in darkness The darknesse of Hell is darker then darknesse it self They shall not see light saith the Scripture they shall not have so much as a glimpse of it To be cast into this utter darkness where shall be nothing to administer the least comfort what an infinite misery will that be Were it only the losse of the things we now possesse and enjoy of all which death robs us as pomp honour riches and preferment this were grievous to a wicked man These are things death dispossesses a man of these cannot follow him nought but thy works accompany thee thy friends may follow thee to the grave but there they shall leave thee To have been happy and to be miserable is the greatest woe to have lived in good fashion and to be wretched is the greatest grief How will this adde to the sinners misery when he shall say to himself I had once all good things about me but have now for my portion nothing but woe I had a bed of down but it is now exchanged for a bed of fire I was once honourable but now I am full of shame and contempt this will greatly adde to his misery But all this is nothing these are but the beginnings of his sorrow in regard of losse for a man to be rich and wealthy to day and to morrow to be stript of all and left not worth a groat to have all swept away this is a woful case 2. But if this be so grievous what is it to lose Heaven Certainly to lose the highest and greatest good is the greatest evil and punishment that can be inflicted upon a creature Which makes many Divines think that the penalties of losse are far greater then those of sense though they seem not to
part of the relation holds we may take We have an interest to accept what he proffers Consider it by an example If one give me a million and I receive it not I am never the richer and so if God offer me his Son and with him all things I am nothing the better if I receive him not That he is born and given what 's that to us unless we can say To us a child is born to us a Son is given Isa. 9.6 Faith comes with a naked hand to receive that which is given we must empty our selves of what is in us Consider thy estate the Lord sets down how it is with us when he comes to look upon us Ezek. 16.6 And when I passed by thee and saw thee polluted in thy blood I said unto thee when thou wert in thy blood live Why is this set down It s to shew how God finds nothing in us when he comes to shew Mercy He finds nothing in us that is lovely when he comes to bestow his Son upon us For it s said Rev. 1.5 That Christ loved us and washed us from our sins in his own blood He doth first cast his love upon us when we are unwasht as I may say unwasht and unblest When no eye pittied thee and thou wast cast out in the open field when thou wast in thy blood I said unto thee live when he comes to mâ—king up of the match verse 9. Then I washed thee with water yea I throughly washed away thy blood from thee and I anointed thee with oyl I clothed thee also with embroydered work and shod thee with badgers skins c. that is when Christ comes to cast his affections on us and to wed us unto himself he finds us polluted not with a rag on us Full of filth just nothing have we he takes us with nothing nay vve are vvorse then nothing so that here is the point what ground is there vvhereby a man that is dead and hath no goodness in him make him as ill as can be imagined what ground hath he to receive Christ Yes To as many as received him to them he gave the power to become the sons of God First The receiving of Christ and then comes Believing It is the receiving of this gift that is the means vvhereby Christ is offered to us The Apostle joyning the first and second Adam together makes the benefit vve have by the second to lie in the point of receiving Rom. 5. Object If it be a free gift why is faith required Sol. Because faith takes away nothing from the gift If a man give a begger an Alms and he reach out his hand to receive it his reaching out the hand makes the gift never the lesse because the hand is not a worker but an instrument in receiving the free gift Rom. 5.15 If through the offence of one many be dead much more the grace of God and the gift by grace hath abounded unto many in Jesus Christ. And verse 17. If by one mans offence death raigned by one much more they that receive abundance of grace shall raign in life by one Jesus Christ here 's the point then God is well-pleased and therefore sends to us Wilt thou have my Son with him thou shalt have abundance of Grace and everlasting life and my love too There 's no Creature in this place but this shall be made good unto if he can find in his heart to take Christ thou shalt have a warrant to receive him Now to receive Christ is to believe in his name and to draw near unto him The word Receiâ—ing is a tâ—king vvith the hand with free entertainment as verse 11. immediately before the Text. Its not so properly Receiving as Entertaining He came to his own and his ovvn received him not they vvere like the foolish Gaderens that prefer'd their pigs before Christ they would rather have his room then his company and so when Christ comes and thou hadst rather be a free-man as thou thinkest and wilt not have him to raign over thee then thy case is lamentable Then self-will self-have The only point is whether we come to Christ or he come to us there is a drawing near If thou comest to Christ he will not put thee back if Christ come to thee by any good motion if thou shut not the door against him thou shalt not miss him Rev. 3.20 Behold I stand at the door and knock If any man here my voice and open the door I will come in unto him and sup with him and he with me The Lord by the knock of his mouth by the sword that comes out of his mouth would fain come in and be familiar with thee and be friends with thee If thou wilt not let him in is it not good reason that as in the Canticles he with-draw himself If he see thy sins and would fain come in what an encouragement hast thou to open John 6.37 He that cometh unto me I will in no wise cast out Canst thou have a better word from thy Prince then this When he holdeth out his golden Scepter if thou takest hold on it thou art safe otherwise thou art a dead man thou canst not have a greater security all the point is Faith is a drawing near unto Christ and Unbelief is a going from him The Gospel is preached to those that are a far off and to those that are near Eph. 2.17 He came and preached peace to you that are a far off and to them that are nigh Who were they that were a far off they were those that had uncircumcision in the flesh without Christ Aliens to the Common-wealth of Israel 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 those that had no hope to these Christ came these that were a far off by faith drew near that expression is a singular one Heb. 10.38 Now the just shall live by faith What is that but if any man draw back that is if any man be an Unbeliever my soul shall have no pleasure in him Faith makes a man come draw near to Christ. It s a shamefast bashfulness that makes a man draw back its unbelief if any draw back and to believe is to go on with boldness We are not of them which draw back unto perdition but of them c. What an excellent encouragement is this to come with boldness unto the Throne of Grace that we may find help in time of need So that now let thy estate be what it will if thou wilt not hold off but dost entertain Christ though thy sins be as red as scarlet be not discouraged they shall be made as white as wool The very sinner against the Holy Ghost is invited and why is that unpardonable Can any sin be so great as to over-top the value of Christs blood there is not so much wretchedness in the heart of man as there is Grace Goodness and Merit in Christ but then it is unpardonable Why because it s the nature
this end he is content to part with his money the same minde had those in the Acts of the Apostles who in a storm cast their wares into the Sea with their own hands Acts 27. 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 willingly and yet half unwilling for the saving of their lives they would part with these things yet it was with a great deal of repining and reluctancy As we read of Phaltiel when his wife was taken from him he followed behinde weeping till they bid him be gone and return back So these men forsake their sinnes and hate them but it is but imperfectly they part with them but they part weeping Well at this parting there may be a great deal of joy it may taste not only the sweetnesse of the Word of God but because they are in a disposition and way to salvation they may have some kinde of feeling of the joyes and taste of the powers of the world to come as the Apostle speaks Hâ—b 6.4 It 's impossible for those who were once enlightned and have tasted of the heavenly gift and were made partakâ—rs of the Holy Ghost c. There 's a supernatural work wrought in them and they have tasted the good Word of the Lord they begin to have some hope and rejoyce in the glory of the world to come what 's the difference then here 's a tasting but as it is John 6. it 's not said he that eats my flesh and tastes my blood but he that eats my flesh and drinks my blood shall live for ever There is a difference betwixt tasting and drinking there may be a tasting without drinking and the Text saith Matth. 27.34 When they gave Christ vineger he tasted thereof but would not drink He that can take a full draught of Christ crucified he shall never thirst but shall be as a springing fountain that springeth up to everlasting life but it shall not be so with him that doth but taste The Vintner goes round the Celler and tastes every Vessel he takes it only into his mouth and spits it out again and yet knows by the tasting whether it be good or bad the wine goeth but to his palate it reaches not to the stomack So a temporary believer tastes and feels what an excellent thing it is to have communion with Christ and to be made partaker of his glory but he does but taste it Look in Hosea 5.15 where we have another instance of this temporary Believer Ye would think they sought God in a good sort and in as good a manner as one could desire well but how did they seek him it was only upon occasion in time of affliction I will go and return to my place untill they acknowledge their offence and seek my face in their affliction they will seek me early and again Hosea 6.4 the Lord complains of them notwithstanding They will in their affliction seek me early was not this a fair returning Come say they let us return unto the Lord for he hath torn and he will heal us c. What a deal of comfort did they seem to gather from the wayes of the Lord but see what follows Hosea 6.4 O Ephraim saith the Lord what shall I do unto thee O Judah what shall I do unto thee for your goodnesse is as a morning cloud and as the early dew it goeth away that is it is but a temporary thing wrought by affliction which will not abide As when a wicked man on his death-bed desires that God would spare him and restore him to his health and that he would become a new man all this comes but from the terrours of death for it oft proves that if God restores him he becomes as bad if not worse than ever he was before But that I may not hold you too long 2. Take this for another difference That Gods children can as earnestly desire grace as mercy The temporary desire mercy but never desire grace The believer desires grace to have his nature healed to hate his former conversation The temporary never had nor never will have this desire should one come to the temporary believer and tell him God will be merciful unto him you may go on and take your fit of sinne you shall be sure of mercy he would like this well and think it the welcomest news as could be because he only fears damnation self-love makes him only desire freedome from that but now the childe of God hates sinne though there were no Hell Judge nor Tormentor he begs as hard of God for grace as for mercy and would do so were there no punishment His nature being chang'd he desireth grace as well as mercy which the temporary never does 3. The last mark is from the words of the Apostle Neither circumcision availeth any thing nor uncircumcision but faith which worketh by love Love and the new creature puts Gods children on work their hearts are first altered and changed by being made new creatures As the Scripture saith his flesh is circumcised he is a dead man deadnesse argueth impotency of doing those things which a living man doth he cannot walk c. The temporary will not sinne for fear of after-claps but this man cannot sinne his heart is changed he is dead to sinne we see how both abstain from sinne but the perusal and disposition is not alike The temporary sinner perchance commits not the sinne but he could finde in his heart to do it he saith not with Joseph How can I do this great wickedness and sinne against my God the other saith I could do this evil well enough but I will not Thou canst not bear those that are evil as in the Revel Now he that is born of God cannot sin there is that seed that spring in him that for his life he cannot sin but it turns his heart from it for his life he cannot tell how to swear lye c. or joyn with others in wickednesse but this must be understood of the constant course of their lives I speak not what they may do in afflictions when they are surprized but in the course of their lives they commit sinne as if they knew not how to do it the other doth it skilfully these coblingly and bunglingly they do it ill-favouredly thus it is with a wicked man in doing a good work he cobles it up Thy faith then must be a faith that worketh by love can'st thou do those good works thou doest out of love then my soul for thine thou art saved Get me any temporary that loves God and I shall say something to you Hast thou then a faith that causeth thee to love God a working faith and a faith that will not suffer thee to do any thing displeasing to him if thou hast such a faith thou art justified before God 2. And so I come now to the point of justification the greatest of all blessings Blessed is he saith David whose transgression is forgiven and whose sinne is covered blessed is
is this peace with God it is not peradventure so with thy self Thou mayst have a turbulent conscience insomuch that thou wouldst give all the world to have it quiet to be assured that there is peace between God and thee that 's not the point The thing thou gettest by faith is peace with God When thou art troubled with thy self and hast but a weak act of faith yet if thou believest thou art more afraid than hurt thou art Cock-sure and shalt be calme and quiet Object But why should Christians be so foolish so troubled what 's the reason the children of God do so disquiet themselves Sol. Because they are fools they stand in their own light are strainted in their own bowels God is liberal and free but there is some hope of worthinesse in us and we do things we should not do We are alwayes poring on our selves and do not bring a naked hand and this is the reason we are so full of distractions Again it is the nature of many peevish people amongst us that they will not be comforted when news was brought to Jacob that Joseph was slain and lost it is said All his sonnes and daughters rose up to comfort him but he refused to be comforted and he said For I will go down into the grave unto my son mourning Gen. 37.35 They have a kinde of pettishnesse and peevishnesse and wilfulnesse they will not be comforted and it may be there is some kinde of pride in it too they would perhaps be thought to be the only mourners of Israel of the Kingdome As Rachel mourned for her children and would not be comforted they shut up their eyes against all comforts God commands them to be comforted and they will not it is no marvaile then that they eat the fruit of their own hands it is a part of our office to bring comfort we have an injunction to it Comfort ye Comfort ye my people saith the Lord we bring the tydings of peace and our feet should be beautiful Rom. 10. we bring good news all is wâ—ll as Noahs Dove coming with an Olive branch in her mouth Comfort ye comfort ye cry aloud spare not If you stop your ears who can help it the Lord is gracious and chargeth us to comfort you and can there be any better news than to say All is peace all your sins are done away I have blotted as a thick cloud thy transgressions as who should say it is the tydings of such good things as all within thee is too little to praise the Lord and therefore it is not a thing to be slighted over blessed is the man whose sins are forgiven Psal. 32. which is no Noun Adjective nor of the singular number neither it signifieth blessedness as it were an heap of blessings They commonly call it the eight beatitudes it is but varied upon divers subjects were there eighty-eight that were all one To have thy sinnes forgiven thee is the comprizing of all happinesse Again when a man sets his eyes too much upon his sinnes more upon his sinnes than upon the mercies of God freely offered in Christ this is a wonderful hindrance of the peace Thou lookest on the wrong object looking too much on thy sinnes when thou shouldst look on Christ that brazen Serpent offer'd unto thee then 't is no wonder that thou seest not Christ though he be near thee Mary Magdalen complains and weeps to the Gardener that they had taken away her Lord and she knew not where they had laid him when as he stood at her elbowe her eyes were so full of tears that she could not behold her Saviour Now therefore stand not in thine own light but look upon Christ as well as upon thy sinnes observe though there be a peace and a calme yet presently all turmoyles will not cease after humiliation When there is a great storme at Sea which lasts perhaps twenty foure houres and then ceaseth what are the waves presently quiet assoon as the storme is over no there will be tossing and rolling many houres afterwards because there must be a time of setling and so though there be peace between God and thee and the storme over yet there must be a time of setling I should now shew you the difference between the peace that wicked men have and this other peace theirs is not peace there is no peace to the wicked It is a truce onely and we must make a great difference between a truce and a peace A truce when it is expired commonly ends in more bitter Warre With them there is a cessation of trouble their consciences do not accuse them but when the time limited is over and conscience again breaks loose it will be more unquiet and unsetled than ever before it will be at open Warre against them ROM 5.1 2. Therefore being justified by faith we have peace with God through our Lord Jesus Christ By whom also we have accesse by faith into this grace wherein we stand and rejoyce in hope of the glory of God HAving out of these words declared unto you the Mother-grace justification by faith I proceeded to the consideration of her Daughters those fruits or graces which spring from a true justifying faith So that here we have the great Charter and Priviledge that a justified man is indowed withall First He hath peace with God Secondly Free accesse unto him Thirdly Unspeakable joy and that joy not only in respect of that delectable object the hope of the glory of God in heaven hereafter but here also that which spoiles the joy of a natural man afflictions c. are made the matter of this mans joy Now concerning peace with God through our Lord Jesus Christ the first of these I considered three parts in it 1. What that peace was which the justified man enjoyeth 2. The parties between whom this peace was made 3. Who was the peace maker Concerning the peace I declared unto you what it was that it was an unconceivable thing The peace of God that passeth all understanding a thing which our shallow understandings cannot reach unto we cannot apprehend the excellency of this grace Consider its excellency by the contrary there is no misery in the world like that as when a man stands at enmity with God Do we provoke the Lord are we stronger than he If a man sinne against a man saith Eli the Judge shall judge him another man may take up the quarrel but if a man sinne against God if the controversie be between God and us who shall intercede for us were it not for this our peace-maker Christ Jesus we should be in a woful condition unlesse he put to his hand and took up the matter Now it 's a great matter to come to the fruit of peace the fruit of peace is to them that make peace we have this fruit of peace we do not sow fruit but seed the fruit comes afterwards It is not so with a Christian he is as sure
great work or to a great deal of joy he first humbleth him the Prince of our salvation was consecrated by afflictions and we must be conformable unto Christ our Head when the stormes are past the Sea will continue raging for awhile and when you have turn'd the wheel round if you take away your hand it will go round it self for a time So when you are justified by faith the storme is over yet the roaring of the waves will continue it will be so with the children of God though there be a calme yet there will be some remainders of a storm Again they are in travaile and that is a painful thing My little children with whom I travail they have the pangs of the new birth and it is a good while before they can finde that quietnesse their heart doth long for Again God purposely doth though he be friends with them take away from them the sense of peace because he takes delight to finde that strength of faith Faith is manifest that way faith is most strong when there is least sense My God my God why hast thou forsaken me the lesse sense the faster the hold and God loves this at life that when he spurns and frowns he will not let go nor be put off let him kill me he shall kill me with Christ in my arms I will not let go my hold God cannot fail he hath given me his Word therefore I will not let go such astrong faith had Abraham contrary to reason Gods Word is true he gives me his Word and I will trust him So a childe of God will not be put off though God write bitter things against him he will not forgo him we have an excellent example in the woman of Canaan the end of it is O woman great is thy faith but how doth the greatnesse of it appear Lord have mercy upon me my daughter is grievously afflicted c. why not rather Lord have mercy on my daughter the reason is because she was afflicted in her daughters affliction by the way we may hereby understand the meaning of the Commandment where it is said he will visit the iniquities of the fathers upon the children unto the third and fourth generation of them that hate him but why to the third and fourth generation because I may see the third and fourth generation and may see the judgment of God on them and may remember my sinne for which they are plagued the case is mine and not theirs only Lord have mercy upon me for my daughter is diseased I see my own sinne is punished by the judgment on her in my sight poor woman Christ will not hear her she might have been dash't out of countenance the Disciples were weary of her clamorous cryes and say Send her away for she troubleth us what saith Christ Is â—t fit to take the childrens bread and cast it unto dogs This was enough to dash her quite before she was discouraged by silence but to be called dog it were enough quite to discourage her but see the fruit of faith she seeks comfort out of that which would have undone another what am I dog a under the Table there I shall get a crumme others of the children that are better let them have the loaves I account my self happy if I may but get a crumb Oh woman great is thy faith this is great faith when it goes contrary to all sense That when God calls me dog when he spurns at me and frowns on me I will not be put off Faith is of the nature of the Vine if it have but the least hold on the wall it makes use of it and climbs higher and higher So out of the least thing that drops from her Saviours mouth she raiseth her faith higher so though we have this peace with God yet oft ofttimes he with-holds the notification of it to us 3. The last thing is to note the difference between the peace of a carnal and a spiritual man carnal peace is mixt with a great deal of presumption and pride but the more spiritual peace thou hast the more thou art dejected in thy self the more cast down see it in Ezekiel Ezek. 16.60 61 62 63. I will establish with thee an everlasting Covenant then shalt thou remember thy wayes and be ashamed when thou shalt receive thy sisters thy elder and thy younger and I will give them unto thee for daughters but not by thy Covenant and I will establish my Covenant with thee and thou shalt know that I am the Lord that thou mayst remember and be confounded and never open thy mouth any more because of thy shame when I am pacified towards thee for all that thou hast done saith the Lord when God is pacified yet they hold down their heads and are ashamed when a man knoweth that God hath pardoned his sins he is ashamed that he hath carried himself so wickedly against God of whose mercy he hath now such experience When God is pacified a man remembers his former sinnes and is confounded as it is Ezek. 36.31 Then shall you remember your own evil wayes and your doings that were not good and shall loath your selves in your own sight for your iniquities and for your abominations in that time when I am pacified toward you That which would work in a carnal man security and pride for he never thinks himself better then when there 's peace within will work in the the childe of God the Spirit of humiliation In the last Chapter of Job God had manifested himself wonderfully to Job and however before he had very sharp afflictions his sufferings in soul were next to the sufferings of Christ. I believe never any man suffered so much as Job did insomuch that the arrows of the Almighty stuck in him thou hast eaten up my flesh c. This was the case of Job and he stood upon termes of justification he wâ—sh't that God would dispute with him that God would either be the Opponent or the Answerer If God would answer he would oppose or if God would oppose he would answer God comes as he would have him and Job is not at that point that he was before when God draws nigh unto him he saith I have heard of thee by the hearing of the ear but now my eye seeth thee Job 42.5 Well this may make thee a proud man and elevate thee no saith he now I abhorre my self in dust and ashes The nearer God draws unto us and the more merciful he is unto us by that light we the more discern our own abominations That which would make another man proud brings Job to the knowledge of his vilenesse Therefore I abhor my self and repent in dust and ashes 3. Now another thing is Who is this peace-maker This I shall but touch We have peace with God But how through our Lord Jesus Christ he is our peace-maker and interposeth between his Fathers wrath and us Ephes. 2.14 For he is our