of Sins You are not straitned in me where then are Sinners straitned Oh they are straitned in their own Bowels They cannot find in their Hearts to consider their ways to humble their Soul for their sins to leave them and to turn unto God Thus are they straitned in their own Bowels and they will not come to Christ that they might have Life 2. Secondly To this Suggestion doubtless we are to oppose what the Scripture speaketh of the multitude and abundance of Divine Mercies Psal 134. 18. If I should count them saith Holy David they are more in number than the Sand. So Isaiah 55. v. 6 7. Let him return unto the Lord and he will have mercy upon him unto his God for he will abundantly pardon Thus you often read in Scripture of a multitude of Mercies tender Mercies in God Psal 5. 7. I will come into thy House in the multitude of thy Mercies So Psal 51. 1. Have Mercy upon me O God according to thy loving kindness according to the multitude of thy tender Mercies blot out my Transgressions So Psal 69. 13. Mercy in God is but one thing it is the Goodness of God looking upon one in Misery and helping and relieving him what do we read of a multitude of Mercies certainly it either signifies Gods multiplied Acts of Goodness which are several Branches springing out of the same Root of Goodness and Mercy or else the term is used to signifie unto us that there is a Goodness in God proportionated to the multitudes of Sin and Misery that are in us To what end do we read of multitudes of Mercies in God if it were not to relieve us groaning under multitudes of Sins 3. Again consider It is the same thing with God to pardon multitudes of Sins as few yea he never pardoneth the Sins of any one Soul but he pardons a multitude God must vail his Justice and deny himself in his Vindicative Justice to pardon one Sin There is no one Sin but hath a kind of infiniteness in it or rather contracts an infinite Guilt for every Sin which we commit is against an infinite God against infinite Justice and Goodness and nothing but infinite Goodness can remit it and pass it by And an infinite Remission as easily extendeth to a multitude of Sins as to a few so that as that good Prince said unto God in the recognition of his Power It is easie with thee to save by many as by few So we may say in the case before us It is as easie with God to save from many from the guilt of many many thousands of Sins as from the guilt of a few especially which I should have put in considering there is also an infiniteness in the 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 in the Redemption Price that is paid if indeed that had been scant something might have been colourably objected but that is commensurate to the Goodness that is in God The Person that died for our Sins was God-man an infinite Person his Blood was of infinite Vertue as to Satisfaction Indeed the Papists strain a great deal too far to say That the least Drop of Christs Blood was sufficient to ransome a World That is an idle Monkish Hyberbole for there must be a powring out of his Life so much of his Blood shed as should have determined his Life But that there is a Nuda Sufficientia we are not speaking now of the Sufficientia Ordinata how far Christ ordained it to be sufficient but that I say there was a bare and naked Sufficiency in the Death of Christ for more than it shall ever be applied to This must be granted by all who will acknowledge an infiniteness in Christs Person Nor yet shall the Papists from hence augment their Churches Treasury to the value of a Farthing Christ never left the Redundancy of the Vertue of his Death to humane Disposal the Vertue of his Blood as to all those who shall by it have any Benefit was ordered and disposed of from before the Foundation of the World even from the time that the Lâ—mb was first slain in Gods Eternal Counsels Let them look to answer the Papists in this Point who maintain Universal Redemption in the latitude of it But I add farther under this Head That God never pardoneth Sin to any Soul but he pardoneth a multitude It is true there is not a parity in Men and Womens Sins either as to the quality or quantity but I say God never pardons any but multitudes of Sins The Righteous falleth seven times in a day Sin is in every Soul and it may say Our Name is Lâ—gion for we are many If multitudes of Sins could not be pardoned no Sinner could be pardoned 2. Temptation But then saith the Tempter or the tempted Soul if you will Ah but my Sins have received very high and great Aggravations I have sinned against Light against Love I knew I ought not to do what I did I was warned by Ministers checkt by my own Conscience otherwise moved by the Spirit of God I had Mercies above thousands of others I sinned against all c. To which I answer 1. This is indeed a very sad circumstance a load of this nature doth often lie very heavy upon the Conscience and a guilt of this nature requireth a further and deeper Humiliation Confession Contrition but the Question is Whether such Sins be capable of a Pardon yea or no If they be capable of Forgiveness from a gracious God all this is no ground for thee to Despair and cast away Hope refusing to be comforted 2. If they be not capable of Pardon it must be so determined in Scripture Now the Revelation of God in his Holy Word hath no where determined that no Person that hath sinned against his Light shall be forgiven and we ought not to conclude to our own Prejudice and Discouragement as to an Act of God what he hath no where in his Word revealed 3. Thirdly There is no Sinner pardoned but hath sinned against his Light and against Love so that the Question seemeth not to be about the Thing but about the Degree not whether one who hath sinned against Light and Love can be Pardoned but whether one who hath sinned against so much Light and so much Love can be forgiven and it will be very hard for thee to asâ—ign Sinnings against such Degrees of Light and Love as none ever sinned against and were saved There are in Scripture great instances of Pardoned Sinners who yet sinned against great Degrees of Light and Love too Take but the instances of David and Peter David was a Man of much Light he was you know one of the Pen-men of Holy Writ he was a Man much beloved of God he is stiled The Man according to Gods own Heart God mindeth him of how much he had done for him taking him from the Sheep-folds and making him King over Israel and Judah giving his Masters Crowns Houses and Wives yea and
l. 2 r. the Grave and Hell p. 176 l. 6 r. who cannot understand p. 177 l. 24 r. therefore plain that p. 188 l. 7 r. the Soul p. 210 l. 5 r. so me thinks p. 228 l. 23 r. such Souls p. 234 l. 19 â— our sins p. 241 l. 14 r. violate them p. 261 l. 11 r. as to p 306 l. 26 r. in his heart Concerning TEMPTATIONS TO Atheistical and Blasphemous THOUGHTS CHAP. I. The true Notion of Atheistical and Blasphemous Thoughts Blasphemy committed three ways Atheistical Thoughts Transient and Volatile or more Fixed and Permanent Those more Fixed either studied by us embraced and improved or else such as are the Souls Burthen Trouble and great Affliction The Discourse restrained to the last DAvid telleth us The Fool hath said in his heart There 's no God Psal 14. v. 1. By the Fool is to be understood not the Natural Fool hindered in the exercise of his Reason but the Spiritual Fool the Wicked Man nor is there any to whom the Notion of a Fool more properly agreeth than to the Presumptuous bold Sinner whether you by Fool understand one that wanteth knowledge and wit or him that wanteth wisdom to guide his knowledge in exercise to the best ends of Humane Life to discern chuse and judge of things according to truth and reality and for the best advantage This Fool saith the Psalmist saith in his heart that is he thinks and believeth there is no God whatsoever he professeth with his lipps these are his inward thoughts The Philosopher distinguisheth betwixt our inward and more external Speech we speak nothing with our lipps but what we have first said in our hearts though we say much in our hearts which Shame or Moral Prudence restraineth us from speaking with our lipps Every wicked man doth not speak it with his lipps but he saith in his heart he thinketh there is no God and he speaketh it in his life his actions speak it he lives without a God in the World Now this being the Character of a wicked man one that is a spiritual Fool the impressions of them upon honest souls often proves a sad temptation to them ushering in temptations to Self-murther and Despair This hath made me resolve shortly to handle this Argument that I may by it give some relief to Souls thus tormented and likewise help others with something to say to Souls under these miserable circumstances I shall reduce the whole of my Discourse to these few Heads 1. I shall shew you what I understand by Atheistical and Blasphemous Thoughts and discourse shortly of the kinds and differences of them 2. We will inquire what Tempters a Soul may have to them 3. What Bait or seeming good the Tempter can imaginably propound to the Soul to intice it to them 4. What Arguments Tempters may use with any colourable reason to bring over a Soul to such a perswasion 5. We will inquire Whether all such kind of Thoughts be the Souls guilt or no or what are what are not 6. Lastly I shall offer my best advice both for Souls not as yet under these circumstances for the Prevention of them and for Souls under this great pressure for the Arming and Supporting of them against and under them and procuring them Liberty from them 1. Qu. What are those thoughts that deserve the name of Atheistical and Blasphemous The term Atheisme is taken sometimes more strictly for a denyal of God sometimes more largely for a denyal of any of the Perfections of God In the first Sense for a man to think That there is no God or that the Father the Son or the Holy Ghost is not God is Atheisme when it is onely a denial in the Heart it is an Atheistical Thought when we deny it with our Lipps they are Athestical words more largely for a man to deny Gods Wisdom Power Knowledg Mercy or any other of his Perfections is Atheism Blasphemy is committed three ways 1. By denial of the Perfections that are in God If any shall deny God to be one in Essence or the three Persons in the God-head or that God is a Spirit Omnipotent Omnisufficient c. is Blasphemy It is an evil and injurious speaking of God 2. When the Divine Perfections are attributed to the Creature such I mean as belong to God onely as to think any Creature Infinite Omnipotent Eternal Omnisufficient c. 3. When the Imporfections of Creatures are ascribed to God as if any thinketh in his heart That God is mortal that he is the Author or Countenancer of Sin or any thing of like nature which agrees to the Creature onely in regard of the imperfection of it Thus you see there may be a great variety of Atheistical and Blasphemous Thoughts according to the variety of the Object which may be the Being of God or the Perfections of God c. Again Such kind of Thoughts when they are fixed and permanent are either studied up by us bugg'd and imbraced and inlarged upon so as the Soul studies to feed them and maintain them which are hardly found in any but Atheistical Souls that find it their interest to secure their lusts by such principles Or else they are the Souls trouble and burthen and great Afflictions like a Viper sticking to their hands and there 't will stick They cry out and roar and endeavour to shake these thoughts off but they recurr and are like an ill sounding noise in their ears and inconceivably afflict them They say Get thee behind me Satan but he will not be gone They cry to God but he is pleased not to take the thorn out of their souls These are Temptations and they are Atheistical and Blasphemous Thoughts thus circumstanced that I now design to speak something to So that I exclude out of my Discourse 1. More transient and volatile Atheistical and Blasphemous Thoughts The wise the spiritually wise and good man may have some of these God is a Spiritual Being and so removed from the cognizance of our Senses Who hath seen his shape at any time And the Infiniteness of his Being and Perfections is so much beyond the span or fathom of our Reason that the best of men have their doubts sometimes about the Divine Being and Perfections which indeed taking their Notions of God from Scripture they chide away are humbled for them suffer them not to abide with them and endeavour to establish their souls against them by testimonies of Scripture which they firmly believe and make the only Rule of their Faith and Director of their apprehensions concerning God 2. I also exclude from my Discourse such permanent fixed thoughts of Atheism and Blasphemy as breed in the Soul and the Soul delighteth in is well pleased with studies to fortifie and make good by Argument For these are only found in Atheists who are either such avowedly and professedly and are not ashamed by the words of their lips to declare that superfluity of vileness that is in their
Flesh ought with Job to make a Covenant with their Eyes that they will not look upon Objects that may minister Fuel to their Lusts Yea and with their Ears too that they will not hear any Discourses of that Tendency The Melancholick Person being naturally inclined to an excess of Fear and Sorrow ought to make a Covenant with his or her Exteriour Senses that they will not fetch in or receive any Objects that have an aptitude or fitness in them to increase Fears and Excessive Sorrow and Sadness c. 2. Take heed of Solitude and delighting too much to be alone It is usually said that every one who is alone much alone proves either a God or a Devil to himself There is nothing of more advantage to a Man or Woman if they be in health and under no disturbances of Mind and Spirit than to be alone It was wont to be said by a great Roman That he was never less alone then when he was alone A Good Christian in clear Circumstances is never more with God then when he is alone nor doth ordinarily ever enjoy more of God But the case is quite contrary if one be under the prevailings of this Distemper He is never more exposed to Temptations he is never mote baited by the Devil then when he is alone Solitude is by no means advisable in an hour of Temptation I observe Matth. 4. 1. That when Christ was to be tempted by the Devil he was by the Spirit carried into the Wilderness 3. Divert thy self by Imployment what thou canst The great Evils which hazard the Soul under this Distemper arise from the too much fixation of the thoughts upon some particular terrible Objects Hence whatsoever is proper to divert the thoughts that they pore not too much upon such terrible things which are most obvious to them is a very rational mean to be used in order if not to the rooting out of the Cause yet to the preventing the sad Effects of this Distemper Hence you shall observe in that Story of Elijah 1 Kings 19. That God would neither suffer him to be Alone nor to be out of Imployment both which he seemed to seek v. 4. He goeth a days Journey into the Wilderness and sitteth under a Juniper Tree there he beggs of God to take away his Life and lyes down and sleepeth v. 5. God sends an Angel which cometh and toucheth him and bids him Arise and Eat v. 7. He sends an Angel the second time and bids him Arise and Eat and sends him to Horeb. Still he was in his Melancholick Fit and goeth into a Cave God v. 9. comes to him a third time and saith to him What doest thou here Elijah v. 13. he lingers still and standeth in the Mouth of the Cave There cometh a Voice to him again saying What doest thou here Elijah Methinks God himself in that Chapter prescribes unto persons under these Distempers what to do and to their friends and relations what they should do as to them and for them by all means to avoid Solitude and to drive them out from their pleasing Solititudes and to imploy them and divert them God sends Elijah a Journey v. 15. to Damascus to anoint Hazael King of Syria and to anoint Jehu King of Israel Other directions of this Nature I leave to Physicians 3. Lastly Religious Means is by no means to be neglected for as the blessing of all Means by which Remedy is given us for any Diseases even those which are most obvious in their Causes Effects and Cures depend upon him whose name is The Lord that healeth us So more especially as to this the Causes of which are so various the Effects so uncertain and the Cure so difficult that I doubt whether any yet have wrote satisfactorily to more considerate persons in the Case There seems to be much hidden even from the Wisest Naturalists and to be 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 something Divine beyond what the Accutest Wits and Reasons have discovered I would therefore have such persons by no means omit Reading and Hearing the Word of God Sorrow maketh an heart to stoop saith Solomon but a good word makes it better I have heard a Story of a Good Woman under a great Temptation to destroy her self and going about to drown her self first taking her Bible and casually opening it and casting her Eye on a Text declaring the great Mercy of God to Sinners she presently saith to her self Nay if it be so I will not drown my self yet And if there were nothing as certainly there is very much by persons to be expected upon the Promise of God to persons performing their Duty in Reading and Waiting upon God in his Ordinances yet I know no Reason but the thoughts of persons may be diverted by what they Read and Hear in Sacred and Holy things as well as other things which have not such a Stamp and Impress of God upon them Prayer is the general way of Application and Address unto God in all Cases if we know no due Means Prayer obtains Wisdom and Direction from God if we use due Means Prayer obtaineth a Blessing from God upon the use of them If something must be done for us beyond the Natural Force and Vertue of Means Prayer obtaineth that from God But I shall add no more to this first Direction upon which I had not inlarged so far but that I find it so hard to perswade persons under this Temptation that it is advantaged by this Natural Distemper than which there is nothing more evident upon all Experience that both this and another Sore Temptation as to which I shall speak something in my following Discourse are all highly advantaged and promoved by it and therefore a taking heed to our selves in this Case is also very necessary to prevent them and I intend when I speak to them to add little more upon this Argument but onely refer to what I have said in this Chapter which hath made me willing once for all to discourse it more largely Now I proceed CHAP. V. A Second Direction to prevent Temptations of this Nature The Mortification of Pride The Influence which Pride hath upon the Soul in order to the raising or promoving such thoughts in us as it is the great Mother of Discontent upon Gods altering our External Circumstances Considerations to be digested in order to the keeping of our Souls in a mean opinion of our Selves 2. IN the Second place Take heed of Pride live in the Mortification of that Lust Solomon hath three Wise Sentences in his Book of Proverbs which we should have at all times ingraven in our hearts Prov. 11. 2. When Pride cometh then cometh Shame Prov. 16. 18. Pride goeth before destruction and an haughty spirit before a fall The last is Prov. 29. 23. A mans pride shall bring him low I do not think that there are three other pieces of the revealed Will of God that are more verified in daily experience than these are
may be forgiven This Pareus thinks the most proper Reading That which favoureth our Translation is what followeth in the next Words Behold thou hast driven me this day from the Face of the Earth c. where he complaineth onely of his Punishment Either Reading is what the Original will bear either of them makes the words the Complaint of Cain after he had kill'd his Brother Abel and God had come down and doomed him for it telling him He was Cursed from the Earth which had epened her Mouth to receive his Brothers Blood When he tilled the ground it should not yield unto him her strength A Fugitive and a Vagabond shalt thou be in the Earth To which Cain replyeth either thus My Punishment is greater then I can bear Or Mine Iniquity is greater then that it can be forgiven Whether he complaineth of his Sin or of his Punishment That 's the onely Question nor needs it any Decision Both Readings express the Genius of a Reprobate who either complaineth of his Punishment but not of his Sin or if at any time he complains of Sin it is despairing and without hope of Mercy Onely I cannot agree with Chrysostome and others who Interpret these Words into a full Confession of Sin onely they say it was too late but true Repentance is never too late I shall in my Discourse consider the Words as you have them in the Margents of your Bibles designing onely to make use of them to discourse as to the great Temptation to Despair In my Discourse upon which I shall first Consider 1. The Nature of the Temptation in it self 2. The Tempters inforcing it 3. The means ordinarily made use of in the inforcing of it 4. The most probable means to be used for getting a victory over it As to the first I have already told you That every Evil Temptation is a Motion or Solicitation of the Soul to Sin which when it is more Importune and Impetuous we usually call a Temptation but let us more particularly inquire into the Nature of this Sin of Desperation Despair in the general Notion of it signifieth a casting away of all hope as to the obtaining of some good which we desire and so the Object of it may be any good thing of which we are not possest but may be the Object of our Desires or Hope Thus we may Despair of Life as St. Paul did 2. Cor. 1. 8. of Health of Success in Business c. but in the Notion I am now speaking to it must he limited to the greatest Spiritual Good such as Pardon of Sin Living with God in Glory another day c. And here again we must distinguish betwixt Fear and Despair for although there be no Despair without high degrees of Fear yet there may be Fears great degrees of Fear which may produce some Phrases of Despair or Fits or Passions of it where yet there is no fixed Despair Despair in the Notion of it to which I am now speaking Is a Souls total fixed permanent Want and Rejection of all Hope as to the Pardon of Sins in this Life or any happy Estate in the Life to come When as the Apostle speaks there remaineth nothing in the Soul but a certain dreadful locking for of Judgment and fiery Indignation to devour them as the Adversaries of God Heb. 10. 27. It is an Hell began in the Soul in this Life It is often attended with Dâ—sperate Impressions Blasphemy against God always with intollerable Horrour and Terrour of Conscience But we are not at present so much Considering it in the Effects and Issue of it as in the Nature and first Rise and Beginning of it The next thing we have to consider is the Efficient Causes in this great Temptation I have shewed you that every Temptation to Sin is from our own Lust the Devil or the World The Men of the World have rarely any considerable Efficiciency in this Temptation it is not often we hear them telling us That we have sinned beyond hope of Mercy They rather err on the other hand The two ordinary Efficient Causes in this Temptation are our own Lust and our grand Adversary the Devil 1. Our own Lust Our depraved hearts are enough under some circumstances which we may be under to suggest to us very unworthy thoughts of God and highly derogatory to his Honour and Glory For though in a quiet calm state our Lust suggests ordinarily other things to us yet all the Lust that is in our Hearts doth not discover it self at the same hour We shall find Lusts stirring in us in an hour of Prosperity of which we shall hear nothing in an hour of great Tribulation and Adversity And so on the other side we shall find those Lusts stirring in us in a time of great Affliction and Adversity which we diseerned little of in the halcyon days of our Prosperity When Men come to be under great pressures of Afflictions then those who in Health could think of nothing but their Sensual Satisfactions or Worldly Business begin to be at leisure to think of Dying and of the Eternal State of Souls and tho ordinarily our Lust enclineth us rather to presume and groundlesly to prophecy Good rather than Evil to our selves yet I do not know but under some circumstances our Hearts that of themselves are no better disposed to give God the Glory of his Mercy then of his Justice may though the Devil stand by suggest to us black and hard thoughts of God which may produce Desperation 2. But where the Impressions are fixed strong and abiding and the Soul though out-reasoned refuseth to be comforted or to entertain any better thoughts of God but rather is more stubborn and pertinacious and blasphemeth God I should suspect a great praedominance of a Praeternatural Cause and the Soul under the Violence of Satan for we are naturally inclined to hope well for our selves and to lay hold of every good word that looketh that way 3. Possibly The Devil may also in this Temptation joyn with our own Lusts and the Temptation may be mixt from one or both these Causes are these Temptations and this sinful Habit is begun and perfected in our Souls CHAP. II. What seeming Good is the bait in this Temptation To speak the truth of it self Possibly the serving our Malice upon God An Examination Whether the Doctrines of Election of Persons particularly Redemption and Special Grace conduce to Despair The contrary evinced THe greatest difficulty is to resolve with what Bait it is possible such an Hook as this is should be baited for whereas the Apostle telleth us as I have formerly opened to you That every one is tempted when he is drawn away by his own Lust and inticed it might justly pose an ordinary Reason to imagine what seeming Good should entice a Soul to cast away all hopes of Happiness from the Mercy of God all hopes of Eternal Life and Salvation To conclude it shall go to Hell and there
died fâ—r all a sad Doctrine which gives Judas as much comfort as Peter Others think he purchased a certainty of Salvation for the Elect but a possibility for all Others believe he died onely for the Elect. But admitting the last to be true which some think to make Redemption conform to the Decree of Election and not understand how Christ should purchase an impossible possibility which must be as to some if there were any that were passed over in the Eternal Purpose or any to whom God resolved not to give those effectual Aids of his special Grace necessary in order to those Exercises of Faith and Holiness by which Salvation must be obtained But what Market can the Devil make of this He can tell them they are not Elected and so Christ died not fâ—r them But the Soul can reply He was a Lier from the Beginning and none of Gods Privy Counsellors and that its Non-election can onely appear from its prodigious sinnings continued in to the end without Repentance and Faith in Christ And the others telling them Christ died for all will not relieve them for Judas notwithstanding that proved a Son of Perdition and went to his own place when he had hang'd himself It is also true that many great Divines do think none can be saved without the special Grace of God working together with the Word in their Hearts and effectually renewing turning changing and sanctifying and that this is not in a Man 's own Power but the work of God What advantage now can the Devil make of this Doctrine to perswâ—â—e the Soul to cast away all hopes of the Mercy of God through Christ for the pardon of its Sins and for the obtaining of Eternal Life and Salvation He can suggest to the Soul That God never bestowed upon it this effectual Grace nor ever will If he doth not add the later he saith nothing for what Ground have I to cast away all hope if yet there be hope that although I have not yet repented and believed yet God will give me his Grace though at the Eleventh hour that I shall repent believe and be saved Now suppose him to suggest so How shall he evidence this to me but from the guilt of my sin or my abiding in it It is therefore that whatever bluster some Sciclists make in the World to load the Opinions of some great and eminent Divines with Envy and Obloquy yet in very deed the Devil can urge Despair of the Pardon of Sin and obtaining Eternal Life with any colourable reason upon no Soul but from Sin nor indeed do we in our Experience find any thing else stick with Souls in an hour of Temptation Now here he must either say Thy Sins are so many they cannot be forgiven or Thou hast sinned so long a time that thou canst not be forgiven Thy hour is over thy time is past or Thou hast sinned some particular sins which are of so hainous a nature or so deep a dy that God will never forgive them What the Soul may answer to all these we shall God willing by and by consider CHAP. III. Means to prevent Despair Clear and distinct Knowledge Taking heed of inveterate Sinnings Prodigious Sinnings All Sinnings against Light Such Sins especially as come nearest the unpardonable Sin YOu have heard the Nature of this Temptation you have also heard from whence Temptations of this nature come what seeming good enticeth the Soul to listen to them and also what Arguments the Tempters have alone to use to inforce them Let me now come to shew you what is to be done by Christians in order to the repelling and resisting of them And because as I told you in my Discourse referring to the former Prevention is the best way let me first advise what is proper to all of us upon whom this hour of Temptation is not come that we may never fall into this snare of the Devil 1. And here let me first commend to you all a sound and distinct Knowledge of the Truths of God The Devil in an hour of Temptation hath a great advantage upon an ignorant Person above what he hath upon a knowing Christian Solomon tells us true That a Soul should be without Knowledge is not good He that hath a sound and distinct Knowledge of the Nature of God the Doctrine of Faith the Covenant of Grace and the Promises of the Word of God seldom falls into or lieth long under this Temptation How easie a thing it is for the Devil to fright ignorant Souls with telling them They are not Elected that Christ did not die for them that their Sins are too many or too great or have been too long continued in to be pardoned or that they have not truly repented or believed or that they have sinned the unpardonable Sin or an hundred such things O do not slight Knowledge no not a notional Knowledge of the things of God You are not able to prophecy of what use it will be to your Souls in an hour of Temptation A knowing Christian may be tempted and it may be some time before he can get his Hand upon the Sword of the Spirit which is the Word of God to draw it out for his purpose but if he hath it by his side if he be mighty in the Scriptures he will have no long work with an Enemy of this kind I pity such as cannot read or if they can yet have lost their time and not improved it to learn the Scriptures be acquainted with Catechisms which should ground them in the Doctrine of Faith Thou that despisest Knowledge neglectest yea despisest thy own Soul and all its Peace and Comfort and seemest to presume upon a Miracle to be shewed for thee in an hour of Temptation 2. Secondly Take heed of going on in a course of Sinning especially against thy Light and Checks of Conscience Inveterate Sinning and prodigious Sinnings and Sinnings against Light and Checks of Conscience and particularly some Sins and such especially as come nearest to the Sin unto Death give the Devil very high and great advantages as to this Temptation 1. I say first Inveterate Sinning When Sin hath grown up with a Man from his youth he hath lived and walked and wallowed in it many years it makes the Devil a great Market We find it hard to believe that God who can have from us but the homage of a few days or hours will forgive us the Sins of so many years It is rare that old Sinners are brought to Repentance and Converted you shall most generally observe that if God changeth a Man or Womans Heart it is either in their Youth or middle Age seldom in Child-hood and seldom in Old Age and if in Old Age they are ordinarily infested with great Temptations Take heed of Sin growing Old in thy Soul An old habit is hardly put off How can you that are accustomed to do Evil do Well An old Ulcer is hardly Cured beware of growing
of them Our Inveterateness in them Our Sinning against the Holy Ghost None of these sufficient The greatness of the Sin of Despair shewn in what it implieth what it is attended with and produceth 4. Other Directions for Souls thus tempted THus far I have discoursed you in order to the prevention of these Assaults Possibly as to some this Counsel may come too late they may already find in their Souls Thoughts tending to Despair The next Question is What shall these do Or indeed rather what shall be said to or done for those for their Support Relief or Deliverance I know but three things that can be done for such a Soul 1. The First is With the Physician of the Body who is Gods Ordinance the Means he hath appointed by which he healeth our Bodies 2. The Second is with God who alone hath a Power paramount to Sathan and alone can find a way to our Hearts and make powerful Impressions upon them 3. The Third is with the Party Tempted to perswade him or her of the unreasonableness of the Temptation the contrary Revelation of the Will of God in Scripture and the use of Means Natural Moral and Religious for the support of him or her self and the bringing him or her self out of this horrible Pit Under these three Heads I shall bring my whole remaining Discourse upon this Argument 1. The first thing I say is to be done in this Case relates to the Physician It is a thing that we find very difficult to perswade Souls under these circumstances to believe nay many others too less knowing Christians that there is any thing of Bodily Distemper in the case But there is nothing more true nothing that is more ordinarily experimented God forbid that we should think that all Despairing Thoughts and Expressions are the Effects of a Natural Cause a disordered Body or Head The contrary is evident but that in many they are so I was about to say that in the most they are so and that where they are not simply and singly the Effects of those Causes they are yet highly advantaged and improved by the Concurrence of such Bodily Distempers is most evident to those who have any Experience in these things either from what they have found in themselves or observed from their converse with and ministring unto those that have lien under these great Burthens And there can be no greater Argument for this then the frequent Experiences we have of Persons that in the beginning of these Distempers have had them removed by the use of Natural Means Not that God is to be neglected for admitting these Fits of Despair to be but the products of a Natural Cause by the ill influence that some disordered peccant Humours of the Body have upon the Mind disposing it to Fears and Jealousies Suspicious Diffidence and Distrust Yet it is God that must heal us by his giving a Blessing upon Means but the Question is not about the Principal Efficient Cause in the Cure which must be God but concerning the Means to be used and in the use of which God is to be sought and his Assistance expected Therefore I say the first thing to be done in these Cases is consulting with the Physician about the Health of our Bodies and that with an Able and Experienced Physician for it is an exceeding weighty Case with reference to our Good and well Being Nor ought any Means to be neglected which such a one shall direct for bringing our Bodies into a right Order not yet to be used without solemn Applications to God begging both his Direction of them and his Blessing upon them Nor ought this to be delayed for none knoweth the Effects of such Disorders as these and how quick a growth such Beginning Distempers oft times have But this is one of the first things I should advise in such a Cause as this is 2. Secondly Such a Soul hath also a greal deal of business to do with God The Nature of which must be determined according to what it findeth to have given the first rise and cause to these Thoughts If it findeth that some Bodily Distempers hath given the first rise and cause to these dark and ill concluding Thoughts Our business with God lies 1. In begging Gods Direction of us unto the Use and Blessing upon us in the use of such Means as are proper and he will Bless unto the Healing of us and the Deliverance of us from so great a Burthen that he who ministreth unto us may not have a miscarrying hand 2. That he would please to command the Means used to exert and put forth that Vertue which he hath created in them for the producing that Effect we desire and for the obtaining of which we make use of them 3. That in the mean time he would please so to influence and to support our Souls that our Bodily Distempers may have no such ill Influence upon our Minds as to be occasions to us of dishonouring God by entertaining any unworthy Thoughts of the Divine Majesty Mercy and Goodness If we find that these black and dark Thoughts arise in us or in any others from any other Cause whether our own Reflexions upon our former Sinful Courses or some particular guilt of Sin upon us Our Business is still with God by Prayer for it is he alone that can Pardon Sin that can give Eternal Life and Salvation and that can beget in the Soul a lively Hope as to such Pardon and obtaining Eternal Life and Salvation that can Bless any Spiritual Means to be used in order to the obtaining of any of these but here the matter of Prayer and of our Petitions to God must be of another Nature That which the Soul in this Cause hath to do with God is 1. To confess its Sin unto God and to begg of God a broken and contrite Heart that it may confess and bewail its Sin as it ought to do When saith David Psal 32. v. 3 4. I kept silence my Bones waxed old through my roaring all the day long for day and night thine hand was heavy upon me my moisture is turned into the drought of Summer I acknowledged my Sin unto thee and mine Iniquity I have not hid I said I will confess my Transgressions unto the Lord and thou forgavest the Iniquity of my Sin 2. He hath a further Work with God viz. To begg of him the Pardon of his Sin and the begetting in his Soul a lively Hope in his Mercy and Godness It is God 1 Pet. 1. 3. The Father of our Lord Jesus Christ which according to his abundant Mercy begetteth the Soul to a lively Hope by the Resurection of Jesus Christ from the Dead to an Inheritance incorruptible and undefiled and that fadeth not away reserved in the Heavens for us 3. Thirdly to begg of God a Blessing upon all Means in order to this end whether the reading or the hearing of the Word or any Spiritual Conference with
Ministers or knowing and experienced Christians who are able to speak a word in season for the Relief of Souls that are weary and heavy laden with the sense of their Sins 3. A third Work to be done for the Relief of Souls under this fore Temptation is with the Persons themselves that are Tempted and that is to perswade them or for such poor Souls to perswade themselves of the unreasonableness of those conclusions which they make against themselves Now upon this suffer me to inlarge a little in an endeavour to demonstrate the little force that can be in any Argument that such a Soul can bring against it self in this Case and in shew-you the exceeding sinfulness of this Sining of Despair in the first place let me desire such a Soul to Consider 1. That there is no Argument sufficient to warrant it to cast away all Hope in God as to the pardon of its Sin and the obtaining Eternal Life and Salvation through Christ The one of these dependeth upon the other For if there be no Argument sufficient to convince such a Soul that its Sins shall never be forgiven there can be no Argument sufficient to convince it that it shall certainly be Damned or that it is a Reprobate for Psal 32. 1. Blessed is he whose Iniquities are forgiven and whose Sins are covered and to whom the Lord imputeth not Transgression A Pardoned Sinner cannot Perish that is certain If therefore no Reason can be brought sufficient to prove that God will never Pardon me none can be brought sufficient for me to conclude from it That God will not Save me 1. Sometimes Souls under these Circumstances will plead no Argument at all onely they have such a fixed Impression and Perswasion upon their Hearts they know it they are sure of it c. and this is all you can get from it But as the Apostle saith in another Case Gal 5. 8. This perswasion cometh not from him that calleth you Impressions upon our Spirits are no Oracles nor must be taken for Arguments Impressions or Perswasions are either from the Holy Spirit of God or Perswasions hatcht up in our Souls by their own Powers or they are from the Evil Spirit Impressions indeed from the Spirit of God cannot deceive they are infallible but so are not these Can think you this Perswasion be from him that every where in his Word calleth upon Men to Sinners to all sorts and degrees of Sinners to Repent and Beleeve to wash themselves and make themselves Clean telling them that if their Sins were as Scarlet they shall be as Snow if as Crimson they shall be as white as Wooll that he will have Mercy upon them and abundantly Pardon them Jsaiah 55. 6 7. Can he that calleth Sinners all Sinners that are weary and heavy laden to come unto him Promising them Rest for their Souls I say can they possibly think that he hath perswaded them that they shall never obtain Pardon It must therefore remain that these Perswasions in whatsoever Souls they are found must either be bred in the Soul from its own Corruption or brought into the Soul by Satan Let them be from which of these two Causes they will they are very far from being certain and infallible The Heart of Man is deceitful above all things and the Devil was a Liar from the Beginning Time was it is possible when the Devil drove a quite contrary Design and sang a quite other Song to incourage the Soul in a course of Sin suggesting to it that Pardon was an easie thing and might be obtained without difficulty however he hath changed his Note now he is pursuing but the same Design that is the Ruin of the Soul though it be by a quite contrary Method But it is not always that a Soul under this Temptation talketh at this irrational rate ordinarily it hath something to say though nothing sufficient to build such a Conclusion upon and as I hinted to you before all that the Devil or a Man 's own Heart can say in the case is either 1. That our Sins are too many to be forgiven Or 2. That they have been aggravated with some circumstances to that degree that they cannot be forgiven Or 3. That the time is past we have gone on in them too long to be forgiven Or 4. That we have committed some particular Sins of too deep a dy to be washed out If we can but drive out the Devil from these Refuges we shall leave him nothing to say to a Soul to advantage this Temptation 1. As to the First That our Sins are too many to be forgiven This Suggestion either hath no bottom at all or if it hath any it must be this That the Promises of Grace and the Forgiveness of Sins are limited to a certain number of Sins for if they be not upon what colourable pretence doth the Devil endeavour to baffle the Hope of any Soul by whispering to it That its Sins are too many to be forgiven if God hath no where said he will not pardon a multitude of Sins to what purpose or upon what pretence shall a Soul Despair because of the multitude of its Iniquities But where in the whole Book of God shall a troubled Soul find any line to this purpose A Souls hope for Pardon dependeth upon the Word of God and in reason must not the Limitations if any be of that hope be found in the Word of God too or are they not in all reason to be rejected as the Fictions of our own Hearts or Figments of our grand Adversary the Devil Where the Word of God limiteth not the Will of God upon what grounds do we limit it Methinks in this case the whole Trinity speaketh unto us in the Language that St. Paul spake to the Corinthians in another Cause 2 Cor. 6. 11 12. Oye Corinthians saith he our Mouth is opened unto you our Heart is inlarged You are not straitned in us you are straitned in your own Bowels Some thinks the Holy Trinity speaketh to us in the whole tenor of the Sacred Writing O you troubled Sinners you Despairing Souls our Mouth is opened to you to call those that have abundantly sinned to our abounding Mercies Our Heart is enlarged you are not straitned in me saith the Father of Mercies I have infinite Mercies Mercies as the Sands which is on the Sea-shore You are not straitned in me saith the Son I have an infinite Value and Vertue in my Blood it is sufficient in it self for the Expiation of the Sins of the whole World and every individual Man and Woman in the World You are not straitned in me saith the Holy Spirit I after a multitude of Sinnings stand yet at the door of your Hearts and knock and cry if any Man will open he shall come in and sâ—p with me yea let them do what in them lieth I am ready to add my Efficacy to give Faith and to give Repentance and this after a multitude
be Pardoned I might be Saved but I have not Repented I do not Repent my Heart is harder than the neather Milstone I weep and howl indeed for my Plagues I see I am a poor undone Creature that makes me complain and wring my hands but I see nothing of the evil of my Sin I shed not a tear upon that account nor cannot therefore there is no hope 1. It must be acknowledged that both Repentance and Faith is the Gift of God and naturally no Man hath a Power to the one or to the other Acts 11. 18. 2 Tim. 2. 25. and Faith is not of our selves it is the Gift of God Eph. 2. 8. Phil. 1. 29. The Question is not therefore taking Repentance in a full and proPer sense whether thou canst Repent or Believe but whether God hath wrought or will yet work in thee a power truly to Repent and Believe And how doest thou know that God will not do that For thou canst not conclude supposing God hath not done it yet that he will not do it before thy dying hour 2. Possibly thou mayest be mistaken in thy determining that God hath not done it from a mistake concerning the true Nature of Repentance a sense and sorrow for Sin are but the out-works of it True Repentance lies in the Souls displicence to Sin and hatred of it and readiness to take a Revenge upon it self for it and Resolution and endeavour against it for the time to come I know it is not impossible that a Soul under such Horrours as these may not have any true sense of Sin or Hatred of it but even Blaspheme God because of its Horrours Terrours and Affrightments but let me tell you the Instances of Souls are very rare that are under great Terrours and Affrightments for Sin so aâ— to conclude there is no hope and yet at the same time Love Delight in such Sins take pleasure in them and desire but occasions to commit them I would ask thee seriously under these Terrours for some Sins thou hast committed doest thou not from thine heart wish thou hadst not committed them Couldst thou not even tear thy flesh that ever thou shouldest be so far betrayed by the Lusts and Passions of thy depraved Heart Wouldest thou now do the like again What doth this speak but Repentance so far as it can be judged of under thy present Circumstances Indeed it is possible all this may be and yet a Soul recovered out of these sad Circumstances may again return with the Dog to its vomit and the Swine to the wallowing in the mire again but this is not what at present thou canst conclude to hinder thy Souls Hope and Confidence in the Mercy and Free-grace of God 3. But admit thou canst not satisfie thy self that thou hast Repented or Believed yet may not God yet give thee an Heart to Repent and Believe What hindreth Or if he may what hindreth thy hope in the Mercy of God Nay if thou doest what in thee lyeth I dare assure thee that God will not be wanting in the Aids and Assistances of his Grace But I have said enough to evince the first thing that I propoâ—ed That there is no sufficient Reason considering the Covenant of Grace and Gods Revelation of his Mind in the Gospel for any Soul to Despair The Issue of which is this That a Soul thus sinning Transgresseth without a Cause and a Reasonable Soul in this acteth not according to Principles of Reason or any just Conclusion drawn from Gospel Promises or Principles This is the first thing 2. A Second thing which I would offer to such a Souls Reflection is the greatness of the Sin of Despair Presumption is a Sin but yet Despair seemeth to be a far greater Sin To Evidence which I shall desire you to consider 1. What it Implieth 2. What must Accompany it 3. What better Consequents it hath 1. It Implieth and carrieth along with it a denial either of the Power of God Or of the Goodness and Mercy of God or thirdly of his Truth and Faithfulness 1. Of the Power of God It was laid to the charge of the Israelites That they limited the Holy One of Israel Psal 78. 41. They said Can God bring us Water out of the Rock And Can God give us Meat in the Wilderness Thou sayest Can God Pardon such a Sinner as I have been Can God give Repentance Can God give me Faith in Jesus Christ What is this but to limit the Almighty The unbelieving Noble Man of whom you read in the Book of Kings when the Prophet fore-told that Food should by the next day be at so cheap a Rate said If God would make Windows in Heaven the thing could not be The Prophet told him it should be he should see it but he should not Eat of it and the Chapter telleth you he saw it verified he saw it the next day but he was trodden to Death by the Multitude Sarah laughed it was a laughter of unbelief when the Angel told her she should have a Son God punished it gently in her but more severely in Zachary that would not believe that his barren Wife should have a Son he was struck Dumb What doest thou do less than Question the Power of God If God can forgive Sins why mayest thou not hope If he can even in the last hour give Repentance unto Life why should a living Man not hope Ah! but saith this Soul No no I do not doubt but God can do it but he will not do it 2. Secondly Is not this to deny the Lords Goodness and Mercy God hath exalted his Mercy above all his Name when God proclaimed his Name to Moses Exo. 34. you shall find there 8 or 9 Expressions all but one which will by no means clear the Guilty signifying the Goodness and Mercy of God which hath made a very Learned Interpreter v. De Dieu ad Loc. doubt whether we have truly Translated that Phrase God triumpheth more in this than in any other part of his Name he hath chosen to be exalted in his Arttribute of Mercy he hath exalted it above all his Name Now this is that Artribute the Glory of which Despair Robbeth God of Presumption denieth him the honour of his Truth of his Justice and Judgment which indeed he stileth his Work but his strange Work as that which floweth not from himself but is as it were forced from him by a meritorious Cause in the Creature Mercy is the proper and natural Work of God flowing meerly from himself without any Cause in the Creature This is that the Honour of which Despair denieth unto God nor is it to be freed from a questioning the Power of God also for although as thou pretendest thou doest not Universally question the Prerogative and Power of God to Forgive Sins yet thou deniest his Power to Forgive thy Sins yea the Sins of any who are in the like Circumstances of sinning with thee for unless thou canst charge