Faith takes several views of Christ according to the Occasions of Address to him and communion with him that it hath Sometimes it views his Holiness sometimes his power sometimes his love his favour with his Father And when it goes for healing and peace it looks especially on the blood of the Covenant on his Sufferings for by his stripes are we healed and the chastisement of our peace was upon him Isa. 53.5 when we look for Healing his stripes are to be eyed not in the outward story of them which is the course of Popish Devotionists but in the Love Kindness Mystery and design of the Cross. And when we look for peace his Chastisements must be in our eye Now this I say if it be done according to the mind of God and in the strength of that Spirit which is poured out on Believers it will beget a detestation of that sin or sins for which healing and peace is sought So Ezek. 16.60 61. nevertheless I will remember my Covenant with thee in the dayes of thy youth and I will establish unto thee an everlasting Covenant and what then then thou shalt remember thy wayes and be ashamed When God comes home to speak peace in a sure Covenant of it it fills the Soul with shame for all the wayes whereby it hath been alienated from him And one of the things that the Apostle mentions as attending that godly sorrow which is accompanyed with Repentance unto Salvation never to be repented of is revenge yea what revenge 2 Cor. 7.11 They reflected on their miscarriages with Indignation and Revenge for their Folly in them When Job comes up to a through healing he cryes Now I abhorre my self Job 42.6 and untill he did so he had no abiding peace He might perhaps have made up himself with that Doctrine of free Grace which was so excellently preached by Elihu Chap. 33. from v. 14. unto the 29th but he had then but skinned his wounds he must come to self-abhorrency if he come to healing So was it with those in Psal. 78.33 35. in their great trouble and perplexity for and upon the Account of Sin I doubt not but upon the Address they made to God in Christ for that so they did is evident from the titles they gave him they call him their Rock and their Redeemer two words every where pointing out the Lord Christ they spake peace to themselves but was it sound and abiding No it passed away as the early dew God speaks not one word of peace to their Souls But why had they not peace Why because in their Address to God they flattered him But how doth that appear vers 37. Their heart was not right with him neither were they stedfast They had not a detestation nor relinquishment of that sin in reference whereunto they spake peace to themselves Let a man make what application he will for healing and peace let him do it to the true Physitian let him do it the right way let him quiet his Heart in the Promises of the Covenant yet when Peace is spoken if it be not attended with the detestation and Abhorrency of that Sin which was the wound and caused the Disquietment this is no Peace of Gods creating but of our own purchasing It is but a skinning over the wound whilest the core lyes at the bottom which will putrifie and corrupt and corrode untill it break out again with noysomness vexation and danger Let not poor Souls that walk in such a path as this they are more sensible of the trouble of Sin than of the pollution or uncleanness that attends it they address themselves for mercy yea to the Lord in Christ they address themselves for mercy but yet will keep the sweet Morsel of their Sin under their Tongue let them I say never think to have true and solid peace For instance Thou findest thy Heart running out after the World and it disturbs thee in thy communion with God the Spirit speaks expressely to thee He that loveth the World the love of the Father is not in him 1 Joh. 2.15 This puts thee on dealing with God in Christ for the healing of thy Soul the quieting of thy Conscience but yet withall a through detestation of the evil it self abides not upon thee yea perhaps that is liked well enough but onely in respect of the Consequences of it perhaps thou mayst be saved yet as through fire and God will have some work with thee before he hath done but thou wilt have little Peace in this Life thou wilt be sick and fainting all thy dayes Isa. 57.17 This is a Deceit that lyes at the root of the Peace of many Professors and waâ—ts it they deal with all their strength about Mercy and Pardon and seem to have great Communion with God in their so doing they lye before him bewail their Sins and Follies that any one would think yea they think themselves that surely they and their Sins are now parted and so receive in Mercy that satisfies their Hearts for a little season but when a through search comes to be made there hath been some secret reserve for the Folly or Follyes treated about at least there hath not been that through Abhorrency of it which is necessary and their whole peace is quickly discovered to be weak â—nd rotten scarce abiding any longer than the words of begging it are in their mouths 2 When men measure out peace to themselves upon the conclusions that their convictions and Rational Principles will carry them out unto This is a false peace and will not abide I shall a little explain what I mean hereby A man hath got a wound by sin he hath a Conviction of some Sin upon his Conscience he hath not walked uprightly as becometh the Gospel all is not well and right between God and his Soul He considers now what is to be done Light he hath and knows what Path he must take and how his Soul hath been formerly healed Considering that the Promises of God are the outward Means of Application for the healing of his sores and quieting of his Heart he goes to them searches them out finds out some one or more of them whose literal Expressions are directly suited to his condition Sayes he to himself God speaks in this Promise here I will take my self a plaister as long and broad as my wound and so brings the word of the promise to his Condition and sets him down in peace This is another appearance upon the mount the Lord is neer but the Lord is not in it It hath not been the work of the Spirit who alone can convince us of Sin and Righteousness and Judgement but the mere Actings of the intelligent rational Soul As there are three sorts of Lives we say the vegetative the sensitive and the rational or intelligent Some things have onely the vegetative some the sensitive also and that includes the former some have the rational which takes in and supposes both
shall relieve himself by any such other Evidences as he hath or thinks himself to have and so disintangle himself from under the yoke that God was putting on his neck his Condition is very dangerous his Wound hardly curable Thus the Jews under the gallings of their own Consciences and the convincing preaching of our Saviour supported themselves with this that they were Abraham's Children and on that account accepted with God and so countenanced themselves in all abominable wickedness to their utter ruine This is in some degree a Blessing of a mans self and saying that upon one account or other he shall have peace although he addes drunkenness to thirst love of Sin undervaluation of Peace and of all tastes of Love from God are enwrapped in such a Frame Such a one plainly shews that if he can but keep up hope of escaping the wrath to come he can be well content to be Unfruitfull in the world at any Distance from God that is not final separation What is to be expected from such an Heart 2. By applying Grace and Mercy to an unmortified sin or one not sincerely endeavoured to be mortified is this Deceit carried on This is a sign of an Heart greatly entangled with the Love of Sin When a man hath secret thoughts in his Heart not unlike those of Naaman about his worshipping in the House of Rimmon in all other things I will walk with God but in this thing God be mercifull unto me his Condition is sad It is true indeed a Resolution to this purpose to indulge a mans self in any sin on the account of Mercy seems to be and doubtless in any course is altogether inconsistent with Christian Sincerity and is a badge of an Hypocrite and is the turning of the Grace of God into wantonness Jude 4. but yet I doubt not but through the craft of Sathan and their own remaining unbelief the Children of God may themselves sometimes be ensnared with this Deceit of sin or else Paul would never have so cautioned them against it as he doth Rom. 6.1 2. Yea indeed there is nothing more Natural than for fleshly reasonings to grow high and strong upon this account The flesh would fain be indulged unto upon the account of Grace and every word that is spoken of mercy it stands ready to catch at and to pervert it to its own corrupt ayms and purposes To apply Mercy then to a sin not vigorously mortified is to fulfill the End of the flesh upon the Gospel These and many other wayes and wiles a deceitfull Heart will sometimes make use of to countenance it self in its Abominations Now when a man with his sin is in this Condition that there is a secret liking of the sin prevalent in his Heart and though his Will be not wholly set upon it yet he hath an imperfect velleity towards it he would practise it were it not for such and such Considerations and hereupon relieves himself other wayes than by the Mortification and Pardon of it in the Blood of Christ that mans wounds stink and are corrupt and he will without speedy Deliverance be at the door of Death 3 Frequency of success in Sins seduction in obtaining the prevailing Consent of the Will unto it is another dangerous symptome This is that I mean When the sin spoken of gets the Consent of the Will with some delight though it be not actually outwardly perpetrated yet it hath success A man may not be able upon outward Considerations to goe along with Sin to that which James calls the finishing of it Jam. 1.14 15. as to the outward Acts of Sin when yet the will of sinning may be actually obtained Then hath it I say success Now if any lust be able thus far to prevail in the Soul of any man as his Condition may possibly be very bad and himself be unregenerate so it cannot possibly be very good but dangerous And it is all one upon the matter whether this be done by the choice of the Will or by Inadvertency For that Inadvertency it self is in a manner chosen When we are inadvertent and negligent where we are bound to watchfulness and carefulness that inadvertency doth not take off from the voluntariness of what we doe thereupon for although men do not choose and resolve to be negligent and inadvertent yet if they choose the things that will make them so they choose inadvertency it self as a thing may be chosen in its cause And let not men think that the evil of their hearts is in any measure extenuated because they seem for the most part to be surprized into that consent which they seem to give unto it for it is Negligence of their Duty in watching over their Hearts that betrayes them into that surprizal 4 When a man fighteth against his sin onely with Arguments from the Issue or the punishment due unto it this is a sign that sin hath taken great possession of the Will and that in the Heart there is a superfluity of naughtiness Such a man as opposes nothing to the seduction of Sin and Lust in his Heart but fear of shame among men or Hell from God is sufficiently resolved to do the sin if there were no punishment attending it which what it differs from living in the practice of Sin I know not Those who are Christs and are acted in their Obedience upon Gospel Principles have the Death of Christ the Love of God the detestable Nature of Sin the preciousness of Communion with God a deep grounded Abhorrency of sin as Sin to oppose to any seduction of Sin to all the workings strivings fightings of Lust in their Hearts So did Joseph How shall I doe this great evil saith he and sin against the Lord my good and gracious God And Paul The love of Christ constrains us And having received these Promises let us cleanse our selves from all pollutions of flesh and Spirit But now if a man be so under the power of his Lust that he hath nothing but Law to oppose it withall if he cannot fight against it with Gospel weapons but deals with it altogether with Hell and Judgement which are the proper Arms of the Law it is most evident that sin hath possessed it self of his Will and Affections to a very great prevalency and conquest Such a Person hath cast off as to the particular spoken of the Conduct of Renewing Grace and is kept from ruine onely by restraining Grace and so far is he fallen from Grace and returned under the Power of the Law and can it be thought that this is not a great provocation to Christ that men should cast off his easie gentle Yoke and Rule and cast themselves under the Iron yoke of the Law meerly out of indulgence unto their Lusts Try thy self by this also When thou art by Sin driven to make a stand so that thou must either serve it and rush at the command of it into folly like the horse
countenance himself in giving the â—â—â—st allowance unto any Sin or Lust is not able on Gospel grounds to manage any Evidence unto any tolerable spiritual Security that indeed he is in a due manner freed from what he so pretends himself to be delivered 2. Whatever be the issue yet the Law hath Commission from God to seize upon Transgressors wherever it find them and so bring them before his Throne where they are to plead for themselves This is thy present case The Law hath found thee out and before God it will bring thee If thou canst plead a Pardon well and good If not the Law will do its work 3. However this is the proper Work of the Law to discover Sin in the Guilt of it to awake and humble the Soul for it to be a Glass to represent Sin in its colours and if thou denyest to deal with it on this Account it is not through Faith but through the hardness of thy Heart and the Deceitfulness of Sin This is a Door that too many Professors have gone out at unto open Apostasie such a Deliverance from the Law they have pretended as that they would consult its Guidance and Direction no more they would measure their Sin by it no more by little and little this Principle hath insensibly from the Notion of it proceeded to influence their practical Understandings and having taken possession there hath turned the Will and Affections loose to all manner of Abominations By such wayes I say then as these perswade thy Conscience to hearken diligently to what the Law speaks in the Name of the Lord unto thee about thy Lust and Corruption Oh! if thy Ears be open it will speak with a Voyce that shall make thee tremble that shall cast thee to the ground and fill thee with Astonishment If ever thou wilt mortifie thy Corruptions thou must tye up thy Conscience to the Law shut it from all shifts and Exceptions untill it owns its Guilt with a clear and through Apprehension So that thence as David speaks thy Iniquity may ever be before thee 2 Bring thy Lust to the Gospel not for Relief but for farther conviction of its Guilt look on him whom thou hast pierced and be in bitterness Say to thy Soul What have I done what Love what Mercy what Blood what Grace have I despised and trampled on Is this the Return I make to the Father for his Love to the Son for his Blood to the Holy Ghost for his Grace Doe I thus requite the Lord Have I defiled the Heart that Christ dyed to wash that the Blessed Spirit hath chosen to dwell in And can I keep my self out of the Dust What can I say to the dear Lord Jesus How shall I hold up my head with any boldness before him Doe I account Communion with him of so little value that for this vile Lusts sake I have scarce left him any room in my Heart How shall I escape if I neglect so great Salvation In the mean time what shall I say to the Lord Love Mercy Grace Goodness Peace Joy Consolation I have despised them all and esteemed them as a thing of nought that I might harbour a Lust in my Heart Have I obtained a view of Gods Fatherly Countenance that I might behold his face and provoke him to his face Was my Soul washed that room might be made for new Defilements Shall I endeavour to disappoint the End of the Death of Christ Shall I daily grieve that Spirit whereby I am sealed to the day of Redemption Entertâ—in thy Conscience daily with this Treaty 〈◊〉 it can stand before this Aggravation o◠〈◊〉 â—â—iâ—t If this make it not sink in some 〈◊〉 and melt I fear thy Case is dangerous Secondly 〈…〉 particulars As under the General 〈…〉 Gospel all the Benefits of it are to be considered as Redemption Justification and the lâ—ke so in particular consider the Management of the love of them toward thine own Soul for the Aggravation of the Guilt of thy Corruption As 1. Consider the infinite Patience and forbearance of God towards thee in particular Consider what Advantages he might have taken against thee to have made thee a shame and a reproach in this World and an object of wrath for ever How thou hast dealt treacherously and falsly with him from time to time flattered him with thy Lips but broken all Promises and Engagements and that by the means of that Sin thou art now in pursuit of and yet he hath spared thee from time to time although thou seemest boldly to have put it to the tryal how long he could hold out And wilt thou yet sin against him wilt thou yet weary him and make him to serve with thy Corruptions Hast thou not often been ready to conclude thy self that it was utterly impossible that he should bear any longer with thee that he would cast thee off and be gracious no more that all his Forbearance was exhausted and Hell and Wrath was even ready prepared for thee and yet above all thy Expectation he hath returned with Visitations of Love and wilt thou yet abide in the Provocation of the eyes of his Glory 2. How often hast thou been at the door of being Hardened by the Deceitfulness of Sin and by the infinite rich Grace of God hast been recovered to communion with him again Hast thou not found Grace decaying Delight in Duties Ordinances Prayer and Meditation vanishing inclinations to loose careless walking thriving and they who before were entangled almost beyond recovery Hast thou not found thy self engaged in such Wayes Societies Companies and that with delight as God abhorres and wilt thou venture any more to the brink of Hardness 3. All Gods gracious dealings with thee in Providential Dispensations Deliverances Afflictions Mercies Enjoyments all ought here to take place By these I say and the like Means load thy Conscience and leave it not untill it be throughly affected with the Guilt of thy indwelling Corruption Untill it is sensible of its Wound and lye in the dust before the Lord. Unless this be done to the purpose all other Endeavours are to no purpose Whilest the Conscience hath any Means to alleviate the Guilt of Sin the Soul will never vigorously attempt its Mortification Fourthly Being thus affected with thy Sin in the next place get a constant longing breathing after deliverance from the Power of it Suffer not thy Heart one moment to be contented with thy present Frame and Condition Longing desires after any thing in things Natural and Civil are of no value nor consideration any farther but as they incite and stirre up the person in whom they are to a diligent use of Means for the bringing about the thing aymed at In spiritual things it is otherwise Longing breathing and panting after Deliverance is a Grace in its self that hath a mighty power to conform the Soul into the likeness of the thing longed after Hence the Apostle describing the Repentance and godly Sorrow of
into a perfect contrary Condition to that which the Apostle affirms was his 2 Cor. 4.16 Though our outward man perish our inward man is renewed day by day In these the Inward man perisheth and the Outward man is renewed day by day Sin is as the house of David and Grace as the house of Saul Exercise and success are the two main cherishers of Grace in the heart When it is suffered to lye still it withers and decayes the things of it are ready to dye Rev. 3.2 and Sin gets ground towards the hardening of the heart Heb. 3.13 This is that which I intend by the Omission of this duty Grace withers Lust flourisheth and the Frame of the Heart growes worse and worse and the Lord knows what desperate and fearful issues it hath had with many Where Sin through the Neglect of Mortification gets a considerable Victory it breaks the bones of the Soul Psal. 31.10 Psal. 51.8 and makes a man weak sick and ready to dye Psal. 38.3 4 5. that he cannot look up Psal. 40.12 Isa. 33.24 and when poor Creatures will take blow after blow wound after wound foil after foil and never rouse up themselves to a vigorous Opposition can they expect any thing but to be hardened through the deceitfulness of sin and that their Souls should bleed to death 2 Joh. 8 Indeed it is a sad thing to consider the fearfull issues of this Neglect which lye under our eyes every day See we not those whom we knew humble melting broken-hearted Christians tender and fearfull to offend zealous for God and all his wayes his Sabbaths and Ordinances grown through a neglect of watching unto this Duty earthly carnal cold wrathfull complying with the men of the world and things of the World to the Scandal of Religion and the fearfull Temptation of them that know them The truth is what between placing mortification in a rigid stubborn Frame of Spirit which is for the most part earthly legal censorious partial consistent with Wrath Envy Malice Pride on the one hand and pretences of Liberty Grace and I know not what on the other true Evangelical Mortification is almost lost amongst us of which afterwards 6. It is our Duty to be Perfecting Holiness in the fear of the Lord 2 Cor. 7.1 To be growing in Grace every day 1 Pet. 2.2 2 Pet. 3.18 To be renewing our inward man day by day 2 Cor. 4.16 Now this cannot be done without the daily Mortifying of sin Sin sets its strength against every Act of Holiness and against every degree we grow to Let not that man think he makes any Progress in Holiness who walks not over the bellies of his Lusts He who doth not kill Sin in his way takes no steps towards his Journeyes End He who finds not opposition from it and who sets not himself in every particular to its Mortification is at peace with it not dying to it This then is the first General Principle of our ensuing Discourse Notwithâ—tanding the meritorious Mortification if I may so speak of all and every Sin in the Cross of Christ notwithstanding the real Foundation of universal Mortification laid in our first Conversion by Conviction of Sin humiliation for sin and the Implantation of a new Principle opposite to it and destructive of it yet Sin doth so remain so act and work in the best of Believers whilest they live in this world that the constant daily Mortification of it is all their dayes incumbent on them Before I proceed to the Consideration of the next Principle I cannot but by the way complain of many Professors of these days who instead of bringing forth such great and evident Fruits of Mortification as are expected scarce bear any Leaves of it There is indeed a broad Light fallen upon the men of this Generation and together therewith many spiritual Gifts communicated which with some other Considerations have wonderfully enlarged the bounds of Professors and Profession both they and it are exceedingly multiplyed and increased Hence there is a noise of Religion and Religious Duties in every corner preaching in abundance and that not in an empty light trivial and vain manner as formerly but to a good proportion of a spiritual Gift so that if you will measure the number of Believers by Light Gâ—fts and profession the Church may have cause to say Who hath born me all these But now if you will take the measure of them by this great discriminating Grace of Christians perhaps you will find their number not so multiplyed Where almost is that Professor who owes his Conversion to these dayes of Light and so talks and professes at such a rate of Spirituality as few in former dayes were in any measure acquainted with I will not judge them but perhaps boasting what the Lord hath done in them that doth not give evidence of a miserably unmortified heart if vain spending of Time idleness unprofitableness in mens places envy strife variance emulations wrath pride worldliness selfishness 1 Cor. 1. be Badges of Christians we have them on us and amongst us in abundance And if it be so with them who have much Light and which we hope is saving what shall we say of some who would be accounted religious and yet despise Gospel Light and for the Duty we have in hand know no more of it but what consists in mens Denying themselves sometimes times in outward Enjoyments which is one of the outmost Branches of it which yet they will seldom practise The good Lord send out a spirit of Mortification to cure our Distempers or we are in a sad Condition There are two Evils which certainly attend every unmortified Professor The first in himself the other in respect of others 1. In himself let him pretend what he will he hath slight thoughts of Sin at least of sins of daily infirmity The Root of an unmortified Course is the digestion of Sin without bitterness in the heart When a man hath confirmed his Imagination to such an Apprehension of Grace and Mercy as to be able without bitterness to swallow and digest daily sins that man is at the very brink of turning the Grace of God into lasciviousness and being hardened by the deceitfulness of Sin Neither is there a greater Evidence of a false and rotten heart in the world than to drive such a Trade To use the blood of Christ which is given to cleanse us 1 Joh. 1.7 Tit. 2.14 The exaltation of Christ which is to give us Repentance Act. 5.31 the Doctrine of Grace which teaches us to deny all ungodliness Tit. 2.11 12. to countenance Sin is a Rebellion that in the issue will break the bones At this door have gone out from us most of the professors that have Apostatized in the dayes wherein we live for a while they were most of them under Convictions these kept them unto Duties and brought them to Profession So they escaped the pollutions that are in the world through the knowledge of our Lord
into the battel or make head against it to suppress it what doest thou say to thy Soul what doest thou expostulate with thy self is this all Hell will be the end of this course Vengeance will meet with me and find me out it is time for thee to look about thee evil lyes at the door Pauls main Argument to evince that sin shall not have dominion over Believers is that they are not under the Law but under Grace Rom. 6.14 If thy contendings against Sin be all on legal Accounts from legal Principles and motives what assurance canst thou attain unto that sin shall not have dominion over thee which will be thy ruine Yea know that this Reserve will not long hold out if thy Lust hath driven thee from stronger Gospel Forts it will speedily prevail against this also do not suppose that such Considerations will deliver thee when thou hast voluntarily given up to thine Enemy those Helps and Means of Preservation which have a thousand times their Strength Rest assuredly in this that unless thou recover thy self with speed from this Condition the thing that thou fearest will come upon thee what Gospel Principles do not legal Motives cannot doe 5 When it is probable that there is or may be somewhat of judiciary hardness or at least chastening Punishment in thy Lust as disquieting This is another dangerous symptome That God doth sometimes leave even those of his own under the perplexing power at least of some Lust or Sin to correct them for former sins Negligence and Folly I no way doubt Hence was that complaint of the Church Why hast thou hardened us from the fear of thy Name Isa. 63.17 That this is his way of dealing with unregenerate men no man questions But how shall a man know whether there be any thing of Gods chastening hand in his being left to the disquietment of his distemper Answ. Examine thy Heart and Wayes What was the state and Condition of thy Soul before thou fellest into the Intanglements of that sin which now thou so complainest of Hadst thou been negligent in Duties hadst thou lived inordinately to thy self is there the guilt of any great sin lying upon thee unrepented of A new Sin may be permitted as well as a new Affliction sent to bring an Old sin to remembrance Hast thou received any eminent Mercy Protection Deliverance which thou diddest not improve in a due Manner nor wast thankfull for or hast been exercised with any Affliction without labouring for the appointed End of it or hast thou been wanting to the Opportunities of glorifying God in thy Generation which in his good Providence he had graciously afforded unto thee or hast thou conformed thy self unto the World and the men of it through the abounding of Temptations in the dayes wherein thou livest If thou findest this to have been thy State awake call upon God thou art fast asleep in a storm of Anger round about thee 6 When thy Lust hath already withstood particular dealings from God against it This Condition is described Isa. 57.17 For the Iniquity of his Coveteousness I was wroth and smote him I hid me and was wroth and he went on frowardly in the way of his heart God had dealt with them about their prevailing Lust and that several wayes by Affliction and Desertion But they held out against all This is a sad Condition which nothing but meer soveraign Grace as God expresses it in the next verse can relieve a man in and which no man ought to promise himself or bear himself upon God oftentimes in his providential Dispensations meets with a man and speaks particularly to the Evil of his Heart as he did to Joseph's Brethren in their selling of him into Egypt This makes the man reflect on his sin and judge himself in particular for it God makes it to be the voice of the Danger Affliction Trouble Sickness that he is in or under Sometimes in Reading of the Word God makes a man stay on something that cuts him to the Heart and shakes him as to his present Condition More frequently in the Hearing of the Word preached his great Ordinance for Conviction Conversion and Edification doth he meet with men God often hews men by the Sword of his Word in that Ordinance strikes directly on their bosome beloved Lust startles the Sinner makes him engage into the Mortification and Relinquishment of the Evil of his Heart Now if his Lust have taken such hold on him as to enforce him to break these bonds of the Lord and to cast these cords from him If it overcomes these Convictions and gets again into its old posture if it can cure the wounds it so receives that Soul is in a sad Condition Unspeakable are the Evils which attend such a Frame of Heart Every particular Warning to a man in such an Estate is an inestimable Mercy how then doth he despise God in them who holds out against them and what infinite Patience is this in God that he doth not cast off such an one and swear in his wrath that he shall never enter into his Rest. These and many other Evidences are there of a Lust that is dangerous if not mortal As our Saviour said of the evil Spirit This kind goes not out but by Fasting and Prayer So say I of Lusts of this kind an ordinary Course of Mortification will not doe it extraordinary wayes must be fixed on This is the First particular Direction Consider whether the Lust or Sin you are contending with hath any of these dangerous symptoms attending of it Before I proceed I must give one Caution by the way lest any be deceived by what hath been spoken Whereas I say the things and evils above mentioned may befall true Believers let not any that finds the same things in himself thence or from thence conclude that he is a true Believer These are the Evils that Believers may fall into and be ensnared withall not the things that Constitute a Believer A man may as well conclude that he is a Believer because he is an Adulterer because David that was so fell into Adultery as conclude it from the signs foregoing which are the evils of Sin and Sathan in the Hearts of Believers The seventh of the Romans contains the Description of a Regenerate man He that shall consider what is spoken of his dark side of his unregenerate part of the indwelling Power and Violence of Sin remaining in him and because he finds the like in himself conclude that he is a regenerate man will be deceived in his Reckoning It is all one as if you should argue A wise man may be sick and wounded yea do some things foolishly Therefore every one who is sick and wounded and does things foolishly is a wise man Or as if a silly deformed Creature hearing one speaking of a beautifull Person should say that he had a mark or a Scarre that much disfigured him should conclude that because he hath himself
will grow a light thing to thee thou wilt pass by it as a thing of nought This it will grow to and what will be the End of such a Condition Can a sadder thing befall thee Is it not enough to make any heart to tremble to think of being brought into that Estate wherein he should have slight thoughts of Sin slight thoughts of Grace of Mercy of the Blood of Christ of the Law Heaven and Hell come all in at the same season Take heed this is that thy Lust is working towards the hardening of the Heart searing of Conscience blinding of the Mind stupifying of the Affections and deceiving of the whole Soul 2. The danger of some great temporal Correction which the Scripture calls Vengeance Judgement and Punishment Psal. 89.30 31 32 33 Though God should not utterly cast thee off for this Abomination that lyes in thy Heart yet he will visit with the Rod though he pardon and forgive he will take vengeance of thy Inventions O remember David and all his troubles look on him flying into the Wilderness and consider the hand of God upon him Is it nothing to thee that God should kill thy Child in anger ruine thy Estate in anger break thy Bones in anger suffer thee to be a Scandal and Reproach in anger kill thee destroy thee make thee lye down in darkness in anger Is it nothing that he should punish ruine and undoe others for thy sake Let me not be mistaken I do not mean that God doth send all these things alwayes on his in Anger God forbid But this I say That when he doth so deal with thee and thy Conscience bears witness with him what thy Provocations have been thou wilt find his dealings full of bitterness to thy Soul If thou fearest not these things I fear thou art under hardness 3. Loss of Peace and Strength all a mans dayes To have peace with God to have strength to walk before God is the summe of the great Promises of the Covenant of Grace In these things is the Life of our Souls Without them in some comfortable measure to Live is to Dye What good will our Lives do us if we see not the face of God sometimes in peace If we have not some strength to walk with him Now both these will an unmortified Lust certainly deprive the Souls of men of This case is so evident in David as that nothing can be more clear How often doth he complain that his bones were broken his Soul disquieted his wounds grievous on this account Take other Instances Isa. 57.18 For the Iniquity of his Covetousness I was wroth and hid my self What peace I pray is there to a Soul while God hides himself Or strength whilest he smites Hos. 5.15 I will goe and return to my place untill they acknowledge their Offence and seek my face I will leave them hide my Face and what will become of their peace and strength If ever then thou hast enjoyed peace with God if ever his Terrours have made thee afraid if ever thou hast had strength to walk with him or ever hast mourned in thy Prayer and been troubled because of thy weakness think of this danger that hangs over thy head It is perhaps but a little while and thou shalt see the Face of God in Peace no more Perhaps by to morrow thou shalt not be able to pray read hear or perform any Duties with the least chearfulness Life or Vigour and possibly thou mayst never see a quiet hour whilest thou livest That thou mayst carry about thee broken bones full of pain and terrour all the dayes of thy Life yea perhaps God will shoot his Arrowes at thee and fill thee with Anguish and disquietness with Fears and Perplexities make thee a Terror and an Astonishment to thy self and others shew thee Hell and Wrath every moment frighten and scare thee with sad Apprehensions of his Hatred so that thy sore shall run in the Night season and thy Soul shall refuse Comfort so that thou shalt wish Death rather than Life yea thy Soul may choose strangling Consider this a little though God should not utterly destroy thee yet he might cast thee into this condition wherein thou shalt have quick and living Apprehensions of thy Destruction Wont thy Heart to thoughts hereof Let it know what is like to be the Issue of its State leave not this Consideration untill thou hast made thy Soul to tremble within thee 4. There is the Danger of eternal Destruction For the due Management of this Consideration observe I. That there is such a connexion between a Continuance in Sin and eternal Destruction that though God do's resolve to deliver some from a Continuance in Sin that they may not be destroyed yet he will deliver none from Destruction that continue in sin So that whilest any one lyes under an Abiding power of sin the Threats of Destruction and everlasting Seperation from God are to be held out to him So Heb. 3.12 to which adde Heb. 10.38 This is the Rule of Gods proceeding If any man depart from him draw back through Unbelief Gods Soul hath no pleasure in him that is his Indignation shall pursue him to Destruction so evidently Gal. 6.8 II. That he who is so intangled as above described under the Power of any Corruption can have at that present no clear prevailing Evidence of his Interest in the Covenant by the Efficacy whereof he may be delivered from Fear of Destruction So that Destruction from the Lord may justly be a Terrour to him And he may he ought to look upon it as that which will be the End of his Course and wayes There is no condemnation to them that are in Christ Jesus Rom. 8.1 True but who shall have the comfort of this Assertion Who may assume it to himself They that walk after the Spirit and not after the Flesh. But you will say Is not this to perswade men to unbelief I answer No there is a twofold Judgement that a man may make of himself 1. Of his Person and 2. Of his Wayes It is the judgment of his Wayes not his Person that I speak of Let a man get the best Evidence for his Person that he can yet to judge that an evil Way will end in Destruction is his Duty not to do it is Atheism I do not say that in such a Condition a man ought to throw away the Evidences of his personal Interest in Christ but I say he cannot keep them There is a two-fold condemnation of a mans self First In respect of Desert when the Soul concludes that it Deserves to be cast out of the presence of God and this is so far from a business of Vnbelief that it is an Effect of Faith Secondly With respect to the Issue and Event when the Soul concludes it shall be Damned I do not say this is the Duty of any one nor do I call them to it But this I say that the End of the