dog whose mouth you had stopped will awaken against you and fly in your faces and then be your greatest terrour when you most stand in need of comfort and to have conscience your friend 3 Or howsoever you shall be given up to Desperation and therein to perish for ever as we see in Judas who repenting of his sin meerely out of horrour not hatred of it 3 or to utter desperation and neglecting in hope to seek to Christ and to shew true sorrow for his treachery against him was in Gods justice given up to desperation to be tormented by Satan in this life till he grew weary of it as is seen in Judas and to hasten his own eternall torments with him in hel Even thus little pricks or bruises neglected prove not only extremely painfull but often deathfull and rods are turned into scorpions How was it with Francis Spira whose lamentable story is so well known who smothering a good while such checks of conscience and Francis Spira as being hearkened unto would have kept peace in his conscience was given up to be lashed in his naked soul for a long while by so many strokes of conscience as with so many iron rods and at length for all that could be done or said vnto him to dye most miserably and without comfort God by such remarkable examples though they fall out rarely in such noted manner yet by the terrour of them would and doth warn all men not to neglect conscience or to whist and smother the reproofs and checks of it that so more securely and with lesse controll they may still enjoy their lusts their sinfull gains pleasures offices honours liberty favour with men and what else they are wedded to more sorrow for such things whilst stings of conscience are followed home with godly and repentant sorrow with self deniall in them will much sooner bring a man to sound ease and solid rest then the injoying of them with a false peace by silencing deading and dulling of conscience But now supposing thou art an elect child of God who art so wounded which that thou art yea in the elect there will follow thou canst not know till thou be made truly sorrowfull and be throughly converted and attain to true faith yet though thy first prickings of conscience be such as shall prove saving to thee yet I say if thou follow not home this work of humiliation and sorrow once begun these things will follow either 1 an easie return to sinne and the best thou canst expect will be either an easy return to former sinnes so sleightly sorrowed for and an often relapsing into the same sins as we see in Abraham twice denying Sarah to be his wife and may see it much more in others not onely the wicked as is said as in Ahab Judas Felix c. but even the elect of God or 2 a questioning the truth of conversion or an uncomfortable walking all thy life time with a continuall questioning the truth of thy conversion and so nothing but deadnesse and doubting or it may be or 3 a new beginning again a coming back again under the bondage of the Law as having the whole work to begin after a dead and unfound profession for many years whereby thou hast deceived thy self or 4 crosses from God further to humble them or lastly great crosses and afflictions sent from God to humble thee yet more and more as why not in Jobs cases who by afflictions was made to remember and possesse the sins of his youth perhaps not so truly sorrowed for at the first You see then that there is no resting or taking up with every light or little pang of conscience A reproof of such as 1 seek comfort and lay hold on pardon too soon many by seeking or snatching at comfort too soon do altogether misse of it they will believe the promise of pardon ere they be prepared sufficiently for it they take too great and wide a stride at once seeing there are many steps between such sleight terrours wrought by the Law and true faith to believe the pardon of sin Others after some apprehension of wrath shaking it off 2 Shake off all former sense of sin and punishment do think it basenesse to suffer themselves to be so much disquieted as sometimes they have been and hereupon most desperately harden themselves against the word and resolve to outstare the Ministers of it they will no longer be such children as they have been they will do as they have done let Jeremy if he were among them or all the Ministers in the world say against them what they will or can But for men of this stamp I must leave them seeing by this their obstinacy and hardning of themselves which is a fearfuull case they shew that God hath left them to their own gracelesse hearts in his greatest displeasure to run on headlong without fear to their own eternall destruction as not meaning and yet who knows the mind and mercies of the Lord to give them repentance that he might save them God may do much for such and in meere mercy by his mighty power soften and reclaim them but neither may they presume thereon nor dare I promise it I therefore turn mee to such as have some sense of sin and are or shall be touched with some gripings and stings of conscience though for the present it be onely in apprehension of judgement to these I would speak a word of Exhortation and of Direction SECT 5. The former Exhortation further followed The exhortation further followed that our sorrow may be to repentance TO you then I say seeing the word hath taken hold on you and wounded you See that your sorrow be to purpose that is indeed to repentance and to salvation and that it be according to God or after a godly manner that it work and bring forth carefulnese 1 Cor. 7.8 9 10 11. and other such fruits as godly sorrow wrought in the Corinthians upon Paul's reproof of them and such as this here in my Text wrought in these Jews by Peter's conviction of them the first fruit whereof was carefulness what shall wee do upon which question they were directed to repent verse 38. they were first pricked in heart yet had not repented that was after prescribed to them as a salve and as the end of their pricking So that wee see the one of these is but a beginning a preparative and the way to the other men may be wounded heavie laden and burdened with their sin and yet not converted not as yet come and brought to Christ Matth. 11.28 Men must be first sinners in their own sense that done they are called to repentance The weight of sin may lie on one and he as yet not truly or not sufficiently humbled See then yee be humbled enough And that we be humbled enough Num. 16.14 Most come short in this great work
servants shall sing for joy of heart but ye shall cry for sorrow of heart and shall howl for vexation or for breaking of spirit Isa 65.13 14. Such as now are pricked in heart and broken in spirit shall be bound up and everlastingly comforted whereas such as will not now be pricked shall then be broken in heart and spirit without any healing following after CHAP. XIV SECT 1. Containing a removal of lets And first of such lets as hinder the word to pierce 2 Directions and means of humiliation and sorrow ANother thing to be considered for the furthering of these Motives and setting forward the Exhortation is Direction Motives may make a man by Gods grace more willing but Directions by the same grace make him more able to do his duty Here then we must direct you to the means of self-humbling and how such sorrow may be wrought in your hearts The first of which or that which is first to be done But first is a removall of lets and impediments thereunto Le ts removed which are of two sorts 1 Lets hindering the word to hit and pierce Now the Lets to godly sorrow and pricking are either such as by which the point as I may say of the sword of the Spririt or word of God is diverted put by blunted or otherwise kept from hitting or piercing or such as by which though the Word hit and pierce yet it pains not it puts to no grief men still remain insensible of it and are farre from true Contrition Of the first sort are these 1 Want of Meditation and of Application 1 Inconsideration and want of Meditation without which all Motives prove inavailable for want of this they are not brought home by Application and so men are not touched or but lightly touched and so as not to be much moved by them All actions require time and space for their operation as fire to burn and so all arguments used to the soul even the most piercing as Gods judgements though they be of a fiery nature will not warm melt or mollifie the heart which is like green wood whose sap is in it unlesse by constant meditation they be holden and applied close to the soul and the soul to them by setled and serious cogitation He onely that meditateth burneth as David saith of himself Psalm 39.3 While I was musing the fire burned As a man may take fire in his hand and not feel the effects of it if he presently throw it from him again Either then resolve to set thy self seriously to meditate on the aforesaid Motives or such like or never expect to have any saving sorrow unto which thou naturally art so averse wrought in thee It is not here as in sinfull or naturall objects which like lightning being once apprehended passe thorow the soul and affect the same unto which the heart and affections of men are like unto drie tinder soon enflamed by the same In this case then set times apart to meditate on such things as may move and affect thee and resolve that nothing shall interrupt or hinder thee in the same and watch against Satans wiles 2 Misconceit of Gods anger against sin 2. Here take heed of misconceit of Gods Justice and Anger against sin this blunts the edge and point of that sword and word of God which otherwise would pierce and though wound thee yet by wounding and pricking would heal cure and saye thee Who knows the power of his anger when once he sets our iniquities before him our secret sins in the light of his countenance Psal 90.5 7 8 -11. O think but on the wrath of a King on earth if he should be displeased with thee The Kings wrath is as the roaring of a Lion Prov. 19.12 And when God as a lion roars who wil not fear Amos 3.8 even as all beasts quake when the Lion roareth Ah beloved great and terrible is this God whom we have to deal withall even a very consuming fire to such Heb. 12.29 who by impenitency set themselves as briers and thorns against him in battel though otherwise fury be not in him towards such as take hold of his strength that they may make peace with him Isa 27.4 5. It is a fearful thing to fall into the hands of the living God Hebr. 10.31 Who can stand before his indignation and who can abide in the fiercenesse of his anger his fury is powred out like fire and the rocks are thrown down by him Nahum 1.3 4.5.6 Presume not then on Gods lenity in thy sin be once humbled and let thy heart smite thee for the same as Davids heart smote him and then but not till then thou mayst hope in his mercy and chuse to fall into the mercifull hand of God whom so thou shalt have lesse cause to fear then man 3 Stoutness of heart in withstanding God 3. And now I hope I need not advise thee to beware of Pride and stoutness of heart in standing out with God when once thou apprehendest him angry And yet such hath been the pride and madness of some as that when apparantly they have seen God to fight against them they have as it were in despite of him gone on obstinately in their sin and hardened themselves against him as Ephraim and the inhabitants of Samaria that said in the pride and stoutness of heart The bricks are fallen down but we will build with hewen stone the Sycomores are cut down but we will change them into Cedars But what saith God Therefore the Lord shall set up the adversaries of Rezin against him and they shall devour Israel with open mouth for all this his anger is not turned away c. for the people turneth not unto him that smiteth them Therefore the Lord will cut off from Israel head and tail c. Isa 9.10 11 12 13 14. Thou canst never humble thy self if thus thou fearest not God 4. Self-love 4. But if thou canst not thus resist God in his anger by thy pride yet it may be such is thy love to thy self as that though thou acknowledge God an angry and just God with sinners yet thou canst not think he can or will be so angry with thee thou canst not conceive nay indeed thou wilt not be convinced that thy case is so bad or that his threatnings are true of thee and so thou puttest and postest them off to others as not concerning thee as if thou hadst not this need to be so humbled And thus thou puttest by the blow or thrust from thy self to others or else so hidest denyest or excusest thy sin some beloved sin or other as if when search and examination is made for it there were no such traytor hid in thy house or heart Or else thou seekest to bribe conscience or to stop the mouth of it by one trick or other as some being arrested make the Officer drunk that so or by some other means they may escape
the Almighty hath afflicted me Thus the good woman was humbled in Gods sight who had deprived her of her husband and two sonnes in a strange land and that doubtlesse in sight of her sin and unworthinesse and acknowledgement of Gods just hand upon her 2 To joyn with God 1 By justifying him 2. Secondly when God by afflictions humbles and bruiseth thee joyn with him in humbling thy selfe 1. Justifie God in his chastisements confesse him righteous and thy selfe the sinner and justly met withall this is one main end of Gods chastisements Levit. 26.41 that our hard and uncircumcised hearts be humbled and that we when his hand is upon us accept of the punishment of our iniquity and condemning our selves Do thou then follow home the affliction lament thine own unto wardnesse and if especially his hand lie long on thee or that his strokes be multiplied say Lord what an hard heart have I and senslesse that needs all this hammering and melting this battering and bruising that none of this could be spared Thus at length by Gods mercy thy hard and unrelenting heart shall be bruised softened and humbled 2. 2 By taking advantage of the occasion and time Take the advantage of the time when Gods hand is upon thee Men of the World both know and are carefull to observe the fittest Seasons for ploughing and breaking up of their grounds and God lookes that we do the like for the breaking up of the fallow and hard ground of our hearts Jer. 4.3 which he expects from us as a duty Eccles 3.4 There is a time to weep and a time to mourn God by his judgements on us by crosses and afflictions softens bowes and masters our stout stomackes brings down our high lookes and thoughts when we finde him stronger than our selves which perhaps we thought not on before and to take from us such stayes and props whether wealth friends health c. as on which we rested our selves more than on him Seeing men commonly under cresses are somewhat softened Job 23.15 16. Now hereby God workes in men more selfe deniall at least remorse and some more fitnesse and pronenesse to repent then at other times Thus saith Job I am troubled at his presence when I consider I am afraid of him for God maketh my heart soft and the Almighty troubleth me And in regard of troubles and distresses David complaineth to God saying I am poured out like water Psal 22.14 and all my bones are out of joynt my heart is like wax it is melted in the midst of my bowels And thus in some measure the unregenerate finde it with them in their troubles and feares whereby they finde themselves more disposed to pray and more disposed to pray and to repent and to repent as the Israelites though unsound and unconstant when God slew them they sought him and returned Psal 78.34 Isay 26.16 and Lord in trouble have they visited thee saith Isay they poured out a prayer when thy chastening was upon them At such times the hearts even of hypocrites become more remorsefull as we see in men in their sicknesse and distresse Now as Ministers should take such opportunities to worke upon mens hearts Job 33.22 so should they themselves especially as the iron when it is hot is soon bowed and fashioned by hammering and as the Wax when it is warme and soft may better be wrought and formed as we please which opportunity would be followed home My advice then to thee who desirest this pliable and sensible heart is to take the oportunitie of thy deep afflictions and crosses to follow home this worke Is any afflicted Let him pray saith Saint James Let him humble himselfe in prayer Jam. 5.13 confesse heartily his sin and seek mercy Art thou affected with sorrow upon the death suppose of some dear Friend Parent Childe or Associate Husband or Wife Whatsoever the occasion of thy grief be yea or if a secret sadnesse or pensivenesse come upon thee so as thou findest thy selfe disposed to weep omit not such a fit season now that thy countenance is sad the heart is made better Eccles 7.3 that is more soft and yielding to good impressions and our sorrow turned the right way the Lord thus softens and inclines thy soul to fresh sorrow for sin and would have thee to turne the stream of thy natural sorrow or melacholicke pensivenesse into the right chanel from the out ward or inward occasion from the known or unknown cause of thy heavinesse to sorrow and mourning for thy sin from the effect to the cause seeing nothing is truly to be sorrowed for but sin which is the onely true cause of all our other sorrowes and afflictions Blessed is such a crosse losse or affliction as bereaving us of earthly if not sinfull comforts and confidence sends us to seek our comfort and to place our trust onely in God by seeking our peace with him with true teares of godly sorrow sor our sin by which he was offended 3 To come 3. Thirdly for evils to come and judgements threatened or feared in this life or at and after the end of it Death it selfe Hell and the last Judgement the dreadfulnesse and terrour of which should make us afraid and such fear will or should worke sensiblenesse and tendernesse in us as apprehension but of temporal judgements made Josiahs heart to melt though there was in him some mixture also of love to God and zeal to his honour howsoever As 1. Temporal judgements threatened it made him with teares seek peace with God for himselfe and his people for the aversion of his judgements from them If an earthly Prince should threaten us how would we fear and by humbling our selves seek to make our peace again with him How submissively did Jacob carry himselfe toward his brother Esau when he came towards wards him as an enemie Thy servant Jacob and Let me finde grace in the sight of my lord Gen. 32.20 33.15 How much more should we fear and humble our selves Amos 38. when the Lord God hath spoken when this Lion roares who will not fear and humble himselfe before him How also did the thought of death humble not onely a good King Hezekiah but an hypocrite King Ahab 2 Death Isay 38.1 2 3. 1 Kings 21 19-21 27.29 Jon. 3.5 c. and the Ninivites Let the living then lay death to heart Eccles 7 2 and apprehend it as near that as men in apparent danger of death both by sea or land on their death-beds or as men condemned to die they may be humbled sorrowfull and penitent Let us thinke often also of Hell and of that place of torments 3 Hell and how it is prepared as for all impenitent sinners so also for the secure and voluptuous livers Luke 16.27 c. 4 The last judgement such as was Dives and his brethren so of the dreadfull
Text they presumed on nothing in themselves but said to the Apostles What shall wee do yet not by our own strength no and on no power or worthiness in man as Peter and John in case of healing the lame man ascribed all to Christ his power and grace Act. 4.12 16. and nothing at all to their own power or holinesse so is it much more in the conversion of a sinner and in true repentance where is not onely the restoring the lame to his feet but the born blinde to his sight the deaf to hearing and in a word the dead to sense and life This presumption keeps men in whole or in part from Christ that they feek not to him or depend not wholly on him for this and all other grace as having the same at least in part within the compasse of their own power and so not fully and heartily seeking to Christ or depending on Christ his grace and power for it by going wholly out of themselves they wholly go without true and saving contrition otherwise then in seeming and in theiorwâ—n presumption and thus harbouring though secretly it may be and so as they take no great notice of it a conceit of some sufficiency in themselves they misse of Christ whose grace and power must either do all or in effect it doth nothing at all these by presumption think they need not so much be beholding to the grace of Christ as contrariwise some men apprehending the greatnesse of wrath due to them for their sin which whiles some closely conceit suffer themselves to be swallowed up of despair for seeing no power or sufficiency at all in themselves for their own help they fall to despaire as well of Gods help as their own and will not seek to Christ which is through a kind of pride stoutnesse and stubbornnesse of heart whereby seeing they cannot have what is needful of their own they will not go to any other to receive it and so their despaire is not out of sight and sense of sin and punishment so much as out of stoutnesse of heart as in Cain whose sins were not so great as King Manasses his were who yet despaired not being both humbled in himself and not without hope of help in God They either despair wholly or in part and so are long kept from comfort And this sometimes keeps even such as otherwise are broken-hearted and prove true Converts from their comfort a long while an apprehension of their own unworthinesse which makes them repel mercy as so exceedingly unworthy of it that they dare not apply the promise Belike then if they were in themselves more worthy they then durst go to Christ as if Christ were not able alone without some worthinesse or power of theirs to save and succour them through a secret Pride undiscerned by them whereby they still object their own unworthinesse but that they must joyn something with Christ in furthering the work of their salvation As such a conceit as this keeps the proud Papist for all his seeming austerity and Compunction from true sorrow for sin and from saving repentance they like Naaman in his fit of pride and scorn refusing their own help healing and salvation because they will not have it so easily without somewhat of their own so these though they have as much Compunction as would and should drive them to Christ yet in a nicenesse because they are such great sinners so disabled so unworthy they dare not be so bold and so couch and lie down under the burthen of their sins conceiting if their sins were lesse fewer or not so hainous they could better hope for mercy and might be bolder to beg it or to cast themselves on it as if God ever accepted any for any righteousnesse of their own whether simple or comparative because they are not so great sinners as some others or yet rejected from mercy the greatest of sinners that in a sense of sin and of the burthen thereof could or would come unto him True Compunction then and contrition of heart must be grounded on some Hope generall at least True Compunction is grounded on Hope in God and not in our selves if not speciall and particular but then that hope must be grounded on nothing in our selves on no power worthinesse and lesse unworthinesse and sinfullnesse of ours but onely on the mercy and goodnes of God in Christ and so by such hope our sorrow shall prove saving and not end in despaire If either thy hope be presumptuous as grounded on thine own power or worthines or none at all in God because thou canst see nothing in thy self to make thee hope thou hast cause to think that thy sorrow is not found It s true many mans sense of sin and miserry is such that in a fit and for a time they either cannot or will not see any ground of hope yet such as God will save are not alwayes left to themselves True Converts are sustained by some hope in God as Lam. 3.18 19 20 21. but are secretly sustained with some hope and perswaded of a possibility of help in God and from his All sufficiency free love and abundance of mercy which he hath for the greatest sinners upon their repentance whereby they are able to say when their soul is humbled or bowed in them this I recall to mind therefore have I hope though formerly they could say my strength and my hope is perished from the Lord so Jonah in the fishes belly I am cast out of thy sight yet I will look again toward thy holy Temple so these Converts in my Text secretly sustain themselves with hope Jonah 2 2 4. and in these Converts in my Text. they say not desperately there is no hope there is nothing to be done all means are in vain but what shall we do Is there no way for us being so guilty to escape our deserved punishment yes certainly if we could light on it ah good Sirs men and brethren let us know it tell us what 's to be done what course is to be holden that we may be saved so that they conceiving some hope and possibility resolve not to go on or to continue in their guiltiness or to adde sin to sin as some in like case desperately would say seeing we must go to hell and be damned we will take our pleasure while we live as one expresseth it and be damned for something but being inwardly and truly touched in soul and heart with sence of their sin as well as of hell and wrath deserved they become truly remorsefull and resolve not to despaire of that goodness and saving mercy offered them in Christ against which they had thus grievously sinned and therefore sustained with some hope of acceptance if they might be well directed to the means thereof they ask saying What shall we do Whereupon they are directed to the true meanes in the next Verse And thus we see their
them for speciall ends for some some longer while so that till they see and apprehend some beams of his goodnesse and mercy thorow such thick clouds as stand between them and him they can finde comfort in no earthly thing they cannot frame to their company to laugh or to be merry with them nay it may be and that they seem to neglect others and themselves too they so deeply apprehend their condition under wrath and so intensively and wholly and onely seek after some sense of Gods love and mercy that they neither can be sociable with others no nor yet for the while minde the works of their particular callings and sometimes scarce their necessary food or sleep But what shall we in such case uncharitably and unmercifully censure judge and condemn them shall we disdain cast them off despise and contemn them God forbid 1 Such as have been in like case must 1 For such as have themselves at any time been in like condition and have received comfort I hope they are taught and it will be expected from them that they First shew pity and compassion to such distressed souls seeing none can do that better then such as have had experience of the like in themselves by Christs example to themselves as having tasted of Christs compassion towards them who being in all points tempted like as wee are yet without sin is touched with a feeling of our infirmities Heb. 4.25 2.17 18. For so in all things it behoved him to be made like unto his brethren that he might be a mercifull and faithful high-Priest For in that he himself hath suffered being tempted he is able to succour them that are tempted 2 That they in pity and compassion 2 Mourn with them do mourn with them and for them that God may according to his promise restore comforts to them and to their mourners Isa 57.18 Thirdly That they by good and comfortable words seek to comfort them which are in any trouble 3 Comfort them by the comfort wherewith they themselves are comforted of God 2 Cor. 1.3 4. Fourthly 4 Pray for them That at least they pray for them to him who is the Father of mercies and God of all comfort when especially they cannot otherwise afford them any help as is done commonly when we see others in great extremities and in danger of drowning or perishing otherwise or in extream pain as of childe-bearing and the like 2 So should all others 1 Pity them 2. All others are also taught First To pity if pity may be expected from them those they see to be dejected troubled in conscience and groaning under Gods hand Howsoever their case is pitious and cals for pity at all hands their case being pitious seeing it is some comfort to distressed souls to be pitied by such as have no power to help them It is such comfort as Job wanted when he cryed out for and craved pity Have pity upon mee have pity upon mee O yee my friends for the hand of God hath touched mee Why do ye persecute mee as God Job 19.21 22. and David or rather Christ Psalm 69.20 Secondly Far be it then for any in stead of shewin pity to persecute condemn 2 Not persecute censure them and censure for hypocrites or otherwise those whom they see to labour under the burthen of inward and spirituall affliction or reproach them or of Gods displeasure So Job's pretended friends dealt with him which made him complain so of their cruelty saying as yet is done How long will yee vex my soul and break me in pieces with words These ten times have ye reproached me as to Job so you are not ashamed that you make your selves strange to mee or that you harden your selves against me Job 2.3 It is matter indeed of shame to be ashamed of the afflictions and sorrows of Gods people or otherwise to reproach them to cast shame on them or to become strange unto them whereof David so complaineth adding When I wept and chastened my soul with fasting to David that was to my reproach I made sack-cloth also my garment and I became a Proverb to them They that sit in the gate speak against me and I was the song of the drunkards Psal 69.7 8 9 10 11 12. Thus it is indeed with men pricked in heart and humbled in soul under Gods hand that profane and wicked men and others in all ages of all sorts and ranks look on them as on monsters wondering that they run not with them as formerly to the same excesse of riot therefore speaking evill of them 1 Pet. 4.4 Therefore the holy Prophet and Psalmist poureth out his complaint before the Lord for he had none else to pity him in this manner My heart is smitten and withered like grasse so that I forget to eat my bread By reason of the voyce of my groaning my bones cleave to my skin I am like a Pelican of the wildernesse I am like an Owl of the desert I watch and am as a sparrow alone upon the house top Mine enemies reproach me all the day and they that are mad against me are sworn against me Psalm 102.4 5 6 7 8. and in our own times Thus we see and in experience finde that if any being struck and savingly wounded in spirit by God withdraw himself into his closet sit alone and keep silence and go heavily and walk mournfully under Gods hand he is made a wonder and becomes as an Owl of the desert every one is ready to reproach him and censure him as a desperate person a fool as one newly gone mad and not himself and so care not what reproach they lay upon him jeering and upbraiding them with their much and often hearing of Gods word saying in effect I hope you have enough now of hearing and of following precise teachers and running after Sermons have ye not And thus their forwardnesse in good duties shall be objected and good souls they shall be upbraided therewith and in stead of being pitied prayed for and comforted they shall be censured as distracted out of their wits as sullen peevish and perverse people not fit to live in civill company able to mar all whom they shall converse withall The doom of such censurers 1 They are without mercy Now concerning such censurers scoffers and upbraiders of humbled and dejected Christians I must let them know from God that First They are men without mercy without humanity and naturall affection which would teach to sympathize and condole one with another The good man is merciful even to his beast and the Lord would have all men to shew like mercy even to other men yea their very enemies beasts Thou shalt not saith the Lord see thy brothers Asses Deut. 22.4 Exod. 23.5 the Asse of him that hateth thee or his Ox fall down by the way and hide thy self from them thou shalt surely help
the truth And these are not all but some onely who there opposed to such the followers of Antichrist who shall be damned This makes Saint Paul speak with distinction when he mentions vessels of mercy which God hath afore prepared to glory Even us saith he Rom. 9.23 24. whom he hath called not of the Jewes onely but also of the Gentiles Yet not all Jewes nor all Gentiles but us whom he he hath called of the Jewes and of the Gentiles And S. John brings the foure Beasts and foure and twenty Elders in praising the Lamb and saying For thou wast slaine Rev. 5.9 and hast redeemed us to God by thy blood out of every kindred and tongue and people and Nation Not all Nations but some out of all Whence is this Which depends on his free Election Rom. 9.15 Jer. 31.3 but from Gods free Election and soveraigne will who will have mercy on whom he will have mercy c. According to that in Jeremy I have loved thee with an everlasting love therefore with loving kindnesse have I drawn thee 1Vse God excludes no sorts calling or kind of men if they repent VVhich is for comfort Vse 1. God being so free in his choyce and calling of men as that he chusing where he will calling or chusing none for any goodnesse either actually in them or foreseen nor rejecting any of any sort of men for their unworthinesse simply It is for comfort to such as receive the word in humility who hearing it repent and beleeve Let their condition or state be what it will be in the world let not them exclude themselves by impenitency and unbeleef and God will not exclude them He will have none make arguments against themselves saying I am an Eunuch I am separate or an heathen c. no Isai 36.3 6. let them but joyne in covenant with God and doe the thing which God commands and they shall be welcome to him as any So I say also for the rich whose salvation is most difficult and for the noble 1 Cor. 1.26 of whom not so many are called yea for the greatest sinners let them hear and obey Gods word and they may rest assured of acceptation with God Yet not for any worth in them but by vertue onely of Gods free Promise grounded on his free Election So that we further inferre That Vse 2 the difference between man and man in regard of saving grace is not from men themselves God mades the difference between man and man singling out some to whom only he sends the Gospel but from God from his Election his saving free and powerfull grace who in and by his Spirit accompanying the word preached singles out by effectuall calling whom he pleaseth and so separates between man and man To which end God with choice and according to his freedom and will sends the word so to some as that he denyes it to others Acts 16.6 7. where he hath any belonging to his Election whom he will save thither he sends his word in the ministry of it chiefly for their sakes Acts 16.6 7 14 30 31 and 13 10. So it was send and directed to Philippi and Thyatira for the convesion and salvation as of others so of Lydia and the Jailour and to Corinth in which City God had much people And however the Promise is to be propounded to all and some to whom he makes it effectuall near or far off that will hear it yet the thing promised that is Christ life and salvation belongs not simply and without exception to all and each but to all with this restraint To you and to your children and to all that are afar off even as many as the Lord our God shall call as it is in this Chapter vers 39. Now these are only the Elect as Acts 17.48 where it is said As many as were ordained to eternall life beleeved but none else These are they whose hearts the Lord openeth as he did Lydia's that they attend to the things spoken and beleeve them which all doe not Of which more anon Onely this teacheth such as finde the fruit and effects of this grace of God in themselves Vse 3 to be specially and singularly thankfull unto God for the same To be thankfull to God more then others even as God hath specially singled them out from among others and made them vessels of mercy Lord what am ' I that thou hast manifested thy choyce of me as thou passest by Whence is it that thou thus by thy saving grace comest to me and not to ' many others For if Christ on the behalfe of such who partake not of like choyce mercies confessed to God saying I thanke thee O Father Lord of Heaven and Earth because thou hast hid these things from the wise and prudent and hast revealed them unto babes Even so Father for so it seemed good in thy sight then I conclude such as have found this mercy and speciall grace should on their own behalfe blesse God from the soul and seek more to glorifie God in their lives then such great ones on earth who having a name of wise prudent learned holy yea and of the Church dishonour God by their pride insolency and arrogancy too ascribing whatsoever wisedom grace and holinesse which they pretend and presume they have not to Gods free saving and effectuall grace but onely to his common grace and favour vouchsafed alike to the reprobates as well as to them but which they have made a better use of then those others by using their own Free-will better Vse 4 A reproof of the unthankfull and of the enemies of Gods grace Oh unthankfulnesse Who that effectually and truly did partake of Gods saving and speciall grace did ever long at least seeke to take the honour and praise of the work from God to themselves as these do who meerly fancying that grace they have not will have the stroke the casting voyce or the casting of the ballance in their own hands Let God have the honour then of making the difference as well as of giving of grace common to all hearers as the Apostle beating down mans pride doth teach us 1 Cor. 4.7 Of which place more below CHAP. 3. Concerning the Means of Conversion SECT 1. Of the efficacy of Gods word Whence it is And of the Vses of it 3 The Meanes of their Conversion the hearing of the word preached THe third thing here considerable is the Instrumentall Cause or Meanes of these Jewes Conversion And this is on Gods part the word preached on mans the same word heard and received by faith First generally by which through beleef of the threats and law the heart comes to be pricked and wounded being convinced of sin and wrath due unto it then speciall by which through beleefe of the speciall promise and by particular application and use of the remedy here prescribed vers 38. the heart comes to be healed Now when
have him to rule over us Thus in true account and as God takes it you say and do Then let me tell you who this is against whom you thus by and in your pride and stoutnesse and partly ignorance do sin It is Christ the Lord of glory a dreadful Majestie even against the mighty God and their Judge the Soveraigne Lord who is appointed to be your Judge and who shall come in flaming fire rendering vengeance to all that know him not nor obey his Gospel This is he whom you provoke against whom you have so long trespassed whom you have so much dishonoured whom you have crucified and persecuted in his Saints and people whom you as little know or respect as himself who yet are of price and worth to him and as dear as the apple of his own eye whose wrongs he is sensible of as done to himself and which accordingly he will avenge Isai 57.3 4. But do you consider this are you convinced of it Let the daunkard then which should be considered the unclean person and voluptuous the profaner of the Lords Name and Sabbath and every sinner know and that assuredly that God hath made this same Jesus whom ye thus crucifie and wound both Lord and Christ the glorious and dreadful Judge of quick and dead Doth not this strike terrour into your hearts doth it not prick wound and sting your conscience God expects it should If he have winked at the former times of your ignorance Act. 17.30 31 yet now he commandeth all men every where to repent because he hath appointed a day in the which he will judge the world in righteousnesse by that man whom he hath ordained c. An dear brethren let us not mock when we hear these things or put off repentance as if ye cared not much whether ye perform it or no with the Athenians who heard these things from Paul and 32 and said We will hear thee again of this matter 34. but rather with Dionysius and Damaris there and others Let us cleave to Paul and believe and with these converts here cleave and cling to Peter out of true compunction of heart and repent saying to him and to such as now are in place of him even Gods faithful servants and our teachers who so tell us Men and brethren what shall w do Ah that I could see such blessed effects of the self-same doctrine And so having in a manner done with the instrumental cause of this Compunction and Conversion of these Jews which was their hearing of Gods word preached we come to the effects of the same the first whereof is to be considered in that which they suffered expressed in these words 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 They were pricked in their heart CHAP. V. SECT 1. The effect of saving hearing is pricking of heart THis pricking in heart notes an Inward Conviction of conscience 2. The effects of this their hearing 1. What they suffered whereby they came at once in the acknowledgement of Christ and his glory to see their horrible sin in murthering and crucifying of him and their own deserved condemnation thereby so bringing the curse of the Law home to their own consciences They were pricked in heart savingly as not able any longer to put by the thrust as I may call it or the dint of Peter's accusation which came as a dagger to the heart and struck them both with fear of wrath through a consciousnesse of this their hainous sin of murder and parricide and with hearty grief and sorrow for their sin not without some mixture of hope which made them enquire after a remedy and say What shall we do Wherein this pricking of heart differs from that cutting to the heart which was in others of the Jews Acts 7.54 who being alike charged by Steven as these were by Peter with the murder of Christ verse 52 yet as others by the same word were cut to the heart deadly Act â—â— 52 54-58 not convinced that Jesus was the Messiah or Christ and so that they were murderers of their Saviour they inwardly justifying themselves when they heard these things were cut to the heart and they gnashed on him with their teeth and cast him out of the city and stoned him to death as taking ill at his hands thus falsly as they conceived to be charged So that the same Word had a different effect in the Jews in regard of the issue though all of them were some way or other pricked in heart yea cut and wounded the same Word proving the savour of life to the one and of death to the other true compunction of heart in the one where was sorrow not onely in fear of punishment but also in desire general hope and some apprehension of goodnesse and mercy in God which asswaged their fears but in the other a senslesse security and benummednesse of soul not to see their sin and danger with grief and anger onely so to be charged And so in the one was true compunction of spirit or of heart whereby the Aposteme of it was opened as by the prick of a sharp instrument and the corruption of it discovered yea whereby the heart became sick of the love of God and desire after him as the least prick at the heart causeth a present fit of sicknesse and in the other 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 Rom. 11.8 Isai 6.9 a spirit onely of compunction or remorse as it may be called or rather as it is translated in our Bible a spirit of slumber whereby God gave them eyes that they should not see and ears that they should not hear even a spirit of slumber sottishnesse want of spiritual senses and blindnesse not to see the light of Truth and of the Word which yet pricked their hearts as the light of the sun doth fore eyes yea cut them to the heart through the accusations if not convictions of it though they still remained stupid and accordingly perished It concerns us then to see how we hear that we melt by it as was and be not clay Now for this pricking mentioned in my Text it proved a saving and healing wound And we will now consider it according to three several Relations This pricking considered according to three Relations First to Peters Sermon as an effect of it Secondly to the sinners themselves as a fruit and consequent of their sin and so as an affection of sorrow in the subject or convicted sinner Thirdly and chiefly to the whole work of Conversion as the first degree and beginning of the same and as a preparative to Christ and to salvation CHAP V. SECT 11. Pricking of heart considered as the work of the word and of the best kind of preaching 1 To Peters sermon as an effect of it Note The best kind of preaching is that which pricks the heart 1 in what respects 2 For what reasons God himself useth this method 1 the Father 1 AS this
highly of All delight to have the hearts of men The Pope giving his devoted servants leave for a while to go to our Church in England in the first yeers of Queen Elizabeths raign in the words now lastly mentioned required of his sons and children that so doing they should give him their heart He knew if he had their heart he could soon command all the rest So the devil is well enough pleased to let his devoted servants make shew of Religion or of some good duties as of alms good words c. so long as he can keep their hearts glued first to any one or more lusts The like I may say of lovers seeking chiefly to insinuate into the hearts love and affections of their beloved Yea great Kings on earth who stand not in much need of their meaner subjects yet like well to be loved of all and to have their hearts And even thus it is with God himself who chiefly requires the heart who knows if it be wanting nothing can be sincere or lasting and where it is it will bring on all the rest The broken heart is Gods sacrifice He requires the heart as his sacrifice for and in stead of a sacrifice yea before all sacrifice But what heart If the heart be a saccrifice then as other sacrifices it must be slain and mortified at least pierced and wounded It must be a broken heart else it is not right It is not whole or entire with God Non est Cor integrum nisi sit scissum till it be broken and cut Outward sacrifices where beasts were slain and offered were but types of this sacrifice of a contrite heart so that where the heart was not contrite the sacrifice was an abomination To this man will I look saith the Lord even to him that is poor and of a contrite spirit and trembleth at my word But of others it is said He that killeth an ox as if he slew a man Isai 66.2 3. he that sacrificeth a Lamb as if he cut off a dogs neck he that offereth an oblation as if he offered swines blood c. God will none of such sacrifices where the heart which should give him praise and prayer is wanting Psal 50.9 10-14 15. I will take no bullock out of thine house c. Offer unto God thanksgiving and pay thy vows unto the most High And call upon me in the day of trouble and 51.16 17. So again Thou desirest not sacrifice saith David else would I give it thou delightest not in burnt-offerings The sacrifices of God are a broken spirit a broken and a contrite heart O God thou wilt not despise For as one noteth the visible sacrifice of beasts slain is but a Sacrament August l. 10. de civit cap. 5. that is a holy and sacred signe of the invisible sacrifice of the heart Even as in Circumcision God required chiefly and firstly the circumcision of the heart Deut. 10.16 by which is meant this pricking and cutting of the heart This is that true Circumcision which being in and from the heart Rom. 2.28 29. findes praise with God This circumcised heart is the truely humbled heart unto which a promise and a blessing doth belong Levit. 26.41 42. If their uncircumcised heart be humbled c. or bowed down or at the Chaldee hath it be broken and it is opposed to pride as when it s said 2 Chro. 52 26. King Hezekiah humbled himself for the pride or lifting up of his heart And so it implieth repentance and turning in heart to the Lord as 2 Chron. 32.26 Yet divers of Ashur c. humbled themselves and came to Jerusalem when others mocked as these here now were pricked when formerly they or others mocked Hence it is truely said by one God pours not the oil of his mercy Bern. save into a broken vessel Vse 1 This shews the preposterous course of Popish penitentiaries who professing compunction and pricking of heart and spirit 1. To confute Popish penitentiaries whip onely scourge and otherwise afflict the body and make that a matter of satisfaction and merit and so under such shew of austerity and humility Coloss 2. not sparing the body they become vainly puffed up with pride in their fleshly mindes They seem to shew a kinde of revenge which yet is not against their sins lodged in the heart which they spare yea and fatten it in pride but onely against their skins and carcases which without the heart have done little or nothing Let the flesh be tamed and outward senses restrained as cause shall require but first let the heart and inward affections be mortified and subdued else it is but a mock-repentance Pag. 34 35. But of this a little before 2. To instruct and direct us to begin at the heart So do true Converts 2 A second Use is to learn hence to begin our repentance and conversion at the heart so do true converts First King Davids heart smote him then he confessed saying I have sinned The poor publican smote on his brest and then said God be merciful to me a sinner he by so smiting aimed at the chief offender Their sorrow is in the heart before it be in the face or sowre countenance as in a like case of Nehemiah mourning for the afflictions of his people which the King took notice of saying Why is thy countenance sad Nehem. 2.2 this is nothing but sorrow of heart So it was with good King Josiah who in heart and soul first apprehending his and his peoples sins and the wrath of God due to the same then rends his clothes and weeps Therefore saith God 2 Chro. 34.27 Because thine heart was tender and thou didst humble thy self i. e. in heart first before God and didst rend thy clothes and weep c. As sadnesse of countenance in true penitents argues and presupposeth sorrow of heart and their sorrow is first in the heart before it be in the garment so it is quite contrary with hypocrites Not so hypocrites Joel 2.12 13. to such God speaks by his Prophet Joel saying Turn unto me with all your heart and rend your hearts and not your garments The countenances of hypocrites onely are sad but not their hearts like hired mourners Know we then Matth. 6. that outward expressions of sorrow are not further good then so far onely as they come from inward grief and affection as in these converts here who by saying What shall we do shewed much inward grief in the apprehension of wrath much fear care and anxiety of spirit but then they were first upon such apprehension and fear pricked in their heart 3 Exhortation to begin our reformation at the heart Why 3 Let us hence be exhorted to begin our conversion and reformation at the heart you have heard reason enough for it otherwise it were but to lop off boughs and to leave the corrupt and bitter root to purge
expected finding themselves to have been worse afraid then hurt This should teach us wisedom and not either to be led away with pleasures present or to be so out of love with Gods ways But I hasten CHAP. VI. How Peters Converts came to be pricked in conscience BEfore we particularly shew the Order and Degrees of Conversion It would first be inquired and considered How these converts came to be pricked Answ how these Converts here upon Peters Sermon came thus to be pricked I answer They God opening their hearts as he did Lydia's to attend came upon Peters wise and skilfull handling and applying of the sharp sword of the spirit or word of God which pierceth to the dividing asunder of soul and spirit and by piercing pricketh at once to see and be convinced within themselves of their sinne against Christ in crucifying of him 1 Generall and of Gods wrath thereupon and vengeance hanging over their heads and of their own just damnation and hereupon were pricked in heart struck with fear made sorrowful When Peter so deeply charged them that they were the crucifiers of Christ they knew well and remembred that they indeed had desired Pilate to crucifie him and now hearing and by such apparant signes from heaven as on that day which in some degree had astonished them all seeing a divine power therein and being told that it was Jesus now exalted to glory Verse 33. who shed forth that which they did now see and hear and apprehending him to be indeed a King the Christ and that Lord who now as David foretold did sit at the right hand of God they are afraid of him as of an avenger now raigning in heaven whom on earth as a bountifull and mercifull Saviour they contemned and slew 2 Particular By being convinced of their sinne 1 Of murder 2 Parricide More particularly they hearing and generally believing that to be true which they were told concerning Christs glory do see and are convinced 1 Of sinne their sinne 1 Of murther whereby they procured or consented to the death of Jesus as a man yea an innocent man 2 Of Parricide and withall of extream ingratitude and unthankfulnesse in crucifying him as Jesus as a Saviour yea as their own Jesus who came to save them 3 Of Infidelity and unbelief whereby they so long had rejected him their onely Messias or Christ 3 Of unbelief refusing him that spake unto them and whom God had annointed to be their teacher or their Prophet 4 Disobedience and their Priest yea King 4 Of Disobedience in not submitting themselves to him as their Lord and King 5 Of Impenitency 5 Impenitency obstinacy and hardnesse of heart in not repenting and relenting at his doctrine and preaching who was incarnate and came into the world to call them to repentance 6 Ignorance 1 Cor. 2.8 6 Lastly of their Ignorance of him as Lord of glory whom if so they had sooner known to be they would not have crucified him But now conceiving of him as Lord and Christ they are wounded and pricked in that they wounded and pierced him Even as Pauls conscience was touched a little after he had reviled the high Priest when once he came to know him so to be Act. 23.5 but much more when he came first to know Christ and that it was he even the Lord of glory whom he persecuted in his ignorance and unbelief Act. 9.5.6 1 Tim. 1.13 2 of judgement which made them 1 fear 2 These Jews thus convinced of their sinne 1 fear and quake in apprehension of Gods judgements due to such grievous sinnes and offences as have been named whilst they now see that as Christ himself told Paul afterwards they did all this while but kick against the pricks and run upon their own death and destruction in provoking the mighty God and Christ their Lord and King against them Now they look upon him whom they had peirced and see him whom they slew to be one who being Lord of heaven and earth was able yea for ought they then saw ready to destroy them in souls and bodies and therefore they tremble 2 Despair of themselves 2 Yea they withall despair in themselves and see themselves unworthy of that salvation which they rejected and are at their wits end not knowing what to do to undo what they have done or to appease Gods wrath Thus they came to be perplexed troubled and sorrowfull and pricked in heart 3 Sorrow They came thus to be pricked by reasoning within themselves Now this was done by a kind of reasoning with themselves and communing with their own hearts by a practicall syllogisme The Proposition whereof the Law written in their hearts and word of God afforded them in effect this Murtherers especially of their Saviour and of the Lord of life are under the curse Gal. 3.10 and no murtherer or none that hates his brother hath eternall life abiding in him John 3.15 But saith Peter and their own consciences We are murtherers and that even of Christ then follows the conclusion Therefore we are under the curse and debarred of life Now out of this conclusion made by conscience follows in the affections fear despair in themselves sorrow horrour and perplexity in a word wounding and pricking and it is as when an evil doer a secure sinner thief or murtherer Out of the conclusion of which syllogisine issued this pricking is apprehended and brought to the barre where the Judge giving the charge declares what is Law what sinnes and crimes are against Law and by Law deserve death after which the Malefactour is accused of such crimes as deserve death and by sufficient witnesse proved to be guilty and he himself cannot deny the fact whereupon the Judge passeth sentence of condemnation and of death at which the party is stricken with astonishment and pricked at heart as with the point of a sword Such is the work of conscience in sinners the same conscience being as a Law to inlighten and to judge generally of good and evil it is also a witnesse to convince and lastly a Judge to give sentence against it self and so to terrifie Thus it was with these Jews and no otherwise it is with other Converts as comes now to be shewed so that looking on this pricking of heart as the beginning of or first step to conversion we do raise and make this Generall observation following namely that CHAP. VII SECT 1. That all true Converts must first be pricked in heart Hence with the explication of the point True Converts must first be pricked in heart SVch as God will convert and save must lesse or more be first pricked in heart for their sin Such as to whom God intends to shew mercy must in some measure be troubled in mind and conscience in sight of their sinne and miserie So that so long as sinne never troubles men there is no conversion as we see
intent is not the same to both which if it were it should not be frustrated and therefore as he intended the conversion of these here so the subversion of those other Acts 7.54 we need not fear to say it 1. in these and those other Jews It appears by the Apostle Rom. 11.8 The rest were blinded according as it is written God hath given them the spirit of * 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 slumber or remorse eyes that they should not see and ears that they should not hear unto this day and as in Pharaoh who though he could say I have sinned upon Moses his reprehension of him yet he repented not God raised him up for another end 2. in Pharaoh and David Rom. 9.17 even for this same purpose have I raised thee up that I might shew my power in thee c. Yet look upon David who upon Nathans reproof whom God sent unto him repented So in Ahab and Jezebel the one humbled 3. in Ahab and Hezekiah and both raging against Elijah compared with Hezekiah touched pricked and pierced by Isaiah and truely humbled for his pride Rom. 9.15.18 God will have mercy on whom he will have mercy and whom he will he hardeneth The Spirit of God being promised as a Comforter and that is onely of the elect yet its first work is to convince them of sin Joh. 16.8 Therefore as in the resurrection of our bodies Simil. both the wicked and godly arise and that by Gods power but to different ends Joh. 5.29 and as God gives wealth to some as a blessing to others as a curse and snare so it is here A reprobate may be convinced of sin and judgement and see his damned condition 4. generally in the elect and reprobate but yet have no hope a childe of promise may also be lost in his own apprehension and acknowledgement yet in Gods intention shall be sought and saved Christ therefore came into the world to seek and save that which thus was lost and such an one shall undoubtedly be saved and fully converted Luke 19.10 he shall come to Christ In Gods intention this as a preparative act shall bring forth faith in the one but not in the other God means to follow home the work in the one not in the other God wounds the one as a loving Surgeon to cure him the other as a just Judge to kill him yet justly for his sin The one is pricked as with a needle which prepares the way for the threed to follow and so he comes to be sewed as it were and joyned at length by faith unto Christ the other is like the cloth pricked with the same needle but without threed he is left in the estate of slavish fear whilst the other is delivered from it by the Spirit 2 Cor. 3.17 which where it is given savingly gives liberty 2. The reprobate in their greatest fears of wrath 2. in themselves shew neither hatred of sin as sin as Pharaoh in his distresse Take away not this sin but this plague nor love and desire of goodnesse the heart remains hard still and seeks not to God It is not so with the other 3. The event is different 3. in the event The one breaks thorow these straits and is soundly converted the other sticks in the birth and is held still in bondage even in the midst of his jollity But more of such differences hereafter Hence another Question might be resolved How came these here to be converted when those otâ—â—r Acts 7 and the rest of these who heard Peter â—aving the very same outward means motives and arguments used to them yea and feeling the sting of the same reproof made by Steven were not converted This difference is not from themselves but from God Answ In one word I answer The difference is not made by man himself by any power of a mans own free-will but by God alone and by the power of his free grace Who maketh thee to differ c. See 1 Cor. 4.7 Conversion is a work as well of mercy and love in God as of his power or of any power else yea first of mercy then of power as we shall see afterwards If there be any congruity whether of time or any other circumstance or respect which may seem to sway the balance in one more then in the other whence is it but from Gods gracious ordering See Dr Prid. in Lect. 4. Arg. 1. as also effectual working with it But of this formerly The Point thus explained would be illustrated CHAP. VII SECT 2. The former Point illustrated 2. The Illustration of the Doctrine NOw for the Illustration of this Doctrine it would be confidered that before a man be converted unto God he must be turned quite out of himself he must first see himself what a vile miserable wretch he is in what need he stands of mercy Sense of sin and misery and self-conviction must go before thorow conversion shewed by allusions to Scripture And being naturally proud self-conceited secure and ignorant of himself he must be made and brought to know himself as he is his drowzie conscience must be awakened and rowzed by the shrill trumpet of the Law he must either set or have his sins set in order before him and be presented with that fearful spectacle of hell death and condemnation and so as one self-convict and self-condemned must receive the sentence of death in himself and see hell opening her mouth wide to receive him he must see his own miserable and withal helplesse condition yea before he be thorowly converted he must be not oâ—â—ly pricked in conscience and broken but bruised also and beat as it wâ—â— into powder as are spices by true Contrition yea molten by the fire not onely of the Law but also Gospel upon some apprehension and hope of mercy whereby he may be made pliable and frameable to Gods will his icy heart must be thawen These here not onely quaked to consider whom they had crucified even the Lord of glory but looking on him as the Messiah Christ and a Saviour they were not without hope of help and therefore not seeing any means of help in themselves they seek direction from without themselves what to do to be holpen not wholly despairing of all possibility of help and so they aske saying What shall we do And this is the true pricking Look into examples and by examples of Adam Gen. 3.8 9 10 15. Judg. 2.4 5. 1 Sam. 7.6 Israelites and 12.19 20. Did not Adam finde and see himself naked was not he ashamed of himself and of that which he had done Yea was he not afraid at the presence of the most holy God before he was comforted by the promise Did not the people of Israel being reproved by an Angel weep at Bochim and after at Mizpeh did they not draw water and pour it even tears of repentance out before
suppose beginning in the hand or foot if it be suffered further to spread will be their death when Zipporah saw her husbands life endangered if not her own she circumcised her son and cut off his foreskin which otherwise she was loath to do Thus God presents sinners with a true apprehension of his eternall wrath due unto them for their sinne and sets hell-gates open before them in the way of their lusts and fills their hearts with such terrours and horrours that they see no safety to their souls in the ways of sin and so as Pharaoh by strong hand at length did let the people go and the Philistines sent home the Ark so God if he love us especially makes us weary of sin and saves us even by fear not to say that such as have most smarted for sin at first in the pangs of their new-birth are not so easily drawn back to such or any other sins Again the spirit of bondage becomes to them a spirit of sanctification and it may be observed that such of all others as have been deep liest wounded at the first prove the holiest Christians afterward throughout the whole course of their lives 2 As the spirit of bondage proves a spirit of liberty freeing men from sin 2 God doth this to the increase of their joy and of Sanctification delivering from the power of sin so also it leads men to sound and solid joy and true comfort there is no comfort but to such The first work of the Comforter even when it is sent by that name and to that intent is first to convince of sinne so Habbak 3.16 and Psalm 94.12 13. Ease to sores which being whole do throb and rage is got by pricking lancing searching sleep is sweetest after labour and a pardon from the King most acceptable when after judgement passed the head hath been laid on the block and joy follows the labour of child-bearing 3 as also for their greater honour Rom. 8. 3 I might adde that God takes this course with such as he will convert to glorifie them the more thus to sanctifie them and to make them the more glorious in holinesse and holinesse we know or sanctification is the beginning of our glorifications Yea it is their glory thus to be made vessels to bear the name and glory of Christ before men which none do more then such as have been deepliest humbled Such of all other are fittest and ablest to glorifie God as having most experience of his justice mercy wisdome goodnesse and can best speak to his praise which to do is our glory more then his God gets nothing by us our acknowledgement of him makes him no wiser juster holier happier then he ever was even before any creature was made when he then sets and imprints on us the stamps of his glory and shews forth in us his justice mercy goodnesse c. That is in deed and for substance our gloglory not his There is somewhat excellent truly added to us nothing to him 2. God takes this course with converts for his owne honour And yet we may truly say God takes the aforesaid course with those he means to convert for his own glory that is for the further manifestation of the same and for this main end that the whole worke of conversion may appear to be his not ours 1. That of his Justice 1. His very Justice manifests its selfe in and by these terrours of conscience whilst the convicted sinner is made to see the depth of his own ill deservings is presented with the sight of hell which by such is acknowledged and made inwardly to acknowledge that it were but justice in God to cast him into the same yea so strong is this apprehension in some that for a long time they can see nothing but justice Howsoever this makes them at first and ever after to confesse and give the glory of justice to God acknowledging how just their condemnation should be if God did deal with them according to their deserts being ready ever to justifie God as cleer whensoever he judgeth Psal 51 4. Rom. 3.4 Thus all by sin are brought under the Law and the Law is let loose upon sinners threatens damnation and nothing but justice appears and vers 19. that every mouth may be stopped and all the world may become guilty before God God will not in this work of conversion suffer his justice to be swallowed up of mercy he must and will be acknowledged just before mercifull taking us as it were by the throat Mat. 18.28 bidding us pay all we owe when indeed with that poor woman 2 King 4.1 we have nothing at all to pay And so in every convert he takes away all matter of glorying letting them see the depth of their desert and their own both unworthinesse of mercy and inability and impotency to make themselves any help Isâ— 66.2 Job 9.13 2 His mercy which thus is more felt And by so doing whilst the best are made to tremble before him and that the proud helpers do stoup under him he makes way for his mercy that he may be the more glorified both by shewing mercy and by the acknowledgement of mercy by those that finde mercy as it is Gal. 3.22 The Scripture hath concluded all under sin that the promise by faith of Jesus Christ might be given to them that beleeve or as Rom. 11.32 God hath shut up or concluded them all i. both Jew and Gentile in unbeleef that he might have mercy on all For so by shuting all up under sin and wrath his mercy is more felt and admired by such as finde mercy and thankfully acknowledged The foregoing terrours of justice in the converted which makes them smart makes mercy relish better with them and be more esteemed by them yea all the world may now see and that acknowledge the receiving and conversion of sinners is meerly of mercy None derogate more from Gods mercy and the freenesse and power of his grace then such as not sensible enough of their wounds and misery by sin ascribe somewhat in their conversion to themselves neither can they be so truly thankfull as others And by thanks or offering praise unto God God professeth himself to be glorified So that God by thus humbling men Pal. 50.23 as is said with terrours doth but make way and prepare matter of praise and thanksgiving to himself in due time which accordingly we see given unto him by Paul even upon this ground 1 Tim. 1.13 14 15 16 17. I saith he being before a blasphemer and persecuter and injurious obtained mercy And the grace of our Lord was exceeding abundant Christ came to save sinners of whom I am chief howbeit for this cause I obtained mercy that in me first Jesus Christ might shew forth all long-suffering Now unto the King eternall c. be honour and glory for ever and ever Amen So elsewhere crying out in a sence
occasionally And that it may further appear that Gods power goes along with the Word preached and heard wee will briefly shew this first In the persons who preach and hear secondly in the work of the Ministry it self and in the order thereof The power of which is further shewed 1 In the persons of Preachers who by the power of God are 1. Called 1. There is a power goes along in the very calling and sending of Ministers their calling and abilities are from Gods power When Christ called Peter and Andrew James and John from their fishing trade Matth. 4.18 19 20 21 22. was there not a secret power drawing them to leave both ship and father Zebedee and to follow him but especially in calling Matthew from that gainfull trade the receit of custome Matth. 9.9 who forth with arose and followed him so in calling of Paul to be an Apostle and after when the holy Ghost said Separate me Barnabas and Saul c. Acts 13.2 Men may not arise from their ordinary callings and thrust themselves into the ministery unlesse God more immediately and extraordinarily do call them as Christ did these named where to his authority he adds inward power to obey Men may not then thrust in themselves into the Ministery as of themselves that power and authority belongs to God and Christ to call them 2. Inabled with gifts 2. Men even the best are of themselves insufficient to these things and unable to discharge such a weighty duty what through bodily what especially through spirituall defects and inabilities but yet God enables such as he calleth and makes them able Ministers 2 Cor. 3.5 6. Vse c. who therefore are taught not to trust to their own gifts studies and endeavours men so doing fail most of all as might by instances be shewed 3. Made willing and encouraged 3. Men often are unwilling by reason of the greatnesse and danger of the task to undergo or undertake such a great difficult and hazardous work as we see in a like work how unwilling upon this ground of inability Moses was to obey Gods call but see Exod. 3.11 12. and 4.10 11 12. Jeremy was foretold of such things but strengthened and encouraged against them see Jer. 1.6 7 8 9 19. And when he was by discouragements ready to give over Gods spirit quickned and set him to his work again Jer. 20.2 From this power it is that godly Ministers do so constantly holdout and still preach for all their discouragements and that they dare oppose and reprove even great ones for their sins as John did Herod who if either they resist the word or hate and persecute their reprovers for their faithfullnesse they so doing do resist the power and spirit of God in them and the ordinance of God There is a wisedom and spirit by which these speak which the ungodly though learned otherwise are not able to resist Acts 6.10 In a word when Christ sent his Apostles to preach to the Gentiles saying go teach all nations and it is premised Mat. 28.18 19 All power is given unto me in Heaven and in Earth which was spoken for their encouragement who had a mighty work in hand the Conquest of nations to Christ and were to meet with the wisdom and power of the world to withstand them 20. This promise is extended to us even unto the end of the world 2 For hearers 2. Of hearers whose 1 Hearing or willingnesse to hear is a work of power first It is a work of power that men come to hear being called It is God that humbles them and gives them an heart to do his will in obeying even the commandment of godly Magistrates therein as 2 Chron. 30.11 12. That some being called by the bell or otherwise come to church to hear Gods word especially as Gods word and as in obedience to him with desire of profit as verse 8. when others having the same call refuse go to cards drinking walking abroad or to a Masse in a word refuse to come It is not from any power of mans will but from the spirit of God moving the heart of the one effectually and leaving the other to their own hardnesse who as Popish and profane Recusants now being by Moses the godly Magistrate called on refuse obstinately saying we will not come up which Numb 16.12 Vse by the way 1 shews The justness of Gods judgements on all such Recusants being given over to their hearts lusts and 2 teacheth all such to acknowledge his power and mercy to them whose hearts tell them they come to the hearing of his word in obedience and with desire to profit thereby 2 When men thus lend their presence 2. So their attending yet it is God onely who by his Spirit opens their hearts 1 to attend as he did Lydia's Acts 16.14 So that it is a signe when men do not attend to the word which they hear that corruption and Satan is strong 2Vnderstanding of the word 2 To understand the Scriptures which otherwise they could not though delivered to them by the mouth of Christ himself Those to whom he expounded in all the Scriptures the things concerning himself stood in need that he should also by his power open their understandings that they might understand the Scriptures Vse See Luke 24.27 with 45. So that men must not so much trust to their own piercing wits and understandings in their giving the sense of the Scripture or expounding the mysteries of Religion especially those deep points of Predestination and Election 2 This power is shewed in the effect of the Ministery 2. And so we come to see Gods power in and by the Ministery who by his Spirit goes on with his own work and makes it powerfull to conversion as 1 Cor. 3.5 6 7. 2 Cor. 3.3 whosoever be the Planter yet it is God who by his Spirit gives the blessing and increase Whatsoever be the pen yet it is God who by his Spirit writes with it It is Gods ordination yea and power by which hearing faith and obedience cometh Rom. 1.16 10.17 All which should teach us 1 to magnifie the ministry of the word even in the mouth of weake man if otherwise faithfull as Gods power to salvation And 2 to see and try our selves whether it be so powerfull in us or yet have such a powerfull and saving worke in us as it hath in many others SECT 3. The order of the work of Conversion and first of the Law 2. The order of Conversion in regard of the work it self The popish order disallowed ANd thus we come more particularly and neerer to the work it self and to shew in what order God by his word doth work conversion and beget faith in us Schoolmen and Papists make three degrees of penance or of repentence 1 Compunction 2 Confession 3 Satisfaction the first is of the Heart the second is of the Mouth the third
I take it in this sence said to be our schoolmaster to bring us unto Christ not that it taught Christ but that it convincing us of sin and of the curse and bringing us to self-despair so sent or forced us to seek help if any or wheresoever any could be had and that only is in and from Christ for it as a schoolmaster first strips us naked of our own conceited wisdom righteousnesse holinesse power and then whips lasheth our naked consciences as with the strokes of an iron rod it so sends us out of our selves wholly without affording us any help hope or succour to seek and inquire first if help may be had or hoped for elsewhere and then where or in and from whom it may be had and by what means which conceit of possibility of help made the heathen of old and many superstitious ones now fly to so many devices and superstitious practices of their own devising And thus by the law and these works thereof on the conscience the way is prepared for the mercy of the Gospel so that were it not for that which reacheth out an hand to such as are otherwise ready to perish no flesh could be saved SECT 4. The order of the works of the Gospel 2 The distinct and orderly work of the Gospel 2 THe workes then of the Gospel presupposing those of the Law and the orderly proceeding of the same are now briefly to be noted The Gospel hath also its preparatory works before conversion and faith be fully wrought and the order is this 1 Knowledge of the Gospel 1 God having by the law first humbled the sinner if he intend him any further good he doth first support and keep him from utter despair by publishing the glad tidings of the Gospel and by letting him hear and know of a remedy and that his case is though to him in himself yet not absolutly desperate and that upon some termes salvation may be had Joh. 3.16 and is possible so an assent is wrought in him to the Gospel as true Which knowledge by Gods further grace works affections and actions sutable in him 2 Hope 2 So hearing of a remedy though the conditions of self-deniall in his sweet and beloved sins of repentance and faith seem things impossible as to him considered in himself they are yet being pricked forward by the aforesaid terrours of the law as by so many piercing goads and thereupon put upon it to do something not to sit still but with the Lepers at the gate of Samaria in the famine to put it to the adventure as knowing he must either do something or else dye eternally this despair of help in himself makes him seek help elsewhere not without some general and confused hope that he also 1 General as well as some others he told of it may get case to his distressed conscience which as yet he findes not And thus he generally assents to the Gospel as good as well as to the law presenting him with wrath yea as good to him and so God gives him particular hope from the generality of the promise 2 particular Mat. 11.28 to all that are heavy laden whereby he excludes none but such as exclude themselves 3 Melting and true Contrition 3. Hereupon the heart which though broken before yet retaines its hardnesse begins to melt and to thaw being warmed with a sense of Gods goodnesse and readinesse to shew mercy to him so unworthy so old a sinner and it may be frozen in the same what any hope for such a vile wretch and that from so great and holy a God oh beast that I am that I should ever so much and so long have offended so good a God! c. Thus the heart is brought to true contrition and now grieves not in sense of the curse and wrath deserved so much as of love ready to be shewed to such a vile and immeriting wretch as he both thinks and will call him self not for the punishment of sin so much as for the sin it self as it is disobedience and disloyaltie to God dishonour to his name and that which hath made and doth still make a separation between the soul and God thus he begins to conceive of sin as alone able to make a man miserable without any other misery even in abundance With pliablenesse to Gods will And thus the heart being molten is made pliable and ready to be cast into the mould of Gods will as in my Text. And hereof I take the reprobate come short who as Ahab Cain Judas Felix may be broken and wounded and tremble but still be heard-harted and unpliable to Gods will 4 Self-denial 4. Herewith goeth self-denial renouncing of all parts and priviledges gifts and abilities in a mans self with an inward acknowledgement of his own impotency guiltinesse unworthinesse 5 High esteem of Christ 5. Together with an high estimation of Christ above all as in Paul Philip. 3.7 8 c. 6 Desire of pardon 6 Desire of ease and pardon by Christ and of direction what to do to be saved oh he should be one of a thousand to him most welcome who could bring him such tidings and bring him an olive-leafe 7. Then upon good direction given as in my Text and the next verse to it 7 Approch to the throne of grace where verse 38. and as Acts 16.31 there is an Approach and coming to the throne of grâ—ce with resolution there to speed or there to dye 1 Confession Where particularly iâ— 1 humble confession of sin with all the aggravations of it as Luke 18.13 and 15.19 in the publican and prodigall 2 Prayer 3 Hope of being heard 4 Joy c. Luke 19. 2 Prayer with 3 hope in speciall of pardon 4 joy in that hope grounded on Gods call and promise and not as in Agug but as in Zacheus and the blind man Mark 10.49 50. be of good comfort rise he the Master calleth thee 5 A willingnesse to part with all to sell all for Christ 8 Special application and closing with Christ 8 After which or with which is a speciall application of Christ unto a mans self and of the promise of pardon and of salvation with a trusting and relying on him for acceptation of his person prayers and indeavours and for salvation and all good things This is his closing with Christ 9 Assurance 9 Then follows the sealing of the promise assurance and perswasion 10 Perseverance Then Perseverance in the faith and grace of conversion to the end not without some failings but without falling away from that grace either wholly and habitually or finally 11 Salvation 11 After all follows the consummation of grace in glory and the end of our faith the salvation of our souls 1 Pet. 1.9 The scope of this last discourse which is not to prescribe God or to build our justification upon duties or
in the rest but in all through the breach of every Commandement and neglect of every duty though of some more then other 3 Continnance 3 For long continuance in thy sin til it may be thou art old in the same and hast given the Divel and thy lusts the best of thy time 4 Danger Yea 4. For Danger as bringing thee into hazrard of hardnesse of heart and final impenitency yea of hell torments and so in the apprehension thereof thou must feel thy sin to abound 5 Weight 5. For waight and burthen without making light of it as formerly II. From the curse and judgements due to sin Sin will have sorrow here or hereafter II. Come then tel me again Do not these thy sins bring thee under the Curse wil they not hale thee to judgement either going before thee or following after to judgement Wil not sin even thy sin have sorrow here or hereafter for ever Shall you always rejoyce Is not God of most pure eys Ah! who knows the power of his anger What are millions of men to him though they be never so great when hee is angry What are those glorious Angels of light which he made to him if once they provoke him shewed 1 In examples as of the Angels 2 Pet. 2.4 5 6. Doth hee not turn both Angels and men to destruction for their sin God spared not the Angels that sinned but cast them down to hell and delivered them into chains of darknesse to be reserved unto judgement c. and that for their pride and it may be thou comest but little short of them in Luciferian pride thou man thou woman Yea he spared not the whole race of mankinde which sinning in Adam Of the whole race of mankind in Adam was with him cast out of Paradise into a state of damnation and what was his sin was it not the doing of that which was forbidden him a tasting of forbidden fruit And do thou think with thy self how guilty thou art not onely of that original and first sin of thy nature but of many actuall and wilfull transgressions since and that in the same kinde most eager after such things as of which thou art most restrained And was not the whole world of men women The old world and children eight onely excepted drowned for like lâ—sts violence excess and secure eating and drinking c. as thou art guilty of Did not God turn the cities of Sodom and Gomorrah into ashes for their lusts and uncleanness pride fulness of bread Sodom Idleness and uncharitableness And did hee not bring first the Captivity Ezek. 16. The Jews and since that fearfull dispersion and curse of Cain upon the Jews which lyeth upon them in soul as wel as body to this very day and all for their unbelief and rejection of Christ added to their other sins And in effect art thou not guilty of the same sins who rejectest Christ in his grace and in his offices Ah! think not onely on such hellish torments as often seize on wicked men here on earth 2 In the torments of hel in regard of terrours and horrours of conscience but of the torments of hell it self both endlesse and easelesse prepared for secure sinners when God shall unresistibly come in fury and judgement against them and against all such as now contemn or neglect the time of mercy when his wrath being once kindled shall burn to the bottom of hell into which they shall be cast where their worm dieth not Mark 9.44 and the fire is not quenched This shall be effected on all out of Christ when Christ shall come and be revealed from heaven with his mighty Angels in flaming fire taking vengeance on them that know not God 2 Thes 1.7 8 9 which would seriously be thought on by secure ones now and that obey not the Gospel of our Lord jesus Christ who shall be punished with everlasting destruction from the presence of the Lord and from the glory of his power Ah whose heart trembles not at these things ah that men would seriously think of that tearing of heart and gnashing of teeth which will be in that eternall separation The heart which is not now pricked will be gnawn and eaten yet not consumed which were a mercy by that worm of conscience when in those hellish torments which are endlesse easelesse remedilesse men shall consider how God every Sabbath did stretch out his armes of mercy to embrace them The worm which then will gnaw and they would not how Christ offered a plaister of his own hearts blood to cure them if they would have been but pricked in heart but they made light accout of it and trampled it under their feet The holy Ghost put good motious into their heart convincing them of sinne and judgement and inviting them to godly sorrow with hope of pardon but they rejected those motions and would not be interrupted in their ease joy and false peace The Minister pressed hard to have them yield but they withstood him Oh the deep wounds the grievous bitings and stingings and the hellish cries that these and like thoughts then but too late will work and fetch from such poor souls And what a grief is it now to the hearts of their godly and conscionable Ministers and others who wish them well parents friends and kindred that these men wil not lay any of these things now in time to heart or be perswaded or intreated to prevent their own everlasting ruine as if all were fables which we tell them and framed onely to scare them What fables and scarecrows Ah dearly beloved let neither the Devil or your own treacherous hearts delude you but know that God is truly displeased with your sins as being many wayes dishonoured grived and wounded in his name and glory by the same yea 3 In and by the sufferings of Christ and of Gods severity against sin appearing therein is infinitely just as as well as mercifull and that howsoever he gave his Sonne in the greatest mercy to become man for us yet his justice against sin did equally appear in subjecting him his onely dear and beloved Son to such a cursed shamefull and opprobrious and painfull death for sinners in whom thus dying we may see Gods severity which was shewed against this his beloved Son oncestanding in our stead His justice could not be satisfied with Gold or any thing corruptible not with thousands of rams or with ten thousands of rivers of oyl yea 1 Pet. 1 18 19 Micah 6 7. Psal 49.7 8. not with the death and sacrifice of our onely or first-born children The redemption of souls is precious and in regard of any humane or created power price or means ceaseth for ever It is not the death or intreaty of an Angel could do it no nor barely the intreaty of God the Son himself How Christ was pricked for us It must cost the price of his
from him Or otherwise as is said by a good but ungrounded conceit of thy self and of thine own estate being alive before the Law come closer and neerer home to thy conscience thou thinkest thy self safe and in good estate Rom. 7.8 and apprehendest no danger or judgement as belonging to thee but onely to others But in a word know and remember that though thou be thus partiall towards thy self yet God is not as hath been said though thou hide cover and conceal thy bosom sin neither searching it out thy self nor suffering the word to search thee yet God will search thee and finde it out Thy safest way were to judge and condemn thy self that thou mayst not be condemned and judged of the Lord and to imitate the poor and humble Publican who smote on his brest and heart confessing and craving mercy for his sin and to beware of the proud Pharisee his self-justification 5. Flattery of soothing Prophets 5. And as part cause of the former beware of smoothing and flattering teachers who howsoever sometimes they may make a flourish and declame it may be against sin and tell of Gods judgements yet they will have a care that they come not so neer as to offend thee or to touch thee in thy speciall sin if especially thou be one in place or who mayst come even with them again These men heal before they hurt and what stings others the faithfull servants of God have left in the mindes and consciences of any they seek to pluck out and to heal the wound with their oyly words being like the false Prophets of old of whom and of the Priests it was said They have healed the hurt bruise or breach of the daughter of my people slightly saying Peace peace when there is no peace Jer. 6. v. 14. And when Gods deerest servants tell the people of particular judgements belonging to them and so by wounding and pricking their consciences bring them on in a good way towards repentance these flattering Prophets strengthen their hands that they should not return from their wicked wayes by promising them life Ezek. 13.22 onely wounding and making sad the heart of the righteous whom God hath not made sad In this case I must say to you if you would be pricked and savingly wounded for your sins as the Lord in another case said to the Kings of the Nations Therefore hearken not ye to your Prophets nor to your Diviners c. for they prophesie a lie unto you to remove you far from your Land and that ye should perish Jer. 27.9 10. and Jer. 29.8 6. Lastly 6. Vnbelief take heed of unbelief want of faith to beleeve Gods true Prophets when they tell you of the danger of your sin keeps you from applying the threatnings of God to your selves so that you reap no fruit by the word but though fairly warned and called to repentance with hope of mercy perish through your own unbelief in his wrath as it was with those of the old world whereas Noah himself by faith being warned of God of things not seen as yet moved with fear prepared an ark to the saving of his house Hebr. 11.7 So wee read of Enoch Jude v. 7. though but the seventh from Adam and in the beginning of the world who yet set the end of the world or the day of judgement before him prophesying thereof whereas secure men through their unbelief never humble themselves if then till judgements be upon them being herein like such as hearing thunderclaps far off are not moved till they be as present over their heads and some hurt in their sight be done then with Pharaoh they tremble but not till then So want of faith in Christ keeps men from being sensible of their sin and from being pricked in conscience for it When was it that these Converts in my Text were pricked in heart It was when they heard and withall beleeved that Christ whom they crucified was the true Messias So it was foretold Zech. 12.10 that when they should look upon him whom they had pierced they should be pierced themselves and mourn bitterly and be sensible of their sin which shall be fulfilled especially at the conversion of their Nation but then they must no longer abide in unbelief Rom. 11.23 Seeing then faith is the gift of God we must earnestly pray for it and carefully attend to the ministry of the word by which it is begotten To withdraw from the hearing of the word either in regard of presence of body or attention of mind is to keep our selves out of the sphere and compasse within which onely the word of God that sword of the Spirit is active and operative and will reach and pierce us SECT 2. Le ts removed which make the soul senseless And first Sensuality and worldliness 2 Lets keeping the soul from being sensible of pricking BUt men who cannot avoid the stroke of the word the scorching of that fire the smiting of heart and conscience having such teachers as smite home and will not suffer them by their evasions shifts excuses and extenuations to put by the blow yet as experience sheweth shew themselves little sensible of the same neither are they truely made sorrowful thereby being like Jacob or Israel Mens senselsness for blindnesse deafnesse incredulity senselessness and stupidity on whom it is said the Lord poured the fury of his anger and the strength of battell and it set him on fire round about yet he knew not and it burned him yet he laid it not to heart Isa 42.25 or like the drunkard who may say They have stricken me and I was not sick they have beaten me and I felt it not Prov. 23 25. being past feeling Ephes 4.19 and of cauterized consciences 1 Tim. 4.2 Now there are divers things which bereave men of all spirituall sense and pain which accordingly if we would become true mourners for sin we must carefully beware of and see that wee give no way unto them Men have ways and means by which they for the while especially become insensible of pain by pricking Divers things bereaving men of the sense of bodily pain As Deep sleep Searing burning bone-setting incision cutting off a member and the like as by the use and application of narcoticall or stupefactive medicines and potions by being cast into a deep and dead sleep by which all their senses even that of feeling are bound up so by searing and burning whereby the part is mortified and the inward humidity dried up So I have heard and read Bewithching how in the body of witches in covenant with the Divel in the place where by sucking or otherwise he sets his mark or Sacramental signe the place is so benummed and deaded that a pin of a great largeness and length may be thrust in to the head without the grief or any sense of the party by which means if that mark or bewitched place can be but once found out
continuing long and no hurt done to any they took to their old way without any terrour as formerly and asked by strangers what it was It is said they the Whooper of the Wood and made no more of it So it is with sin if we accustome our selves thereunto it brings us to carelesnesse and that to senselesnesse so that at length custome our own and others shall be pleaded and at length is pleaded for and made to justifie wicked acts and made a justification of our wicked practices as we see in those idolatrous women pleading for their Idolatry we will do as we have done Jer. 44.17 So Papists harden themselves in their superstitions and common people in their profaning the Sabboth by their sports may-games and in other their sinfull customes Thus the heart is hardened at length and becomes senselesse Simile even as some parts of the body become through use callous brawny dry and dead a dead and thick skin growing over the flesh which may be pricked or pared without sense of pain as we see in labourers SECT 4. Two moe lets Gods secret vengeance and Hardness of heart with the nature and danger of it and Means to prevent it 5 Gods secret vengeance 5 THere is Gods secret vengeance which wee are to take notice yea to take heed of whereby he gives obstinate and presumptuous sinners over to stupidity and senselesnesse denying and withholding his grace and the blessing of his word and other means from such as have neglected or abused the same whereby he bereaves obstinate sinners of sense Thus he tels Isaiah what the effect of his prophesying should be Go tell this peopple Hear ye indeed but understand not and see yee indeed but perceive no make the heart of this people fat and make their ears heavie â—and shut their eyes lest they see with their eys and hear with their ears and understand with their hearts and convert and be healed Isa 6.9 10. which terrible doom wee now are the more to be afraid of because it is six times made use of in the New Testament Matth. 13.14 Mark 4.12 Luke 8.10 John 12.40 Acts 28.26 Rom. 11 8. which is more then is done by any other Text of the Old Testament So elsewhere Isa 29.10 The Lord hath poured out upon you the spirit of deep sleep and hath closed your eys the Prophets and your Rulers the Seers hath he covered c. Here my counsell is Take heed you do not so long dally with God smother his truth blind your own eys neglect his call who are taught not to dally with God make light of the offers of his grace despise his threatnings and corrections that you provoke him to curse his own Ordinances to you and give you up to senselesnesse and final impenitency and Indolency Hearken then to his first call Heb. 3.7 and to day if you will hear his voice harden not your hearts lest he give you up to finall hardnesse as now it follows 6 The not fearring the judgement of hardness of heart 6. Lastly As fear God who thus by our dallying may be provoked to deprive us of all spirituall sense and feeling so also be afraid of Hardnesse of heart whether acquired and attracted by your own means by your sensuality presumption carelesnesse giving way to beginnings custome of sinning or inflicted by Gods just judgement giving you wholly up to your own lusts or to Satan to harden you Keep so much sense as of all other evils and judgements to be most afraid of this for if God once give a man up to it which if we wil avoid we must fear it is worse then to be given up to the divel so was the Incestuous Corinthian who came to sense of his sin and repented to life and salvation but these are denyed that which they never cared for true sense of sin sorrowing for it and repentance and so are next door to hell it self It is a fearfull judgement and evill which opens her mouth for them they being in condition next to the estate of damned spirits seeing their damnation is sealed upon them and they kept under darknesse and in the insensible chains of the guilt of their sins and of their obstinate hardnesse to the judgement of the great day making men 1Vnpliable to the word stif-necked stony This hard heart is 1. An unpliable heart a dry stiffe and stony heart whereby men become stif-necked wilfull strong-headed like untamed beasts that will not admit of the yoke It is that Adamantine heart spoken of Zech. 7.12 implying a stony hardnesse Physicians would call it a Tophos or a callositie or brawny hardnesse like unto that white hard and dry substance that conglutinates broken bones It is according to S. Paul Ephes 4.18 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 blindnesse or rather hardnesse of heart Such in the soul as when in the body any part of it whether inward as the liver or spleen or outward becomes hard through the dyring up of the inward humidity Dry and seared whether by any infirmity as scirrous tumours or by searing or burning with an hot iron as in beasts which are gelt and then seared or by labour Such is a hard heart being destitute of the moysture of Gods grace and of his spirit a stiffe and obstinate heart which will not bow nor yeeld to Gods word by obedience matth 23.17 It s an impudent heart as Ezek. 2.14 and 3.7 by which men grow worse and worse till they perish Impudent It is an impenitent and unyeelding heart Impenitent like metal unmolten an heart resisting the word and spirit Acts 7.51 It is such a heart as was in the Jews before and now is in them since they are cast off Rom. 11.25 on whom is Cains curse It s a heart of Belial a wicked heart without yoke Deut. 15.9 that Beasts heart which was given to Nebuchadnezzar Dan. 4.16 Howsoever it is a disobedient and gainsaying heart disobedient and unyeelding Rom. 10.21 and makes men so I is such an heart as is not moved at threatnings so as to be broken thereby or at promises so as to be molten by them at judgements inflicted to be humbled or at mercies to rejoyce or be thankfull at injunctions or commands of God to obey or perform them being contrary to the tender heart or fleshy heart which is obedient Contrary to which is the tender heart the soft fleshy and plyable heart such as was in these Converts here who being pricked presently offered themselves ready to obey saying What shall we do so in Paul Lord What wouldst thou have mee to do and in the Jaylour What shall I do to be saved This is the heart of flesh in mercy promised to 〈◊〉 as shall be saved Ezek. 11.19 and. 36.26 The tender heart pliable shewing its tenderssene both to God such as was in good King Josiah 2 Chron. 34.27 whose property is to
be plyable and yielding both to God and man 1 It stands not out against or resists Gods word but quakes at threatnings melts at promises is humbled at judgements as 2 Chron. 30.10.11 not such as was in Zedekiah 2 Chron. 36.12 of whom it is said he did evill in the sight of the Lord his God and humbled not himself before Jeremiah the Prophet speaking from the mouth of the Lord or in Belshazzar framing to his will Dan. 5.21.22 who did not humble his heart though he knew all such evils and judgements as befell his father for hardening his mind in pride verse 20. In a word the soft heart yields like soft wax to the impressions of Gods grace word and spirit and like molten metal frames to the form and obeys that form of Doctrine whereto it is delivered as the phrase is Rom. 6.17.2 The tender heart shews it self also towards others by shewing forth bowels of pity to men in misery and man by pity and kindnesse Heb. 13.3 and of kindnesse and forgivenesse to such as do it wrong Ephes 4.32 2. This heard heart I speak of as it is stiffe stony and unpliable so it is also insensible void of all spirituall sense especially that of feeling this is through want of spiritual life 2 unsensible and without life where no life is there is no sense at all and where life is though other senses may be wanting yet not that of feeling that sense though it be not the most noble for so is the sense of sight and hearing yet it is the most necessary sense there being no life without it where it is wholly wanting or lost it of all senses alone is diffused throughout all parts almost of the whole body and it being lost there is no more intercourse of vital and animal spirits or influence of them by the nerves into other parts and consequently no longer any proportion or harmony of qualities or of temperament in which proportion the native moysture and heat is founded and consisteth So that feeling and sense of pain is needful to the very being of every creature arguing spiritu-death and so is spiritual feeling as necessary to the being of the new creature so that we may conclude that the heart which is an insensible heart is a dead heart Eph. 4.18.19 alienated from the life of God at least and that is bad enough possessed with a spirit of slumber and dead sleep whilest not one but all the senses of the soul are holden in it as the bodily senses in and by bodily sleep and that through a kind of dregginesse which stoppeth the passages of the spirits Or at least a dead sleep depriving men of their spiritual senses by which the whole heart and soul is made unsensible for hereby men are without 1 Hearing Isa 6.9 2 Seeing Isa 6.9 Ephes 4.18 3 without all spiritual Tast Rom. 8.5 4 Smel 2 Cor. 2.16 Lastly without feeling Ephes 4.19 having their hearts fat and insensible Isa 6.10 yea in a dead sleep and sleep of death and therefore insensible insensible of good and evil of mercies and of judgements of grace and sin without true love desire and joy in the one and without Fear Being contrary to the sensible heart 1 Kings 3.9 shame anger and godly sorrow in the other contrary to which heart is that which having a new life put into it and it awakened out of the Lethargie or rather death of sin begins spiritually and savingly 1 to hear for so we read of an hearing heart for which Solomon prayed 2 to see Ephes 1.18 1 Cor. 2.14.15 3 to tast 1 Pet. 2.2 3. with Psal 34.8 Cantic 4.11 4 to smel Cantic 1.3.13 16. 4.10 11. 2 Cor. 2.14.16 and 5 lastly to feele when by self-denial the fat of this grosse heart as it is called Mat. 13.15 which makes it also without sense Psal 119.70 Mat. 13.15 is consumed and offered in sacrifice to God according to the type Levit. 3.3 such a sensible heart was in these converts here who being self convinced self condemned and denying themselves were pricked in heart and through sense of pain cried out and sought help elsewhere then in themselves and accordingly found it I have thus set the benefit of the tender sensible heart against the other that by the opposition I might better shew the wofull condition and miserable estate of such as who being past feeling The miserable condition of senselesse and hard-hearted sinners give themselves over whether unto Laciviousnesse or to any other sensual and sinful course of life and who accordingly are given over in Gods most terrible but just wrath to this the worst of all evills on earth even the judgement of an hard and senselesse heart and all with this further aym that hereby the sinner that would attain to true compunction and pricking of heart for his sin and so to true conversion and salvation would above all be most afraid of this heavy judgement of hardnesse of heart and of whatsoever may cause or procure the same Such as are given over to it are irrecoverably left to the judgement of the great day seeing their judgement here is to be denied all sense of their dangerous and damned condition into which they have voluntarily brought themselves and so being left to themselves and to their own lusts as incorrigible Psal 81. and to Satan Hardnesse of heart the greatest Let to saving pricking 2 Pet. 2 4. and most to be laboured against as his prisoners to be reserved in chains of darknesse of mind and dedolent and final impenitencie kept and brought forth to that judgement wherein their case is now become like that of the devil and his angels whose judgement that is Of all lets then to this pricking of heart take heed of this of hardnesse of heart for where it is the judgement is to be deprived of all sense of sin and feeling of wrath till the soul be plunged into hell and become irrecoverably miserable and then lie under the sense of Gods severest wrath and eternall displeasure not to fear it is a signe of it Oh therefore get your hearts possessed continually with fear of this dismal evil and ever be afraid to be given over to it Now let me tell you not to fear it when you hear so much of it is a signe it hath already seazed upon you and benummed your spirituall senses especially if you have any long while lived fruitlesly or presumptuously under the means Young men especially to take heed of it and therefore especially it belongs to young men to take notice hereof who by reason of their age are not yet perhaps so hardened in sin through the deceitfulnesse of it There is a naturall tendernesse in us whilst we are young or a lesser degree rather of hardnesse which gets strength and proves habituall through use and age if it be not in time prevented Let such then
seeing nothing is more opposite or a greater enemy to this pricking of heart or to the tender plyable humble and contrite heart such as I desire and endeavour to bring you to then is hardnesse and senselesnesse of heart and soul And thus having according to my office endeavoured to prepare the way for you and to gather out the stones I will come a little nearer to direct you to the Means Isa 62.10 by the use of which with Gods blessing you may attain to true compunction of heart and contrition of spirit the thing I aim at CHAP XV. SECT 1. Of the means of true compunction and sensiblenesse and first of Gods word heard Meanes of compunction and sensiblenesse such as was in these Jews and shall be at their calling again recalled and applyed THis pricking of heart as we have heard doth imply first tendernesse and withall pliablenesse to Gods word and will Secondly sensiblenesse and sorrow for sin not excluding fear of Gods judgements such as was in these Converts in my Text who were 1 pricked in heart that is wounded in conscience and made sensible of their sin and danger 2 Pliable to Gods will saying what shall we do And such as shall be again in these Jews at their conversion when first they also being convinced and made sensible of their sin in piercing and crucifying their Saviour shall mourn bitterly for the same Zach. 12.10 and shall no longer be stiffe-necked or abide in unbelief Rom. 11.23 such a heart was that of King Josiah and such as was in good King Josiah which was both tender and humbled yea rent and sorrowfull which made him both mourn within himself and send to enquire of the Lord with readinesse of heart to obey 2 Chron. 34.19 21 27. That then which I desire to bring or at least to direct you to The divers phrases signifying this compunction of heart is that which the Scripture in variety of phrases signifies not onely by the tender heart and heart of flesh Ezek. 11.19 and 36.26 but thus to have the heart pricked as in my Text to be of an humble and contrite heart Isa 57.15 to be of a wounded spirit Prov. 18.14 of a broken heart Psal 51.17 and to have the caul of the heart rent as Hos 13.8 Joel 2.13 God onely can and doth soften the heart Now howsoever we are exhorted hereunto and directed to the means by which it may be wrought in us yet we must know it for an undoubted truth that it is God who onely makes the heart truly humble tender and senfible Ezek. 11.19 and 36.26 Jer. 23.29 I will give them an heart of flesh which he doth by the meanes of his word which becomes as fire and as an hammer by his Judgements Mercies which yet he doth by Meanes 1 by his word and Corrections c. which he requires we attend unto and make a right use of by hearing meditation application and prayer so that whilst we thus do we are said to humble our selves though it be God by whose hand and power such hearts are given us 2 Chron. 30.11 12. 1 by our hearing his word faithfully taught 1 Make conscience of hearing of Gods word as it is taught especially by such as Peter here and other the Apostles were who without flattery in a zeal of Gods glory and of the Conversion of those they preached unto in power also and demonstration of the spirit now more abundantly powred upon them told these Jewes and convinced them of their sins that they were the crucifiers of Christ whose glory also they set forth Such teaching convinceth and judgeth the harers yea makes them judge themselves fall down and worship God and whilst the secrets of their hearts are made manifest acknowledge a divine presence and power in the preacher 1 Cor. 14.24 25 So was it here with these Converts who found a greater and more effectuall power in the word preached and thus brought home to their consciences The power of Gods word in pricking the heart which Miracles did not in these Jews then in all the miracles which God shewed either before and at the death of Christ when yet the very stones and rocks and the vail of the Temple were rent asunder or now at this time when besides the mighty noise and shew of fire or fiery tongues from heaven they saw and heard the Apostles men of no note nor learning speak in all languages the wonderfull things of God Acts 2.13 so in David they mocked at that but were pricked wounded with this Thus David after his sin of numbring the people came to a sense of his sin and his heart pricked or smote him for it and brought him to confession of it but when after the Lord had sent the Prophet Gad unto him to convince him by offering him an hard choice for that is given as the reason so that a Sam. 24.10 11 12. I do not say the word is alwayes thus powerfull or in all some are more hardened by such a ministery as the anvile by the strokes of the hammer God justly denying them his grace and not working in power with his word onely I say if the word thus preached do not prick if the word do it not nothing will do it wound and mollifie the heart nothing will do it If God by his word and spirit breath not upon the soul the soul cannot breath out so much as a sigh for sin if that wind blow not the waters of repentance will not flow if he send not out his word Psal 147.17 18. Exod. 17.6 our icy hearts will not be thawen if Gods presence promise and power be not there mans indeavours are not of effect If God stand not upon the rock our rocky hearts though Moses smiting the same shall never bring forth water onely where God will soften and wound the heart he by such a Ministery as is named shews out his power and poures out his spirit and makes his word effectuall to that purpose Wherefore if indeed we would have such hearts wrought in us we must indeavour to live under such a ministery we must desire yea and strive to live under a searching and forcible Ministery where we may hear such doctrine and so handled and applyed as that the secrets of our soul our secret sins and our hearts may be ransacked sifted and tried we may be made known to our selves and become vile in our own eys the deceits of our false hearts discovered and our sin and danger fully revealed to us without all flattery and partiality Till we be within such a distance and compass as within which the word is onely except extraordinarily active wee can expect no such at least saving effect from it Buy the truth then and spare for no cost rather then want it and accordingly to spare for no cost that is such wholsome and powerfull teaching account
the City Gaza thou carriest I may say the very gates of hell upon thy back and goest upright under many execrable abominations unclenness drunkenness oppression profanation of the Lords day and other impieties and yet art not pressed therewith though God be even as a cart laden with sheaves Amos 2.13 and groaning as it were under the burden thou hast a whole sea of Gods wrath upon thee Without which we cannot feel the burthen of it and yet as the fishes in the sea or as one diving under water feelest not the burthen But now that thou mayst feel it and be sensible of it consider thy sin in the forenamed aggravating and greatning circumstance thereof and so lay it upon thy shoulders and thou shalt finde it heavier then thou canst bear as David did Psalm 38.4 as one shall do a small vessel of water laid on his back on dry land Sins taken severally and barely and slightly looked on may seem small and little and nothing burdensome but if thou lookest on them in the heap or as on the sand lying on the sea-shore thou wilt finde them and the grief of them heavier then the sand of the sea as Job speaks of his grief and calamitie when it is throughly weighed and laid in the balance together Job 6.2 3. A weight suppose of many hundreds whilest it lieth on the ground is not felt in the burthen and heaviness of it till we begin to pluck and heave at it no more is thy sin till thus thou weigh it in the balance of the sanctuary and take it into deep and serious consideration Hold thy self then constantly to this duty of consideration and pondering thy sin Serious consideration of our sin is needful and then a small sin like a small weight which we carry far and long being much thought on will prove a burthen and make thee in the sense thereof cry and by repentance and faith come to Christ that thou mayst be eased In case thou receive an injury from man or a small affront by much thinking on it thou makest it very great Thus deal with the injuries thou dost unto the great and holy God and which lie upon thy score and I suppose thou wilt finde and feel them a burthen intolerable heavie pressing and oppressing thy heart SECT 3. Gods judgements on our selves past present and to come should humble us 2 God softens our hearts also by his judgements and afflictions 1 On our selves Which accordingly and to that end wee are to make use of Whether the afflictions be NOw moreover seeing God often wounds mens spirits and softens their hearts by his Judgements by Afflictions and Corrections working with his word let us take the advantage thereof and make a right use of the same whether they be his corrections and crosses which befall or belong to our selves or more directly and firstly do concern others 1. God would work in us true and saving sorrow by such outward evils as he is pleased to inflict upon us being otherwise justly procured and deserved by our sins which may and should be diligently considered and made use of by us to the same end and that whether wee consider them as past present or to come 1. We are to call to minde especially being of riper yeers and judgement what great things wee have suffered 1 Past and what fore afflictions have befallen us by dangerous sicknesses hurts wounds extreme perils and sharp corrections of God when we were young or howsoever in former times whether lately or longer since when it may be either through childishness ignorance or otherwise by distraction of thoughts or sharpness of bodily pain or astonishment of our senses we could not so well meditate on the same or take things into such serious consideration as was meet Such corrections would not now be forgot but seriously called to minde and considered of as then sent of God in his displeasure against us for our sins whereby we provoked this patient God so to smite us that so we may now do that which he expected from us then Which wee must remember and be humbled for them that is be humbled in soul and come to true sorrow and repentance for our sin Thus Jeremy in the name of the faithful Remembring mine affliction and my misery the wormwood and the gall my soul hath them stil in remembrance and is humbled or bowed in mee Lament 3.19 20. That which was bitter to the body in the present feeling thereof is now bitter to the soul in remembrance thereof and in consideration of sin the cause thereof Thus should it be with us 2 present By which God humbles and converts 2 If Gods hand be upon thee by any outward cross and affliction for the present which hee sends of purpose to humble thee be sure thou let him not smite thee in vain Afflictions by Gods mercy prove means of conversion as in King Manasseh though not without the word Psal 94 12. and 2 Chr. 33.10 12 18. It s said when he was in affliction he besought the Lord his God and humbled himself greatly before the God of his Fathers his affliction prepared and made his heart fitter to receive profit by the words of the Seers that spake to him in the name of the Lord. and calls to weeping Isa 22.12 God humbled Manasseh and he humbled himself God at such times cals to weeping and to mourning to baldnesse and to girding with sackcloth and by such means would break the hardness stoutness and stoniness of our hearts thus bringing us under his hammer and stroke to bruise us into his fire and furnace to try fine and melt us unless we be reprobate silver In such case then let thy cross drive thee home first to thy self in consideration of thy sin the cause meritorious of thy cross then to thy God and Father with the Prodigal the efficient and inflicter of thy cross where 1 We are to be sensible of Gods displeasure And here first learne to be sensible of Gods displeasure God will be known by executing judgement he will have thee know he is angry and displeased with thee and would have thee sensible of his displeasure See what God said concerning Miriam after her sin against Moses the servant of the Lord for which she was smitten with leprosie when Moses prayed for her healing the Lord tels him saying If her father had spit in her face should she not be ashamed seven dayes Numb 12.14 Let her be shut out seven dayes c. Even thus when God shewes any token of his displeasure against thee be ashamed and humbled smite on thy breast with the Publican and on thy thigh with Ephraim Thus Naomi which signifieth pleasant disclaimes her name Call not me Naomi call me Mara that is bitter for the Almighty hath dealt very bitterly with me Ruth 1.20 21. Why then call ye me Naomi seeing the Lord hath testified against me and
and condition out of their own houses in some parts of England but especially in Ireland as also by Sea as they go for New-England and other parts putting them to most miserable slaverie so by Antichrist and spiritual Babylon tyrannizing over soules and bodies as elsewkere and formerly killing massacring spoiling and laying waste whole Townes Cities Provinces and Countries by their cruell and mercilesse Souldiers witnesse not onely of later times Roehel in France and those of the Valtoline where Christians have been forced to flie their Countrey others staying to renounce their Religion in hope and promise of life and then cruelly slain the Enemie boasting they had now slain both bodies and soules of Heretickes so at this time in the lower Hassia but especially divers places of Germany and of the Reformed Churches there as the Palatinate Bohemia Silesia anno 1640. and now at this present the Lower Hassia over-run with barbarous Souldiers burning killing and spoiling without all respect to Sex Age or Order forcing men to leave their own homes to seek to maintain life by feeding on carrion and such like burning and demolishing their Churches and Colledges and School-houses impoverishing all of all sorts especially their Ministers and School-masters three hundred and more of whom at this time are forced to seek and by the recommendation of their Princesse The Landgrave of Hassia to desire the charitable and bountifull relief of Christians in other Provinces and Kingdomes for the present relief of the foresaid Ministers and Rectors of Schooles Octob. 1641. And for the re-edifying of their Churches and Schoole and should not we be affected with these things and weep with them that weep and shew a fellow-feeling with them making their case our own We should be alike affected with them not knowing how soon it may be so indeed in the mean time so remembring them that are in bonds as bound with them c. which is the Apostles exhortation Hebr. 13.3 Herein following the example not onely of Moses as was Moses whose heart melted when he looked on his brethrens afflictions in Egypt but especially of that worthy Nehemiah who at a great distance and Nehemiah hearing of the miseries of the Jewes that had escaped and which were left of the captivity Nehem. 1.3 4 5 c. that they were in great affliction and reproach that the wall of Jerusalem was broken down and the gates thereof burnt with fire sate down and wept and mourned certain dayes and fasted and prayed before the God of Heaven This made him no doubt mourne for his own and others sinnes against which God by every judgement of his doth testifie that he hath just cause and matter against us and ours This is a noble president for us to follow seeing we want not like occasion and it would bring us to a mourning temper and disposition to weep even for our own as well as others sins At this time also the bleeding condition of Ireland would not be forgotten 3 specially we are to meditate on the sufferings of Christ for us 3. Lastly view we in our thought and meditations attentively the sufferings and greatnesse of the sorrowes of our Lord and blessed Saviour Jesus Christ dying for us with the cause thereof in our selves and sinnes together with the love of God and Christ himselfe in giving himselfe for us We should look on his sorrowes not with a spirit so much of compassion as of compunction not weeping for him in pitie so much which silly ignorant people and women can do when they see his Passion prophanely acted on the Stage and on our wounding him or in the streets in their Corpus Christi Playes or when they look upon the Crucifix striking and beating on their breastâ— as in true sorrow for out own sinnes by which we pierced him and in some sense do daily pierce him by the same so these Jewes here in my Text no sooner had Christ by the Word evidently set forth to be the true and onely Messias Gal. 3.1 and crucified among them by being charged and convinced that they were the Crucifiers of him but they were thus savingly pricked in heart as it was foretold of them and of those yet to be called by the Prophet Zechary They shall look upon him by the eye of meditation whom they have pierced Zech. 12.10 and they shall mourn for him as one mourneth for his onely son and shall be in bitternesse for him as on that is in bitternesse for his first-borne Consider herein Christ his bitter death not onely what thou must expect to suffer in thine own person for ever unlesse thou now be pricked in heart for him as well as he was pierced in heart head and hands and feet for thee but his infinite love as also on his infinite love in suffering such things for us who would suffer so much for thee and interpose himselfe between his Fathers wrath and thee yea receiving in his own bowels the javelin of his Fathers anger to keep it from thee to whom onely it was due as in like case did it not thinke we both trouble David to thinke of Jonathans hazards for him and also cause his heart to melt in true love to Jonathan who shewed himselfe so loving to him Will it not pricke and wound thy heart to consider this thy dear and truest Friend for thus he was wounded in the house of his friends one the racke of the Crosse for thee to the end that thou mightest never come unto it Zech. 13.6 how should yea and would this meditation if seriously made use of melt and mollifie our hard hearts and overcome all our obstinacies His sorrowes well thought on would helpe to break our hard hearts but his love appearing in the same would and should melt and thaw them 3 God softens our hearts by his mercies which we should often thinke of to that end And so generally the meditation of his mercies a thousand wayes manifested to every one of us How did hard-hearted Sauls heart melt into teares when he saw and was convinced of Davids love integritie and respects to him and his life when in the very act of his hostilitie against David yet David spared his life And how was Davids own heart humbled at the relation of Gods many mercies against which he had sinned The like in the Israelites 1 Sa. 24.16 17. 2 Sam. 12.7 8 9-13 who upbraided by Gods mercies in bringing them out of Egypt lift up their voice and wept so that the place had its name thence and was called Bochim or Weepers Judges 2.1 2 3 4 5. They considered Gods kindnesse to them and their unkindnesse to him and thereupon wept such consideration of mercie shewed or offered to the unworthy is foretold to worke shame in the sinners and loathing themselves Ezek. 36.25 26 c. with verses 31.32 O then hearts harder than the Adamant that are not
softened with the milke of this love of God! ye stout-hearted sinners and be moved therewith be moved and affected with grief to consider and thinke how ye sin against the bountie of God expressed to you in all temporal blessings which you enjoy and they are well nigh infinite in his patience towards you not cutting you off and sending you to Hell in your sinnes but chiefly in his gracious and morcifull disposition to wards you in offering himselfe more willing and ready to be reconciled to you than you are by true repentance sorrow and submission to seek it at his gracious hands O base hearts who by living still in your sinnes and without all sorrow taking pleasure in the same do seek his dishonour Do ye so requite the Lord O foolish people and unwise Deut. 32.6 7 c. Doth not this stab thy heart O my people may God now say to us and much rather than to his unthankfull people of old What have I done unto thee and so in Micah 6.3 4 5. John 10.32 Many good workes may Christ now say to us also have I shewed you from my Father for which of those workes do ye stone me How should you answer but with more humilitie sinceritie and selfe-deniall as it followeth in Micah Verse 6. Wherewithall shall I come before the Lord and bow my selfe before the high God Yea and instead of all other sacrifices there mentioned offer that of an humble and contrite spirit and resolve to walke humbly or humble your selves to walke with God O that I could hear your relenting hearts as overcome with his free mercies and offers of his grace to sound and eccho out such voices and to say What any mercie or hope of mercie for such a vile Wretch bold sinner base Varlet as I Might not God many yeares ago in his just displeasure have sent me from the wombe to Hell O Patience Would any man have put up such injuries at my hands as God hath done dishonours or would I my selfe shew like kindnesse to any who had multiplied wrongs against me O it grieves my soul that I have so grieved him beast that I am O how have I been besotted not to see better to answer his love Men and brethren what shall I do to purchase his favour whereof I have made my selfe so unworthily I resolve therefore to wallow in ashes and to repent in dust and ashes and not for a world to offend him as I have done SECT 5. Gods Majesty thought on would abase us 4. The serious thought of Gods high Majesty will humble us HEre again I might direct you to a meditation also of the high and glorious Majesty of the high and holy God of his greatnesse excellencie power wisdom glorie and all other Attributes of God that so we may no longer harden our hearts against him Psal 95 3-8 9. Deut. 10.16 17 18 -20 21. that the immutabilitie of his decrees Job 23.13 14 15 16. and his excellency may make us afraid Job 13.11 37.23 24. that his mighty power may cause us prepare to meet him by repentance Amos 4.12 with 13. as we see in Rahab Josh 2 10.-12 13-18 And that we may at length learne with Job to acknowledge our vilenesse and to abhorre our selves and repent in dust and ashes Job 38.2 3 c. 40.2 3. 42.3 with 6. But I will hasten to the last Direction without which all the rest will be used in vain and it is prayer 〈…〉 SECT 6. Earnest Prayer a means of Humiliation 5 Withall wee must earnestly pray to God who onely can humble us LAstly Seeing God onely as hath been said can humble and soften the hard and stony heart of man wee are if wee truly desire to have tender pliable sensible and humbled hearts most earnestly to seek the same by prayer of God 1 By others 1. If thou canst not through weakness of gifts or distractions pray of thy self desire the assistance of some godly and compassionate Christian to pray with thee and for thee that God would graciously and powerfully work in thee what thou desirest In such case yea howsoever send for the Elders of the Church when thou feelst thy heart any thing hardened or thy self to be in any distress of soul or body that they may pray over thee James 5.14 2 By our selves But 2. Is any among you afflicted or would any of you be indeed truly afflicted in conscience and come to some remorse for his sin Let him pray saith Saint James himself It s hard if any man who hath a true and inward desire of any thing he wants or would have If I say he cannot breathe out one sigh and some way or other though brokenly express himself to God Broken prayers oftentimes shew a broken heart and spirit which God will not despise But as thou art able beg earnestly daily and constantly an humble soft and relenting heart with godly sorrow for all and every sin It s no easie thing to break the pride and stoniness of the heart it requires help from heaven and power from above If God do it not it will never be done Wee have Gods promise But now we have his promise for it if we will earnestly seek unto him for it as for all other things freely promsed Ezek. 36.26 32 37. Beg earnestly that God would melt and soften thy heart and must be earnest be importunate with him till he hear thee his word is past and if thou faint and weary not it shall in Gods fittest time and urgent with him and in that measure and manner which he thinks good be accomplished and fulfilled Challenge God of his promise of powring upon thee the spirit of grace and of supplications that looking upon Christ thou maist mourn c. Zech. 12.10 God as hath been said must by his Spirit breath in before thou canst breathe out by thy spirit one sigh for thy sin And in thy prayer complain to God of thy hardnesse and say Lord why hast thou hardened my heart from thy fear Isa 63.17 Lord I have an hard proud and stubborn heart it is too hard for mee do thou take it down break and humble it If thou art not heard for the present yet cry still give not over yea and constant wait on him for an answer in due time who hath long waited for thee Rom. 10.21 Deut. 22.26 and for thy Repentance Cry aloud to God for help as the virgin was bound in case shee were forced else lost both her reputation and her life Cry to God before for help and after for pardon so shall not thy hardness of heart be imputed to thee or be thy ruine That which unfainedly thou desirest might be done and grievest if it be not done that shall by Gods mercy in Christ be accounted to thee as done And with our prayer wee must joyn 1. Fasting Now to make thy prayer more effectuall
the nail home to the head that thou mayst at length be fast and close joyned to Christ if God have met with thee by the reproof of the word or stung thee by his threatnings see his mercy in it let the sting remain till his work be wrought let him have enough even his fill of thee till thy proud heart be fully humbled Lest else wee get hurt by such prickings and thy corruption drawn and purged out otherwise look for no ease but greater sorrows Wee have a little venemous flie or midge * At Dantzigk where this was preached here you know that if when it seiseth on the flesh hand face or legs you let it alone till by sucking it be filled with your blood it will leave you of it self and leave behinde it little or no venome at all Simil. onely if you put it off before and seek ease by scratching the place affected wil swell with the poyson of it and put you long to pain especially if you be bit in divers places neer together This is soon applyed to our purpose here Prickings of conscience in sight and sense of sin and judgment being suffered to have their full work in our deep humiliation whilest wee maintain the power of them and seek not ease too soon are so far from hurting that they purge us and draw out our corruption whereas the sudden and too hasty healing of them causeth the wound to fester the soul to swell with self-conceit and security and greater sorrows in the end at least to seise on it As God then by such legall terrours of conscience begins with thee so follow God in his work think not the work done when it is onely begun Go not which is an holy mans expression raw from Gods school through fear of the rod and go raw out of Gods school and service lest thou prove a bad proficient in the Universitle buy not out your time and yeers of service before you have well learned your trade lest you be forced to come and be brought again under servitude to the Law and under the spirit of bondage In a word comfort not your selves too soon If it be natural sorrow in the loss of friends wealth good name liberty c. which hath taken hold on thee first cease not till thou turn it into sorrow for sin that it may be more lasting If it be legal terrour that is a sorrow for sin not as it is sin but as it presents thee with displeasure from God and with punishment see that it end in sorrow for sin as it is sin and learn to grieve for the offence of God though there were no hell to punish thee hereafter no shame reproach pain or punishment on earth to follow it sorrow most for that which is the cause of all sorrow We must see that Compunction end in Contrition c. See that thy compunction end in true contrition that the pricking and breaking of thy heart which may stand with hardness may end in bruising and melting in some apprehension of Gods love and hope of mercy whiles it is softned melted and made pliable to Gods will See that despair in thy self send thee to hope in God that self-judging send thee to seek absolution and pardon from God that seeing thine own damned condition thou look to Christ and esteem of him above many worlds that fear of wrath make thee more earnestly desire mercy that sense of wrath make thee at least consult and cast about what to do to be saved as it did these here who being pricked in heart said What shall we do SECT 4. Divers Reasons why men are not to take up with legall qualms till they be humbled enough Why we are not to rest in every slight sorrow NOw why are we thus to do why are we not to take up onely with some few whorish tears or legall terrours but to see that we be humbled enough 1 Because it is but a preparative to Conversion in the elect 1. Because all the fore-named works of the Law are but preparations to Conversion and far off degrees thereof and indeed common to many reprobates to Pharaoh Ahab Herod Felix Cain and Judas and to many others now in hell as hath been said even to the Divels themselves who have such stings in their consciences and tremble but without hope though in and to the elect these prickings are truly preparative to their Conversion and yet but preparative 2. These prickings being common to the reprobate and elect tend as well if good use be not made of them to the hurt of the one as health of the other 2 because being not followed home in others God is provoked to give them up either yea they are but beginnings of mens damnation both furthering and increasing the same But how and why is this Because where such woundings and prickings are neglected and not followed home it is just with God yea and usual to give men over either to senselesnesse and hardnesse of heart which is the first entrance into Hell or to anguish of soul when they most stand in need of comfort yea to utter desperation so that when such men come to die it is either like Nabal as a stone and blocke or as Judas in despair 1 to senselessnes and deadnesse 1. If when conscience smites stingeth pricketh and accuseth it be neglected and that men so fairly called on and admonished by so good a friend otherwise proceed not on to godly sorrow and repent not it will ere they be aware give over its office of accusing checking and awaking them by jogging as it were and pricking yea be quiet and silent in effect saying as God himself saith Why should ye be stricken any more This is when being smitten in heart with David for sin they do not repent and seek mercie with David A wounding conscience saith one neglected will prove a dead conscience as an ungracious childe after many corrections is hardened thereby and at length quite given over and cast off A wound neglected or falsely healed festers the more and often causeth mortification of the flesh numnesse deadnesse rottennesse Neglect we not then the first stingings and prickings of conscience by which God comes near and makes some offer to us You may perhaps make light account of the rebukes of men or of us Ministers and so especially do great men rich noble and generally proud men yet if ye be wise neglect not conscience if it accuse you to your selves do you accuse your selves much more to God least otherwise he give you up to deadnesse and securitie Or 2. to anguish of conscience in their death 2. Or if not that and that is bad enough and more dangerous because more pleasing then to anguish of soul on your death-beds at least when conscience which lay asleep before and the guilt of your sin which only lay at the doore like a sleeping lion or a
did from Christ but come not sorrowfull to Christ or his Ministers seeking ease to their burthened conscience yea many mens sorrow is such as drives them from God and Christ as Judas and Cain in their pangs of conscience Judas came not to Christ for mercy though he were at hand yea a Saviour at hand but to the high Priest and at length hastened to the Divell Cain flees from the presence of God to build him a City for his safety Others in distresse and anguish of conscience do not betake themselves to prayer or to God his Ordinances and Ministers but with Saul to musick to the Witch of Endor to the Divell Of which more hereafter 5. With coming to God and to the throne of grace 5 Prayer there is prayer and deprecation for pardon where the soul is truly humbled as in Manasseh and in the humbled Publican Lord be mercifull to mee a sinner Luke 18.13 Here is a sinner that is one laden and touch'd in heart for his sin and here is his prayer for pardon and mercy But this follows upon the former and belongs partly to somewhat following Yet it convinceth many who never seek ease by hearty prayer for mercy from God unlesse it be for removall onely of their justly deserved punishment 6 Reformation of life and a holy walking with God 6. True humiliation is accompanied with reformation of life and with a holy walking with God onely such humiliation is acceptable to God which is so followed Therefore the Lord shewing how we may come and bow our selves acceptably before him and what is good this is the chief That we walk humbly or humble our selves to walk with God Micah 6.2 8. such a soul as hath been truely pricked hath been taught its lesson for medling again with sin as hath been said And godly sorrow changeth the heart works in it an hatred of sin a love of righteousnesse in a word Repentance 2 Cor. 7.10 that is a change and alteration both of heart and life whilest the unfained tears of true sorrow do not onely like the waters of the red sea drown the whole army of our sins but like the dew and rain from heaven water and refresh our earthy hearts yea make the soul to bring forth and bud Isa 55.10 and to be fruitfull in all righteousnesse and in the fruits thereof Without returning again to sins formerly repented Such a soul returns not at least habitually unto wickedness as we have shewn Ahab Pharaoh Felix and Judas did and as is the guise of hypocrites who after some seeming sorrow and forced tears return with the swine to the same or worser sins again But do thou examine thy heart and consider well with thy self whether thy humiliation have effectually taught thee to walk both humbly and constantly in a course of humiliation yea and reformation with thy God An unreformed life is inconsistent with an humbled heart SECT 3. Other Concomitants gathered from the Text as 1. Confession of sin Other effects and concomitants of godly sorrow gathered more specially from the text it self TO proceed As the afore-named particulars have been afforded us from other Texts of Scripture which more expresly couple them with humiliation sorrow of heart and feeling the load and burthen of sin so though we will exclude none of them from having been in these converts yet we will fetch some signes Effects and Concomitants of true Contrition more specially from the Text it selfe Some besides Hope of which I have spoken formerly gather hence these two Effects of true Contrition 1. Confession 2. Detestation of sin 1 Confession of sin even to man 1. Here is implied if not expressed an open and free Confession of their sin of murther and of crucifying their Saviour wherewith v. 36. they were charged they deny not their guiltinesse nor are ashamed to lay open their disease to their spirituall Physicians they in effect confesse themselves guilty and onely seek direction what to do to be saved from deserved wrath saying Men and Brethren What shall we do And to say truth where the soul feels the burthen and load of sin it will seek ease by disburthening it self by free and willing confession of the same as to God especially so also to man to men of God especially to able and mercifull men and Ministers who are not onely able to speak a word in season for comfort and direction but tender-hearted pitifull and mercifull who will sympathize with it yea are faithfull both for their unpartial dealing with the wounded spirit not healing it with fair words and flatteries and also for secrecie No ease without this in some cases so far as it is fit It is with the soul in this case as with the stomack if it be overcharged with surfetting and thereupon sick and pained it seeks and gets ease by vomiting so in like proportion the soul having surfetted on sin and now sensible of the load of its sin will seek ease by confessing thereof both to God and in some cases to man too where either his sin hath been open and scandalous or personall to the hurt and wrong of any or where he finds not comfort and sense of pardon from God for by making it known to some faithfull Minister or experienced Christian he may hope for some help by their prayers and wise directions Have you who pretend sorrow for sin thus done or have ye not rather Application and do you not stand out against the reproofs of Gods word and Ministers to such as will not be convinced denying justifying or at least extenuating and lessening your sins I tell you a heart truely contrite and broken will soon be convinced None will sooner take shame to themselves by a free and ingenuous confession of sin or take shame to themselves then such as are most sensible of their dishonours done to Gods great name thereby If by taking shame to themselves they can any whit redeem Gods honour they will readily do it And therefore I ask again In case you have made some confession of your sin as even a Pharaoh and a Judas may do have ye therein aimed at Gods honour and do you therefore by confession take shame to your selves that you may give to God the honour of his Omnisciency Justice Holinesse as is fit Many as condemned persons rather then they will shame themselves by a true confession of the sins for which they justly suffer or thereby honour Gods justice which hath found them out or yet the justice of the Law by which they stand condemned as yet the good thief did on the crosse will with that other gracelesse thief chuse rather presently to go to hell with the guilt and load of their sins upon them Such are the Pseudo-martyrs of the Romish Synagogue and thousands moe wherein they come short of Judas who confessed his treason against the innocent Lamb of God Or if with
much more then will it concern others to try themselves hereby who are so ready to be deceived in this point mourning not to God but to themselves and therefore hypocritically CHAP. XX. An Vse of Comfort to the truly contrite HAving now spoken to mourners or to such as at least pretend to mourn and that by way of Caveat more briefly A third Use more concerning such as mourn as also more largely by way of Counsell we must speak a word or two of Comfort to such as upon Triall doe find themselves truly and sincerely to have mourned or now to mourn for their sin And I wish I knew many such among you that I might also be as large in this point as in the last and in some others which concerned the secure Doest thou then find that thou are truly touched in conscience for thy sin thou hast then true cause to rejoyce and never till now Comfort to such as truly mourn for sin As there is no sound joy but such as issues out of true sorrow so true sorrow for sin alwaies sooner or later ends in joy There is cause of joy even in and for such sorrow to sin is cause and matter of sorrow shame but to sorrow for sin is cause and matter of unspeakable joy glory and thanksgiving Such sorrow affords cause of joy as being wrought by the holy Spirit of God Zech. 12.10 for none can so in a godly manner mourn but by the holy Spirit of God he cannot pour out any tears for sin till God pour upon him and into him the spirit of grace and of supplication then shall they mourns and not till then as it was with these converts on whom inwardly as well as on the Apostles outwardly on this day of Pentecost the spirit was poured out The very spirit of bondage as Gods spirit is called in that it discovers sin and misery and affects the heart therewith is in that regard and a gift of God Rom. 8.15 requiring our Thankfulness a gift which we are said to receive how much more when it proves also a spirit of Adoption And if a gift yea a saving gift what cause of thankfulness have such seeing God might have left them in a senceless blockishness to perish therein for ever or otherwise to stick in themselves and so utterly to despair how ought such to rejoyce in this so great a testimony of his goodness and mercy to them Comfort promised to such Such as so sorrow shall not sorrow alwaies God hath promised them comfort God himself will dwell with him that is of a contrite and humble spirit to revive the spirit of the humble Isai 57.15 and to revive the heart of the contrite ones Psal 34.18 The Lord is nigh unto them that are of a broken heart and saveth such as be of a contrit spirit God is said to be one that comforteth those that are cast down 2 Cor. 7.6 Be thou then but truly cast down in thine own eies and God will comfort and raise thee up Comfort and ease belongs to none but such thus to tremble is the way to true quietness Habbak 3.16 Thus the Prophet Habbakuk I trembled in my self that I might rest in the day of trouble I may truly say the only remedy against not only all worldly crosses but especially against all legall desperate hellish and comfortless feares and sorrows is true sorrow and repentance for sin Such sorrow for sin is the remedie of all hellish fears and sorrows and that thereby we have offended God which is that medicine which Peter prescribed to those here who were pricked in heart for crucifying Christ Repent saith he and shew your sorrow not as you now seem to do with respect only to your selves out of fear of wrath but with respect to God that you have so offended him and sinned against your Saviour Thus weep for your sins and you shall withall have assurance of the remission of your sins And assuredly never do nay finde such comfort in God and in his mercy as when they are deepliest humbled and weep most bitterly for their sins How true is it even in regard of inward joy in God after trouble for sin which is said and promised Isa 29.19 The meek shall increase their joy in the Lord and the poor among men shall rejoyce in the holy one of Israel Come then and let us reason a little together Comfort 1 to the pricked and wounded 1 Art thou pricked indeed and wounded in conscience for sin fear not it is not the wound of an enemie that seeks to kill thee but of thy Surgeon who means to cure thee such wounds are not mortall but medicinable Thou hast a stone in thine heart and it must be broken and thou cut for it But as in the cutting of one for the stone in the bladder the pain may be sharp and sore for the present but it is to ease the patient of continuall and greater pain for ever after so is it it here Thou gettest ease and comfort for ever by Gods mercy especially after this life ended for putting thy self to some smaller sorrow now for sin so it be sincere and true and truely humble sorrow 2 To such as tremble at Gods wrath threatned 2 Quakest thou in the fear of wrath from him whom by sin thou hast offended yet hope well God may shew himself terrible to thee but no otherwise then Joseph shewed himself rough to his brethren with purpose to reveal himself as a loving brother yea father unto them This fear of wrath is a signe it shall not befall thee even as the rain-bow though it threaten rain yet it is a signe yea a seal to assure us wee shall not be drowned by it As therefore on the one hand security and not to fear wrath is a signe that wrath shall befall as we see in the world destroyed by water and are told of like destruction to befall such by fire in the end of the world 1 Thes 5.3 so contrariwise terrours upon a due apprehension and acknowledgement of deserved wrath is a sign no such thing shall come upon us 3 To the sininen and bruised 3 Hath God smitten thee in thy conscience for sin he will also binde thee up Hos 6.1 2. his rod even smiting comforts Psal 23.4 he will not break the bruised reed we have his promise for it Isa 42.3 and elsewhere He healeth the broken in heart and bindeth up their wounds and griefs Psal 147.3 I will binde up that which was broken saith the Lord and will strengthen that which was sicke Ezek. 36. ver 16 4 To the burthened in conscience 4 Art thou burthened in conscience for sin God and Christ thereby calleth thee to him that coming thou mayst finde ease Matth. 11.28 Therefore in such case as it was said to the blinde man Be of good comfort the Master calleth thee Thou thus burdened
him to lift them up again I may here say Doth God take care for oxen Yes doubtlesse but much more for men for his afflicted ones whom he would have us to our power to help and succour when we see them heavie laden and falling under the burden of their sin and his displeasure by our pity and commiseration helping to bear one anothers burthen and so far at least as also by our comfort prayers and as otherwise we are able to afford all them all the ease and comfort we can Though he for his own ends yea And shall finde no mercy though it were in his justice do afflict the children of men yet he would not have us to please our selves insult or any way to help forward the affliction This made him threaten destruction to Edom for their want of commiseration to their brother Jacob Thou shouldest not have looked on the day of thy brother neither shouldest thou have spoken proudly in the day of distresse What follows As thou hast done it shall be done unto thee thy reward shall return upon thine own head O bad v. 12 15. And saith James He shall have judgement without mercy that hath shewed no mercy Jam. 2. ver 23. God will meet with such and as they add grief to grief so he will add iniquitie to their iniquitie which is the reason why holy Dauid devoteth such his enemies to destruction For saith he they persecute him whom thou hast smitten Psal 69.24 25 26 27. and they talk to the grief of those whom thou hast wounded Add iniquitie to their iniquitie and let them not come into thy righteousnesse 2 They shew themselves ignorant of Gods wayes Secondly Such censurers do shew themselves profanely ignorant of Gods wayes in bringing his own to heaven and an apparent proof it is that they themselves were never truly touched in conscience for their sins nor do yet know what it is to be of a wounded spirit and so consequently and without the work of Gods grace on themselves yea do so condemn the best of gods servants that though perhaps their profession of Religion may to themselves and others seem fair yet they never knew what belongs to the work of grace in themselves or others And thus ere they be aware they condemn reproach and censure such as are deer to God and whom God in love corrects and keeps low a while You may hear David roaring all the day long and complaining of his bones which God had broken Psal 32.3 and 51.8 So King Hezekiah As a lion saith he so will he that is God break all my bones Isai 38.13 14. like a crane or swallow so did I chatter I did mourn as a dove yea Peter wept bitterly and Paul complains of a messenger sent to buffet him which made him so cry out and it was in regard of that prick or thorn in his flesh wherewith his heart also was pricked 2 Cor. 12. These here also being pricked in heart cried out they minded nothing but mercy they no longer regarded their great Rabbies the learned Scribes Pharisees and Priests they desire the company of the despised Apostles and seek their comfort only from them What now should any have condemned any of these for mad-men fools and men forsaken of God No if any so should have done as in Davids case they did they should have been the ignorant fools themselves 3. They act the Devils part in adding offliction to the afflicted like Simeon and Levi Thirdly I adde such as so adde affliction to affliction in so doing take the divels office upon them who takes advantage of mens weaknesses and setteth upon them when they are lowest and at the worst with hope by laying more load upon them to discourage them and to make them weary of Gods good waies Thus as Simeon and Levi brethren in iniquity and like the cursed Amalekites set upon the Shechemites when they were sore the third day after their Circumcision for then wounds prove most painfull and as Amalek met the Israelites by the way Deut. 25.17 18 19. and smote the hindmost of them even all that were feeble when they were faint and weary and he feared not God for which the memory of Amalek was to be blotted out So the Divel stirres up his instruments to lay more load upon such as are laden with their sins by discouragements mockings revilings and reproaches and all this either to bring them back again under his power and command or to make and cause them sink in despaire Such are merciless parents masters c. to their afflicted children servants friends Thus oftentimes parents masters and dear friends otherwise seeing their children servants or worldly friends to come into the aforesaid condition what by taunts mocks yea threatnings and ill usage seek to discourage them cry out of them cast them off and disregard them as unfit for their service as lost in regard of their hopes of preferment in the world or the like all this while ignorant that they are acting the Devils part who thus seeks to hinder the work of Gods grace in them And doubtlesse many are near lost if not altogether after some beginnings and hope given by the discouragements of such as should not only approve of them but adde life comfort and quickning to them 4. Such are most unlike to Christ Fourthly Let such know that they are far from Christs mercifull disposition who binds up the broken hearted who will not break the bruised reed nor quench the smoaking flax being herein like unto a loving mother which most tendreth the most diseased and weakest child Of him it is said He shall feed his flock like a shepheard Isai 40.11 he shall gather the lambs with his arme and carry them in his bosome and shall gently lead those that are with young And who saith the Lord Zach. 4.10 his holy Angels hath despised the day of small things Christ I am sure doth not the glorious Angels do not for they disdain not to afford their attendance on little ones having a charge among other things to bear them up in their hands and we should not Psal 91.12 and to the godly As Christ calleth such unto him Matth. 11.28 so he would not have us cast them from us No he by his Apostle would have us Comfort the feeble minded and support the weak Let us but as we may see Christ beginning to be formed in them 1 Thes 5.14 and we will not we cannot if Christ at all be precious in our eyes despise them Seest thou then such a contrite one who see Christ in these contrite ones whose spirit is cast down know he is one whose heart thus pricked and pierced is a preparing and fitting to be a Temple and as it were another heaven for God himself to dwell in Isai 57.17 Take heed then of offending any one the least of such for saith our
tender humble soft and relenting hearts and when we have got them to keep and preserve them so in and by the frequent use of the same and other like means and keep them so How and holy exercises of prayer meditation hearing reading conference with such as have been humbled through neglect of which we shall find ovr hearts insensibly to grow hard and through cold performance of duty to freez again Even as the water in the cold of winter soon freezeth into hard ice which once broken in some parts of it that cattell may drink thereat or for other uses is kept open by daily breaking of it which care being for some few dayes neglected requires greater pains to break and open it again Simile So a soft heart and Gods Spirit once had are easily kept by daily care but hardly recovered when through negligence we have lost them CHAP. XXIII Where is shewed what these Converts said and that the heart being once affected sheweth it self by words and thereby may be discovered It followeth And said unto Peter and the rest of the Apostles Men and brethren The second effect of Peters Sermon or What these Converts said What shall we do IT hath already been considered what these Converts heard and what they suffered we must next consider what they said And said unto Peter c. where me thinks I see them framing into true Christians and becoming like a well set and tuned clock where the heart which in them was pricked and moved is like the master-wheel They are compared to a clock moving by the weights of their own sin and of Gods wrath not without some sense allurement and hope of mercy their tongue like the bell on which the hammer after the moving of the first wheel doth strike which truely sheweth the inward disposition of the heart and how it is affected and then their hand like the pointer shews it self ready to do and put in execution whatsoever it according to Gods word shall be directed unto as being right in heart tongue and hand as we should be in all other duties as of thankfulnes for they being pricked in heart said What shall we do here is heart tongue and hand agreeing in a sweet harmony together in this first work of conversion as indeed they do and should do in all other parts and particulars of Christian practise and duty as in our thankefulnesse towards God where the heart must begin Non sola vox sonet sed manus consonet verbis facta concordent Aug. in Psal 149. and in the inward acknowledgement of Gods mercies and Attributes love God Psal 116.1 and the soul yea all that is within understanding memory will and affections must praise him Psal 103.1 Then accordingly our mouths must speak of and shew forth his praises Psal 51. and our hands work and shew us really thankfull which is the end of all mercies temporall Psal 105.43 44 45. Deut. 10.12 13. and spirituall Luke 1.74 75. So God would have us perform duty to men even to our enemies much more to himself as Matth. 5.44 45. where you will finde both a Diligite of the heart and of love of enemies Love your enemies a Benedicite of the tongue Blesse them that curse you and a Benefacite of the hand This their behaviour is a signe of the sincerity of their sorrow Do good to them that hate you And so here It was a good signe that they were rightly and savingly pricked in heart when in this humble and loving manner they spake unto the Apostles sought direction from them and offered themselves ready and willing to do accordingly Others being pricked are more hardened then before and kick against the prick hating that word and those persons that do rebuke them as those other Jews did Stephen Acts 7. which puts a manifest difference between such as are savingly pricked and such as are not Four particulars to be spoken of here by which we may and should examine and try our selves 1. Who thus spake and said Such as were pricked Here we will consider 1 Who thus said or spake 2 When. 3 To whom 4 What said they 1 Who Such as were pricked in heart No marvell if thus by the tongue they shewed the grief and sorrow of their hearts It s a signe they were now sensible of their own hatefull sins and of Gods just judgements due unto them of both which formerly they were insensible as indeed the greatest evils always are such as men are least sensible of as the heathen Philosopher instanceth in ignorance folly 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 Arist Rhet. 2. injustice c. Now that Gods word and grace began secretly to put some life into them and that they began to be at some distance with their sin having it now not so much in them as before them they become sensible of the same and shew so much by speech Where the heart is truely and inwardly affected in any kind especially where it is inwardly wounded and in anguish Doctr. The heart shews it self by words and thereby may be judged it shews vents and bewrayeth it self by the mouth and by words Words will burst our like fire which cannot be hid David resolving to keep his mouth with a bridle Psal 39.1 2 3. while the wicked was before him yet when by holding his peace his sorrow was stirred my heart saith he was hot within me while I was musing the fire burned then spake I with my tongue So in matter of joy where the heart rejoyceth Acts 2.26 the tongue will be glad so where faith is in the heart there wil be confession of faith in the mouth Rom. 10.10 where the heart boyleth bubleth up or as we English it enditeth a good matter there the tongue will be the pen of a ready writer Psal 45.1 The mouth of the righteous speaketh wisdome and his tongue taketh of judgement Why The Law of his God is in his heart Psal 37.30 31. A good man out of the good treasure of his heart bringeth forth that which is good and an evill man out of the evill treasure of his heart bringeth forth that which is evill for of the abundance of the heart his mouth speaketh Luke 6.45 This here appears in the passion of sorrow where being pricked in heart especially in sorrow and anguish the tongue expresseth truely the sorrow of it as the stroaks on the instrument or voice of the singer answers the notes that are prickt in the rules Dr. Featly So that by the quality and nature of the speech or words uttered the inward condition the sincerity and soundnesse or unsoundnesse of its sorrow is commonly discovered as we see differently in David David's conscience being inwardly troubled for sin whilest he kept silence he found Gods hand still more heavie upon him Then said he I acknowledged my sin unto thee and mine iniquitie have I not
my lusts of the devill and of the world how may I redeem my lost time what am I now doing what course of life is this I follow what will be the end of it is it agreeable to Gods word is it such as becomes the Gospel of Christ wherein differ I from a Reprobate If I were now to die where is my comfort in what condition without flattering of my self should I die I may commend my soul into Gods hands but how do I know whether he will receive it or no seeing no unclean thing shall ever enter that holy place Alas my case is wofull What shall I do Thus God deals with his But where men never suspect or question their course of life The want of which an evill sign and a mark of a formall professor only their estate and doings but take up at best with a civill life heartless service of God formall performance of duties resting in the same never questioning whether they be done in true obedience to God and to Gods glory or whither they tend whether they gain more of Christ thereby and get more acquaintance with God more assurance of his presence with them c. there is a certain sign of a secure soul and of one going on in the wayes of death especially if withall they from their duties secure themselves take God bound to them so far as to be taken to do them wrong if upon their hypocriticall fastings and other duties he do not see and shew himself to take knowledge thereof or to reward them Isai 58.2 3. and if in outward shew and profession whilst their lives are unreformed and unholy they seem to lean upon the Lord saying Is not the Lord among us none evill can come upon us Micah 3.11 But do thou whosoever thou art labour first to see and to be sensible of thy sin of Gods wrath Vse 2 and of the danger of thine estate To instruct all to be carefull and accordingly and then shew thy care to come out of it As the prickings and woundings of thy spirit are so will be thy care to seek or get into a better condition And first consult wisely what course to take for mercy and pardon of thy sins 1. Wisely to consult for peace and reconciliation with God 2. Seriously to resolve Secondly come to a serious resolution and full purpose of heart to save thy soul whatsoever it cost thee and accordingly to break through all lets scoffs disgraces nicknames and to part with every lust to deny thy self in all thine owne waies in a word to buy heaven with losse and not to slick with God for any thing and forgoing of all thy sins how gainfull how advantagious how contentfull soever they have been or are unto thee In this case of a troubled conscience and when God begins once to shew thee thy danger to parly with thee and to give thee any the least hope of acceptation pardon and life stick not with him stand not upon any termes conditions exceptions or reservations whatsoever Luke 9.57 58 59 60 61. come off freely like a franke chapman lose not such a bargain for a little more like some faint chapmen who having a good bargain before them perhaps cheapen the wares but ding and still expect some abatement in the price and so for not coming off freely lose all Remember how it was with that young man who left Christ because he could not enjoy him and his wealth too Mat. 19. Thinke of King Agrippa almost perswaded to be a Christian but because he was not altogether so he wholly missed of Christ and of salvation Therefore so shew thy care as not to remain hovering but come to some through resolution Thousands of souls perish who yet might seem not far off from the kingdom of heaven but to break through all lets True when once thou beginnest to consult about thine estate Satan and thine own lusts will plead hard with thee thou canst no sooner begin to mistrust thine own courses to question thine estate to thinke of getting into a safer way which Satan shall object but Satan afraid and loth to lose thee will make use of all his wiles and stratagems and of all likely waies and means too many here to mention whereby he might either detain thee making thy former wayes lovely or not so odious to thee or bring thee back again to former bondage as Pharaoh would have done the Israelites by pursuing thee with fears and terrors presenting to thee a red sea of afflictions and dangers and nothing but want hunger and thirst fiery Serpents giants to encounter withall in a word disgraces fire and fagot and death it self by one meanes or other And what marvell Christ himself tels thee before hand of so much and to cast the worst at first Matth. 10.16 17 18 19 21 22 37 38 39. and Mark 8.34 35. and would have thee aforehand to cast and count the cost Luke 14.26 27 28. and to consult vers 31. So saith he Whosoever he be of you that forsaketh not all that he hath that is in readiness of affection and actually also in case he be called thereunto which all are not he cannot be my Disciple ver 33. Christ then looks for such followers and converts as shall both wisely consider and fore-see what may befall them in their Christian course and consult with themselves whether they be able and willing to undergo such hazards for him lest we else become losers in the end and also stoutly resolve if need be to forgoe any thing according to Gods will and call as being also told on the one hand that otherwise they cannot be his disciples Mark 8.34 35 36 37 38. and that he that will save his life shall lose it and then what shall it profit a man if he shall gain the whole world and lose his own soul and on the other hand that whosoever shall lose his life for Christs sake and the Gospels if it come to that the same shall save it and whosoever shall confesse Christ before men him will Christ also confesse before his Father which is in heaven Matth. 10.32 Resolution is needfull Now these things this necessity these different issues considered and by due meditation and consultation pondered we see that Resolution is most needfull and that whatsoever conflicts within or temptations from Satan without would stand in our way cannot otherwise be overcome but by firm resolutions and full purpose of heart for the present and by answerable performance and obedience both in things to be done and suffered afterwards And where this consent and resolution of heart is without deceit or trusting to our own strength it is accepted for the present and such may assuredly hope to finde mercy as we see in the Jews â—nd Gods promise to them Isa 1.16 19. as also in David Psal 32.5 and in the Prodigal and in Gods performance with
is to be the more magnified by us Now the way by which God gives an issue God only gives the issue by giving repentance c. as in David is by repentance faith confession of sin prayer self-condemning and self-deniall punishment of offendors judging our selves and others with reformation of things amisse as we see here in these Iewes and in the Jaylor so also in David who through his pride and folly in the needless numbring of his people 2 Sam. 24.14 17 18. was brought into a great strait I am said he in a great strait he knew not what to doe what to chuse yet he finds a good issue by his casting himself upon God and his mercy by his confession of sin 1 Chron. 21.13.16 17. and prayer for himself and his people joyned with fasting and sackcloth by rearing an Altar and offering of sacrifice as the Prophet Gad directed him See this also in Joshua who through the sin of Achan in Joshua with the whole host of Israel is brought into marvellous straits whilest the men of Ai prevailed against them Josh 7.6 7 8 9. Alas O Lord God what shall I say when Israel turneth their backs before their enemies c. What shall I say either to thee O Lord whom doubtlesse we have offended though as yet I know not wherein Or to this people to whom I ever promised good success and victory in thy name or to the enemies whose mouthes I cannot stop from blasphemies or to my self in answer to mine own doubts concerning thy truth and promises Yet God gives him an issue also Get thee up for he with his clothes rent with the Elders of Israel was faln upon his face before the Ark of the Lord untill the eventide wherefore liest thou upon thy face Israel hath sinned I will not be with you any more except ye destroy the accursed from among you c. This done God was appeased But now where in such straits and convictions of conscience men doe not betake themselves to such like courses of repentance Impenitent persons exclude themselves from mercy faith prayer c. but thinke to wrastle it out by their own strength or other meanes they shut the door of mercy against themselves and cast themselves into straits inextricable and such as wherein they perish as the forenamed Cain who in such straits built him a city unto which but not unto the Lord he betook him for safety and as Iudas who in like case sought to the High Priests but not to Christ for mercie and in others especially at the last day when sinners shall be speechlesse and seeing Christ in glory and as their judge shall not know either what to say or do or whether to flee from his presence Nay even in this life when evill men will not flee to God by repentance confession faith and not repenting amendment c. and so serve his providence and make way for his mercy they not only put themselves they put God willing to save them into straits as not knowing what to do unto them but be it spoken with reverence God himself to some stand so that he being loth they should perish knowes not what more to say or do unto them in mercy especially and so as may stand with his glory who will not save men in their sins unless he should utterly destroy them So God to Ephraim and Judah O Ephraim what shall I do unto thee O Judah what shall I doe unto thee for your goodness is as a morning cloud Hos 6.4 and as the early dew it goeth away And may not inlike manner the Lord complain of our unto wardness unfruitfulness and iniquity saying What could have bin done or what can I do more to my vineyard with his honour and holinesse What can I do more with my honor to you who so long have abused my mercy not feared my threats made light account of my word smothered checks of conscience out-wrastled a while to the stifling of the spirit your fears doubts and inward anguish by your own meanes unlesse I should utterly destroy you seeing you by self-deniall and going out of your selves wholly will not seek your helpe and salvation from me And assuredly dear brethren seeing your sin hath brought you into such a distressed condition as that all the world cannot help you if God in mercy help you not unlesse damn them and that again by your presumption and bold trusting to your selves and security and self-confidence you bar up Gods mercy and his power against your selves I say know it assuredly that mercy it self shall never save you till or unlesse you in sence of your hellish and slavish condition under the power of sin and wrath and acknowledgement of your own inability and by an absolute deniall of your selves do seek help and salvation out of your selves in God only according to the direction of his word and faithfull Ministers and dispensers of it and from the power of his saving grace So did these here And so I return to the Observation propounded Those whom God will save must by self-deniall seek salvation out of themselves SECT 2. Why we are to deny our selves and all goodness in our selves in the matter of Salvation YOu perhaps will say did these here in the Text so Or did the Jaylor so when he asked What must I do to be saved Quest Did these Iewes seek salvation out of themselves It seems they are all for doing and works and that they sought though the way of salvation from others yet the cause of it in themselves and in their own doings What shall we do I will not deny but that generally men seek their own good by their own doings when they so speak of doing they of themselves by nature know no other way and are ignorant of Jesus Christ and his righteousnes and so seek righteousness not by faith but as it were by the works of the Law Rom. 9.32 as did the Jews whilst they stumbled at Christ For so according to that condition at the first even in nature intire did the Covenant run Men not knowing Christ commonly and naturally seek their own good from their own doings but more expresly afterwards when the Morall Law was given to the Jewes Do this and thou shalt live Which condition yet was in the true intent of it for conviction and to shew man his unrighteousnesse and impotency and so to prepare him for Christ when he should be made known unto him unto whom accordingly even in the time of the Law men had recourse in the promise and by their legall sacrifices all of them types of Christ and from the first condition of works which yet was for conviction and to prepare them for Christ so that being in their consciences convinced of their sins and of their just desert of death they betook themselves those I mean who understood what they did by
is a new Creation it is either a Being of nature or a Being of grace each respectively of nothing as it is taken negatively But man and before it we the best are nothing both negatively in respect of his Being of grace since the fall through sin in which he is dead and that in all powers and faculties is nothing First negatively I mean not in regard of substance either of soul or of faculties but of the qualities of those faculties according to which he was at first made after the Image of God in knowledge righteousness holiness and in the truth of them all Col. 3.10 Eph. 4.24 so that before his calling he is a meer Non-ens and hath no being for God is said to call those things that are not 1 Cor. 1 28. So the heathen before their calling were no people and 2. privatively not before but after the habit of grace lost both in act and power Rom. 10.19 Deut. 32.21 Hos 1.10 And 2. privatively not in a physicall sense as Philosophers speak of privation who make it a principle of generation and to include in it a disposition to the habit which it precedes but in the logicall and more proper sence as it implieth a deprivation of some former habit as in our case of the image of God and that not such as sleep is but such as death is being a privation not of the act and exercise onely of the faculty as in sleep but of the faculty and power it self we being dead in sin and not made alive with respect to spirituall and supernaturall objects of which the rule holds that from the privation to the habit as from death to life thore is no return that is ordinarily and by naturall causes Otherwise if we speak of an extrordinary regresse and miraculous none who is not an Atheist makes any question Only we may grant a remote possibility and capability especially in man as also in the lapsed angels so farre as Gods most holy and just will puts no bar but we must deny all disposition in the instruments and of the subject it self to the habit but by the effectuall power of Christ and so must exclude all active power in man to his own conversion which is not by Gods grace newly infused into him who works not only the will or power to will but the deed and act of will Phil 2.13 And so Christ becomes the cause and fountain of new life unto his elect who by his mercy and power are ingrafted into him as into a new stock from whom we receive new life being as dead and buried so also risen and quickned with him Col. 2.12 13. and from whom we receive forgivenesse of sin redemption and life whereby our youth is renued like the Eagles Psal 103.3 4 5. And we return to the daies of our youth Job 33.24 25. Which change being by the renuing of our mind Rom. 12.2 is wrought by the Holy Ghost Tit. 3.5 and is continued and wrought by degrees daily whereby such as wait on the Lord renew their strength and mount up with wings as Eagles c. Isai 40.31 SECT 3. Use 1. Of Instruction and Exhortation to deniall of our selves as in other things so particularly in duties concerning Conversion Vse 1 WEe To deny our selves and to acknowledge who would shew our selves true converts and such as truly hope to be saved must hence learn in all things to deny our selves especially in this great business of our salvation and indeed to see and acknowledge our selves to be nothing in our selves at best but as a rude lumpe and Chaos like the earth at the first creation our selves to be Nothing which being made of nothing was it self then without form void and dark Gen. 1.2 We must ever acknowledge that without Christ and faith in him which in in its own nature implieth and includes selfe-deniall all our gifts of nature or of common grace are nothing so that as Paul said concerning one grace 1. In regard of gifts charity so I may say of Christ and of faith in Christ without Christ and true justifying faith in him though I had the gift of prophesie and understood all mysteries and all knowledge though I spake with the tongues of men and Angels and though I had all miraculous faith 1 Cor. 13.1 2 3. and had not Christ and true justifying saith in him I am nothing All knowledge is nothing 1 Cor. 8.1 1 Tim. 6.3 4. And as all our gifts 2. In regard of priviledges without Christ so all priviledges without Christ must be accounted nothing That of a Jew or Circumcision Gal. 6.15 and 1 Cor. 7.19 3. Of our Confidences As riches Idols Isai 44.10 1 Cor. 8.4 strength of kingdomes power of will That of the Gentile which was wisedome as we have heard is nothing All our Confidences or things which men trust in are nothing as Riches Prov. 23.4 5. with Psal 37.16 Idols in which the Gentiles trusted and Idolaters now are nothing All the strength of Kingdoms and nations with God Nothing less then nothing Isai 40.15 17. All power of will or other wise in man nothing Without me ye can do nothing Joh. 15.5 All our own endeavours like those of Peters who fished all night and catched nothing till Christ came Luke 5.5 Joh. Indeavours righteousnesse 21.3 In a word all confidence in the flesh Phil. 3.5 6 7 8. all our legall righteousnesse Phil. 3.9 Yea Christ himself Christ himself if he be not all to us if he be not all to us shall profit us nothing Gal. 5.2 Though in nothing we be behind the best yet we must say as Paul did that in and of our selves we are nothing 2 Cor. 12.11 All without Christ must be accounted but as cyphers and that is nothing So that if any man thinke himself to be something when he is nothing and that is the state of us all he deceiveth himself Gal. 6.3 We must then see and acknowledge our own nothing The knowledge hereof is rightly made the fountain of all other vertues The knowledge of our own nothingness is the beginning of all goodnesse He only that knowes what this nothing or his nothingness is First how inconstant and vain all earthly things are Secondly how weake his own nature is Thirdly how base and vile sin is and how of no reckoning evill and sinfull men are he will 1. Not set his heart on earthly or transitory things but on heavenly and divine things 2. He will be humble and distrust himselfe and set his rest and put his trust only in God his mercy truth and power 3. He will avoid sin and sinfull company as vile and as finding no content therein In a word he will love desire affect and admire nothing but that which shall be judged something and that is nothing in or of himselfe as the new creature 1 Cor. 7.19 2 Cor. 5.16 17 2.
our lives for the brethren 1 Joh. 3.16 and to refuse no hazards be we in never so great even for the temporall good and safety of many especially as we see in the resolution of noble Queen Esther Esther 4.16 I will go in unto the King which is not according to the Law and if I perish I perish Yea of some one it may be if eminent and of great use to the Church as Paul was for whose life Priscilla and Aquila laid down their own necks Rom. 16.4 SECT 6. Secondly in things spirituall as in duties gifts c. 2. Things spirituall in which we are to deny our selves 2. THe things spirituall in which we are in some case to deny our selves whether they be of a more common nature or peculiar to the Elect after their calling for I list not here curiously to distinguish they are both duties and graces or gifts received 1. For duties 1. Duties I have instanced already in profession of Christ in faith in repentance in obedience yea and in some kind of Self-deniall it self 1. Ordinary unto all which self-deniall is requisite unto which I refer Only I may adde that not any of these Page 326. both spirituall being otherwise performed in the best manner are to be rested in as they are duties required of us or as they are workes wrought and acted by us And as they are Graces and gifts of God in us I shall shew how we are to deny our selves in them under that head and outward The like I say of all other duties whatsoever of mens hearing and coming to Church of mens preaching praying fasting giving almes and in the doing of other good works and great works if it were building of Churches casting out divels though in Christs name if it were the giving of mens bodies to be burned or what else soever it were which men doe in obedience active or passive Men in all these must deny themselves All which must be done in submission 1. To Go and his glory Matth. 6.1 2 5 16. and ch 23.5 and 7.22 Phil. 1.15 16. Isai 58.2 3. Zach. 7.5 6.2 In love towards others 1 Cor. 13.1 2 3. not stand upon them as their works or as things promeriting God and binding him simply unto them not ascribe merit or satisfaction unto them but subordinate them all in humble submission to Gods only glory not their own as yet the Scribes and Pharisees false Apostles and generally hypocrites do who doe all to be seen of men and so they pray fast not to God but to themselves Secondly in charitie to the good and edification of the Church and of their brethren and with such intention and respects more to others then to themselves without which others may reap some good but themselves lose all thanks yea and reward with God 2 Extraordinary God only is to be obeyed by a blind obedience by the example of Abraham Yea in some case and in some kind of duty injoyned by God though the same seem contrary not only to nature and to right reason but to some other precept or promise of God there when once his will is evidently made known God is simply and in some sence blindly to be obeyed Such blind obedience as this is due not to man at all in the things of God especially but only to God himselfe So Abraham who against hope beleeved in hope Rom. 4.18 and being bid to take his son Isaac his only Isaac whom he loved and offer him for a burnt offering unto God he obeyed Gen. 22.2 3. though it might seem to be against humanity fatherly affection in him against the Law of God in his heart Thou shalt not kill yea which more is against the truth and promise of God seeing if Isaac perished the whole salvation of all the seed and children of Abrahams saith Hebr. 11.17 18 19. might seem in him to perish yet it s said By faith Abraham when he was tried offered up Isaac and he that had received the promises offered up his only begotten son of whom it was said Israelites Exod. 11.3 and 12.35 that in Isaac shall thy seed be called c. So the Israelites borrowed Jewels of silver and gold and raiment of the Egyptians at Gods command at their going out of Egypt and so spoiled the Egyptians though it seem contrary to the Law in their hearts Phinehas Numb 25.7 8. and shortly after written by Moses Thou shalt not steal So in other extraordinary cases instincts heroicall motions from God as in the examples of Phinehas killing offendors though he were no publique Magistrate of Ehud slaying Eglon. In such cases which now are ceased or become very rare Gods will once distinctly known and revealed and Ehud Judg. 3.15 16 21. must without any questioning or disputing against it be obeyed and not man and men deny themselves in their own reason otherwise Their only reason is Gods command And this honour belongs only unto God whom his people ought obey without asking a reason But for men they are only to be obeyed in God and for God and not without other reason from Gods word given then their will and command so that the tyrannicall will of the Pope and Popish superiours Hebr. 13.17 who command or injoyn the murthering of Princes and others and the observation of many things contrary to Gods law cannot hereby be justified 2. Gifts and graces of all sorts are to be denied Secondly for gifts and graces received of what sort soever they be common or proper and those either Ministeriall or saving and peculiar to the Elect In all these I say we are to denie our selves and subordinate all unto God to his power and glory and to the good and edification of others In all which be what they will be we must learn to say and that from the heart Psal 115 1. Not unto us O Lord not unto us but unto thy Name give glory for thy mercie and for thy truths sake Mercie in promising and Truth in performing As 1. our knowledge 1. Is it knowledge we have though we understood all mysteries and all knowledge if we deny not our selves in it glorifie not God and in charity edifie not others by it all is nothing It puffeth up so that if any thinke that he knoweth any thing he knoweth nothing yet as he ought to know 1 Tim. 6.3 4. 1 Cor. 8.1 2. and 13.2 Such an one is proud or a fool knowing nothing The more any truly knowes himselfe the more he will deny himself 2. Abilitie to do well as to beleeve c. 2. Is it any ability to do well to convert beleeve repent which we receive or suppose we receive from the word we must not stand upon it with God but denie our selves so far therein as to seek further strength and power from God to will actually and do what otherwise is in our power
and to say Why doth he yet find fault For who hath resisted his will he by his Apostle stops their mouth and calls them to the consideration of his greatness and soveraignty as also of his glory in the riches thereof on the vessels of mercy v. 20. saying Nay but O man who art thou that repliest against God or who so saucily answerest again or disputest with God c. See also vers 21 22 23. It becomes us in such case as in all such common destructions as of the people of the wilderness and the like as now of late in Ireland where many savagely have perished by the sword of the bloody Papist some of them perhaps not so well prepared but taken suddenly in their sins to say Thou turnest man to destruction and who knoweth power of thine anger Psal 90.3.11 and Psal 145.17 The Lord is righteous in all his waies and holy in all his works But not for tender Infants dying in their Infancy and others whose good estate after death is only doubted of Or only that we are not assured otherwise of their salvation if and when all other arguments of hoping well of them for whom yet and their good estate in Christ their godly and beleeving parents and friends have formerly in their life time both often and seriously prayed do not fully satisfie them as indeed the certain salvation of other men is revealed but to few 〈◊〉 in the death of young children much lesse the reprobation of any unless God hath specially so marked and branded them which is not in this case yet I say it is enough to stay us and in self-deniall herein it should stay us and here should we rest and cast anchor that God in all things seeks his own honour and so should we he doth all for his own glory and cast the worst which yet in this case we are not to beleeve for certain yet if God please to glorifie himself in their damnation which is ever just with him it becomes us to say His will be done and so far to deny our own natural yea Christian affections otherwise as in a zeal of and with respect to Gods glory to say The name of the Lord be hallowed and glorified at least in that respect to moderate our sorrows lest by honouring our children or others so doubtfully dying more then God we provoke God by greater and sorer crosses in the same or other kinds to tame us and teach us by self-deniall to submit our selves to him in one thing as well as in another 2. Living whose conversion we seek and by all good meanes would procure 2. So for others yet living whose conversion and salvation wee both pray for and seek by all good and possible meanes to procure whether they be our friends kindred children parents or our hearers or otherwise under our charge or howsoever in our hearty love out of the former ground we are so far to deny our selves in our respect to them as according to the order in the Lords Prayer First to pray that God would glorifie himself then if so it may stand with his glory That his Kingdom may come to them and that by making them heires of his grace here and glory hereafter he would be pleased to glorifie his mercy on them but if not His will be done thus denying our own wills and desires whilest otherwise we are not wanting by our constant and continued indeavours to further our own desires and so suffering God and his Son Christ to glorifie himself a he pleaseth For thus the Prophet Isaiah As Ministers and others not seeing the fruit of their labour must rest speaking to his son in our nature as also in his Ministers Isai 49.1 2 3 4 5. Thou art my servant O Israel in whom I will be glorified yeaChrist himself there saith That though he hath laboured in vain and though Israel be not gathered yet saith he of himself shall I be glorious in the eyes of the Lord Now Christ would have gathered the Jewes and lost sheep of the house of Israel himself but they would not Mat. 23. yet he glorified himself and his wisedome and justice in their rejection in that God glorifieth himself thereby and accepts their indeavours So now he would gather others by us the Ministers of the Gospel and thereby he seeks his own glory whether men be converted by the word or no and our labour whilest we do our best indeavour to save our souls and our persons are accepted as a sweet savour of Christ unto God 2 Cor. 2.14 15.16 in them that perish as well as in them that are saved and why because God even in the death and damnation of the wicked glorifieth himself So that we as other zealous and godly Christians having done our indeavour and shewed our earnest desires of the good the conversion and salvation of such sinners are in submission to Gods will and glory yea and with our subscription and approbation of his work to rest yea so far to thanke God with Paul in the quoted place for glorifying himself and his own mercy on us yee thanke God for his mercy to themselves whilest he passeth by others even as Christ himself on our behalf for hiding saving truths from the wise of the world and revealing them to babes Mat. 11.25 26. even because it so pleased him to glorifie himself I will only add this word more In some case men by Gods prophets and in zeal of his glory have been devoted to destruction Psal 69.28 though I will not say or determine what we may do yet in some case others setting aside respects of humanity yea and as it may seem of brotherly and godly affection therein denying themselves have in great zeal of Gods glory even devoted their enemies to eternall destruction saying Let them be blotted out of the book of the living and not be written with the righteous SECT 9. Secondly That in some case we should be ready to deny our selves in our own Salvation SEcondly for our selves and our own salvation we are so far to deny our selves A second inference concerning our own salvation as not only to acknowledge and that from the heart our selves unworthy of that mercy pardon and salvation which in and by Christ we are assured of yea worthy to be cut off for ever and that Gods judgement if he should damn us for our sins not only to confess our selves worthy of damnation but to redeem Gods glory to be content to suffer with it as we may see in Moses his wish were most just and righteous but which more is if it might redeem Gods glory and further the eternall salvation of many to be content at least if not to wish that our selves for our particular might perish eternally This was the desire of Moses who when God threatned to consume the people for making and worshipping the golden Calf as he
art the man he meaneth when he saith Come unto me all ye that labour and are heavie laden and I will give you rest 5 To the troubled 5 Is thy soul cast down and is it disquieted within thee as Psal 42.11 yet hope in God if he trouble thy conscience it is but as when the Angel troubled the pool to heal such as step into it 6 To the sorrowfull and labouring 6 In a word Doth thy sin make thee sorrowful take such sorrow as a sign and fore-runner of comfort to thee Sorrow for sin being godly sorrow is of the nature of the sorrows of breeding women who have their qualms their faintings and their longings yet so they are breeding not a dangerous disease but a childe and though when they come to bear it there be pain and sorrow yet it is forgot when they are delivered for joy that a man in born into the world John 16.21 such and of like nature is that sorrow which is for sin unlesse with this difference many women after their sorrows do miscarry here such sorrow as is truly godly ever brings forth joy in the end and is not to be sorrowed for of such it is said Matth. 5.4 Blessed are they that mourn for they shall be comforted Here they have comfort for the present and never more then when they trulyest weep for their sin It s a time of atonement Levit. 23.27 and of peace and reconciliation with God and of assurance of pardon but a large harvest afterward Here light and joy is sown for them Psal 97.11 but they that sow in tears especially of true contrition shall reap in joy Psal 126.5 The ground of all this comfort is from christ the purchaser and authour of it The ground of all this is Christ who by vertue of his office hath suffered that sorrow which is properly due for our sin and so though he look we should some way be sensible of our sin and ill-deservings for speciall ends such as long since have been named yet all our sorrows come to be sweetned to us and are made harbingers of much joy and comfort to us according to that promise in Isa 61.1 2 3. which Christ made his Text when he began to preach the Gospel Luke 4.18 saying The Spirit of the Lord God is upon me because the Lord hath annoynted me to preach good tidings to the meek or the Gospel to the poor as Luk. 4.18 he hath sent me to binde up or to heal the broken-hearted to proclaim libertie or to preach deliverance to the captives and recovering of sight to the blinde and the opening of the prison to them that are bound or to set at liberty them that are bruised to proclaim or preach the acceptable yeer of the Lord and the day of vengeance of our God to comfort all that mourn to appoint unto them that mourn in Zion to give them beauty for ashes the oyl of joy for mourning the garment of praise for the spirit of heavinesse that they might be called trees of righteousnesse the planting of the Lord that he might be glorified Here we see is meeknesse and povertie Who by bringing into this condition prepares his for comfort broken-heartednesse and captivity blindnesse restraint and bruisednesse thraldome and debt implyed mourning ashes and the spirit of heavinesse all of them noting that spirituall condition into which God brings those he intends good unto by Christ Yet it is not that they should abide always or yet very long in the same but that they who are intended for trees of righteousnesse and makes them trees of righteousnesse c. and the planting of the Lord might thus have their roots well fastned be deeply and truly humbled and made low in their own eys that God and Christ might be glorified both in his mercy and by their greater fruitfulness yea themselves also comforted by the Gospel having thus been first prepared healed and bound up set at libertie and in a word comforted and made blessed whereof all the former are to be taken but as harbingers preparatives and fore-runners Now Christ who sweetens all such sorrow to his people and hath tasted and so taken from us the bitternesse of the same as he was sent and annoynted to preach such good tidings so his very first famous Sermon that he did preach on the Mount begins so Blessed are the poor in spirit for theirs is the Kingdom of heaven Blessed are they that mourn for they shall be comforted Blessed are the meeke and such as hunger and thirst after righteousnesse c. If thou then be in this mourning condition be comforted thou art one of those to whom all the promises of the Gospel do belong one for whom Christ became man and in our nature suffered all those sorrows which are due to thy sin for whom he was annoynted with the spirit of gladness to make thee glad for ever a tree of righteousness a plant of renown and for his own glory CHAP. XXI How to carry our selves towards such contrite ones with a just reproof and censure of censurers of them A fourth sort of Vses concerning all It now remains that we briefly conclude this large Argument of true Compunction and contrition of heart with a fourth sort of Uses which more generally do concern All. 1 To teach us how to carry our selves towards such mourners 1 And first seeing this is the condition of mourners this the necessity of their mourning as without which no true conversion nor salvation this the happy end and issue of their mourning by which method and in which order God brings his to grace and glory It teacheth and instructs us all how to carry our selves how to judge of and how to be affected towards such as we know or see thus to be pricked thus to be bruised and burthened and not to mis-judge them but to conceive God intends good to them We are to conceive that for ought we know God is about a gracious work with them even to bring them from a damned condition even from an estate of nature to grace and hereby to prepare them not onely for grace here but for glory hereafter so that if they seem roughly dealt withall a while it is but for a while if they be under the spirit of bondage it is such a condition as tends to true and perfect liberty of spirit in the end if they cannot so soon get comfort though for the while hee withhold comfort from them or grow cheerfull in a sense of mercy whilest they are burthened with the weight of their sin and Gods wrath yet this is the way to it Howsoever we are all to be carefull that we do not rashly censure or pass any hard harsh or uncharitable sentence upon them their hearts as all our hearts naturally are stout unyeilding and untractable and not so soon brought down nay it may be God is pleased to with-hold his comforts from