I do not think any Books opening the Scriptures or any portions of Scriptures fitter to be read or any Sermons fitter to be heard by persons under these circumstances then such Books such Sermons such Portions of Holy Writ as most express the Wrath of God against Sinners most livelily express the miserable estate of Souls in another World under the Wrath of God Together with such as contain or explain the Promises of God for Support and Strength and Help under and Deliverance from the greatest Pressures of Affliction and Misery By the reading and hearing of the one the Grace of God concurring which is always requisite to make the Soul believe what it reads and hears a Soul shall be deterred from such an undertaking from the rational consideration That there is no way for it to get out of its Misery and by the other it shall be perswaded that there is a far nearer and more certain way of Relief for it if it can but exercise a little Patience from the good hand of God who is able to relieve it and who hath promised and is faithful Which two points are of very great import for a Soul to be perswaded of that it may stand against this fiery Dart and of that Nature that it is impossible that any Soul in the full possession and belief of them should ever listen to this Temptation so long as it pleaseth God to keep it in the exercise of its Reason Let therefore every Soul under this Temptation make it its business to give it self the fullest possession of these Truths for it is the Unbelief or faint Belief of these things that gives the least advantage to the roaring Lion thus seeking about to devour Souls The more rooted a Soul is in the Doctrine of Eternity both that which relateth to damned Souls and that which relateth to such as shall be saved the more remote and difficult it will be as to listning to any Temptation of this nature CHAP. XI Further Directions for Souls thus tempted The avoiding of Solitude The Study and Meditation of the Nature of the Covenant of Grace in the Matter of it the freeness of it the sureness of it the well ordering of it in all things 3. Dir. AVoid Solitudes and Solitary Places I mentioned this before as a means to prevent prevailings of Melancholy but let me a little farther inlarge upon that Argument Indeed excesses of Solitude are by no means to be affected by Christians under the greatest freedom of Body and Mind tho nothing more conduceth to a Souls Health and Freedom in communion with God then some just Measures and Proportions of it yet nothing is more dangerous in this hour of Temptation I observe Elijah was alone when he prayed God in a fit of Discontent to take away his Life and Jonah ch 4. 5 8. was in a Booth alone out of the City when he said It is better for me to die than to live And our blessed Lord was alone when Matth. 4. 6. the Tempter said unto him set upon the Pinacle of the Temple If thou be the Son of God cast thy self down Of Souls under these circumstances it is eminently true that Solomon saith Ecc. 4. 11. Two are better than one and woe to him that is alone when he falleth for he hath none other to help him up These Acts are committed usually by Persons that are alone It is therefore highly advisable to Persons under these Impressions to avoid giving this advantage to the Adversary and to those who are nearly concerned in and about Persons under these Temptations to be watchful as to this thing especially when they discern the Impressions are most strong upon them But having touched upon this before I shall add no more to it now 4. Dir. Fourthly There is nothing more proper for Souls under these circumstances Than to be much in the Study and Meditation of the Nature of the Covenant of Grace I told you before that supposing a Man or Woman under the conduct and government of Reason it is very hard to imagine what Motive should possibly prevail upon them to put an end unto their Lives but the freeing of themselves from so eminent Evils which they suffer to that degree that they conclude it is better for them to die than to live Now these Evils I told you were either External Afflictions and Crosses or such as are Internals Horrors of Mind Terrors of Conscience If the Motive be a freedom from Evils of the first sort I advised before what I judged proper viz. The Consideration whether the determination of our Lives in that manner would indeed free us or rather make our Condition much worse And Secondly Whether there be not an easier and safer way to procure our selves such an Immunity But now Suppose the Evils be of the second sort viz. The Horrors and Terrors of Conscience from the guilt of sin If this be the Motive the force of it lieth in our Ignorance or Mistake about the Covenant of Grace and look as under a Temptation to which External Misery is the great Motive There is nothing more proper than a just understanding of the state of the Damned and the misery of Impenitent and Unpardoned Souls in the World to come So supposing the Motive to be Horrors and Terrors of Conscience upon our Reflections upon Sin there is nothing more proper for a Soul than rightly to understand the Covenant of Grace and the reading of such Books and whetting upon our Hearts such Portions of Gods revealed Will in his Word as are most fully expressive of it Truly to understand this That there is no Sinner run into such an arrear with Gods Justice no Soul so guilty but by vertue of a gracious Covenant of Redemption and Grace which God the Father hath from Eternity contracted with the Son of his Love the Redeemers part in which Covenant is also fulfilled by Jesus Christ may find Mercy with God repenting of his Sin and casting it self upon the free Mercy and Grace of God in and through the Merits and Satisfaction of Christ Such is this Covenant of Grace that the most guilty Soul fulfilling his part in it and accepting of it may be assured that although its past sins cannot be made never to have been yet they shall be as if they never had been That is they shall no more condemn the Soul then if they never had been they shall not be mentioned they shall be sought for and not found the Righteousness of Christ shall be reckoned unto the Soul as if it were its Righteousness It is impossible that a Soul knowing and believing this and living in the view of this gracious Covenant should ever be frighted out of its Life from the Horrors of Conscience by its Reflections upon its guilt of Sin Though an ignorant Person that knoweth not this or an unbelieving Soul which though it may have received the Notion of it yet cannot believe it may from this Motive
Terrors of Conscience because of its Guiltiness its former guilt of Sin let the Sin be what and of what Nature it will Oh let it remember that Christ was given for a Covenant for the People he was by his Father called in Righteousness and his Hand was held and he was kept and given for a Covenant of the People for a Light of the Gentles to open the blind Eyes to to bring the Prisoners from the Prison and them that sit in Darkness out of the Prison House Isaiah 42. 6 7. Let him remember that he is to say Isaiah 45. 24. Surely in the Lord I have Righteousness and Strength That if he had never committed those Sins which now so lie upon and load his Conscience yet he could never have stood before God in his own Works and in a legal Righteousness but what the Law could not do because it was weak through our Flesh that God himself hath done sending his Son in the likeness of sinful Flesh and for Sin condemning Sin in the Flesh that the Righteousness of the Law might be fulfilled in us Rom. 8. 3. And let him consider that being he must be saved by Christ and stand before God as found in him not having his own Righteousness though his Nakedness hath been more than the Nakedness of some other Men yet that long white Robe is large enough to cover it for the Righteousness of Christ his Merits are of vast and infinite Vertue as the Schoolmen say of Gods Essence that it filleth Heaven and Earth and an infinite space beyond both So the Merits of Christ have expiated for the Sins of all that shall be saved and have an infinite Vertue beyond Therefore there is no reason for a Soul to concluds its Sins shall not be forgiven or its Horrors of Conscience for them never cease those cease of course upon the sense of pardon or a good hope through Grace It is but a Relique of Popery that tortureth Mens Consciences past cure I mean an Opinion lurking in us that we must our selves satisfie the Justice of God and that upon the price paid and satisfaction given by Christ pardon doth not proceed freely for all Sin and all Blasphemy to a Soul seeking for it by earnest Prayer true Sorrow for Sin and resolution against it and a true adherence to the Lord Jesus Christ 3. Again Study the Sureness of this Covenant It is a Covenant of Salt as well as a Covenant of Peace Gods Covenant with Day and Night shall sooner cease it containeth the sure Mercies of David It cannot fail God cannot suffer his Faithfulness to fail he cannot alter the thing that hath gone out of his Lips The failure of Covenants amongst Men is rooted in their Variableness and Mutability their want of Fore-sight and Knowledge of future Contingencies c. no such thing can be as to this Covenant He is the Lord that changeth not his Name is I am he had a perfect and certain Prospect and Fore-sight of all that could happen 4. Finally Meditate of it as a well ordered Covenant It is true The Covenant of Grace hath its Conditions to be fulfilled on our part Such as are the taking hold of it mentioned Is 56. 6. which cannot be without seeking the Lord while he may be found calling upon him while he is near the wicked Man forsaking his way and the unrighteous man his thoughts and his returning to the Lord Isaiah 55. 6 7. and perseverance in the ways of God is another condition to be performed But as to those it is in this well ordered That there are Branches in the same Covenant wherein God hath promised 1. To work those Conditions in us that is we doing what in us lies by Vertue of that Common Grace which he denieth to none or by Vertue of those special Habits which he will please to work in us not to be wanting in those further Aids and Assistances of his Grace by which we shall be inabled to do whatsoever he hath required of us in order to the obtaining the promised end of our Hopes in the Salvation of our Souls 2. That that those Failings which we shall be guilty of through Humane Infirmity though they may cause us sorrow in the Flesh yet they shall not frustrate the Promise and Covenant of God he will yet heal our Backslidings and love us freely Now the Covenant of Grace being thus rightly understood and apprehended I would fain understand what room can possibly be left in a Sinner for Satan to fasten this fiery Dart with any effect upon the Soul I will suppose a Soul under the greatest Terror imaginable for Sins of the highest nature Why should he destroy himself if there be hope in the God of Heaven concerning such Sinners If all Sin and Blasphemy whereby a Man shall Blaspheme may be forgiven him Is God a Righteous God that loveth Righteousness and can by no means clear the guilty Why yet should he do it if he hath provided the Soul a Righteousness whereby it may stand Righteous before God acquitted form all manner of Guilt and out of all danger of Condemnation What if it hath formerly been without Righteousness and be yet without Strength or Ability to any Act of Righteousness if the Righteousness wherein it must stand before God be not any personal Righteousness of its own but the Righteousness of Christ reckoned to it for Righteousness Is it tormented through fear of future Sinnings the prevailings of Temptations or its own Corruptions Yet why should the poor Creature run himself out of the World upon this fright when the Covenant of Grace is so well ordered as there is in it a sufficient Provision made for it both for Assistance against the prevailings and dominion of Sin to that degree as to ruin the Soul to Eternity and as to that degree of Guilt which every Soul through Ignorance Infirmity pure or mixt runs into for the healings of its Backslidings What is here left for a sinful Soul to do but to use the means of Grace to apply it self unto God by Fasting and Prayer to consider its ways and what in it lies to turn to the Lord to be sensible of its Sins and to trust in the Lords Mercies taking heed to it self that it sin no more presumptuously abstaining from all appearances of Evil studying to perfect Holiness in the fear of God and daily to renew its Repentance and Faith in Christ as it discerneth its Sins are renewing every day To what purpose doth a Soul under such gracious and hopeful Circumstances think of destroying it self and asserting its own Eternal Condemnation or at least making its Salvation very uncertain which it should rather design to make sure by an Holy Life and Conversation So that I say admit Horror of Conscience for Sin to be the Argument Satan makes use of to inforce this Temptation nothing can be more proper for a Soul exercised under the Temptation than to study understand
of them Our Inveterateness in them Our Sinning against the Holy Ghost None of these sufficient The greatness of the Sin of Despair shewn in what it implieth what it is attended with and produceth 4. Other Directions for Souls thus tempted THus far I have discoursed you in order to the prevention of these Assaults Possibly as to some this Counsel may come too late they may already find in their Souls Thoughts tending to Despair The next Question is What shall these do Or indeed rather what shall be said to or done for those for their Support Relief or Deliverance I know but three things that can be done for such a Soul 1. The First is With the Physician of the Body who is Gods Ordinance the Means he hath appointed by which he healeth our Bodies 2. The Second is with God who alone hath a Power paramount to Sathan and alone can find a way to our Hearts and make powerful Impressions upon them 3. The Third is with the Party Tempted to perswade him or her of the unreasonableness of the Temptation the contrary Revelation of the Will of God in Scripture and the use of Means Natural Moral and Religious for the support of him or her self and the bringing him or her self out of this horrible Pit Under these three Heads I shall bring my whole remaining Discourse upon this Argument 1. The first thing I say is to be done in this Case relates to the Physician It is a thing that we find very difficult to perswade Souls under these circumstances to believe nay many others too less knowing Christians that there is any thing of Bodily Distemper in the case But there is nothing more true nothing that is more ordinarily experimented God forbid that we should think that all Despairing Thoughts and Expressions are the Effects of a Natural Cause a disordered Body or Head The contrary is evident but that in many they are so I was about to say that in the most they are so and that where they are not simply and singly the Effects of those Causes they are yet highly advantaged and improved by the Concurrence of such Bodily Distempers is most evident to those who have any Experience in these things either from what they have found in themselves or observed from their converse with and ministring unto those that have lien under these great Burthens And there can be no greater Argument for this then the frequent Experiences we have of Persons that in the beginning of these Distempers have had them removed by the use of Natural Means Not that God is to be neglected for admitting these Fits of Despair to be but the products of a Natural Cause by the ill influence that some disordered peccant Humours of the Body have upon the Mind disposing it to Fears and Jealousies Suspicious Diffidence and Distrust Yet it is God that must heal us by his giving a Blessing upon Means but the Question is not about the Principal Efficient Cause in the Cure which must be God but concerning the Means to be used and in the use of which God is to be sought and his Assistance expected Therefore I say the first thing to be done in these Cases is consulting with the Physician about the Health of our Bodies and that with an Able and Experienced Physician for it is an exceeding weighty Case with reference to our Good and well Being Nor ought any Means to be neglected which such a one shall direct for bringing our Bodies into a right Order not yet to be used without solemn Applications to God begging both his Direction of them and his Blessing upon them Nor ought this to be delayed for none knoweth the Effects of such Disorders as these and how quick a growth such Beginning Distempers oft times have But this is one of the first things I should advise in such a Cause as this is 2. Secondly Such a Soul hath also a greal deal of business to do with God The Nature of which must be determined according to what it findeth to have given the first rise and cause to these Thoughts If it findeth that some Bodily Distempers hath given the first rise and cause to these dark and ill concluding Thoughts Our business with God lies 1. In begging Gods Direction of us unto the Use and Blessing upon us in the use of such Means as are proper and he will Bless unto the Healing of us and the Deliverance of us from so great a Burthen that he who ministreth unto us may not have a miscarrying hand 2. That he would please to command the Means used to exert and put forth that Vertue which he hath created in them for the producing that Effect we desire and for the obtaining of which we make use of them 3. That in the mean time he would please so to influence and to support our Souls that our Bodily Distempers may have no such ill Influence upon our Minds as to be occasions to us of dishonouring God by entertaining any unworthy Thoughts of the Divine Majesty Mercy and Goodness If we find that these black and dark Thoughts arise in us or in any others from any other Cause whether our own Reflexions upon our former Sinful Courses or some particular guilt of Sin upon us Our Business is still with God by Prayer for it is he alone that can Pardon Sin that can give Eternal Life and Salvation and that can beget in the Soul a lively Hope as to such Pardon and obtaining Eternal Life and Salvation that can Bless any Spiritual Means to be used in order to the obtaining of any of these but here the matter of Prayer and of our Petitions to God must be of another Nature That which the Soul in this Cause hath to do with God is 1. To confess its Sin unto God and to begg of God a broken and contrite Heart that it may confess and bewail its Sin as it ought to do When saith David Psal 32. v. 3 4. I kept silence my Bones waxed old through my roaring all the day long for day and night thine hand was heavy upon me my moisture is turned into the drought of Summer I acknowledged my Sin unto thee and mine Iniquity I have not hid I said I will confess my Transgressions unto the Lord and thou forgavest the Iniquity of my Sin 2. He hath a further Work with God viz. To begg of him the Pardon of his Sin and the begetting in his Soul a lively Hope in his Mercy and Godness It is God 1 Pet. 1. 3. The Father of our Lord Jesus Christ which according to his abundant Mercy begetteth the Soul to a lively Hope by the Resurection of Jesus Christ from the Dead to an Inheritance incorruptible and undefiled and that fadeth not away reserved in the Heavens for us 3. Thirdly to begg of God a Blessing upon all Means in order to this end whether the reading or the hearing of the Word or any Spiritual Conference with
him with whom there is no respect of Persons with a particular Malice or Ill Will to thee in saying God cannot nor will not Pardon thy Sins or there is no hope for thee thou deniest not onely the Power of God as to the Pardon of thy Sins but the Sins also of any other whose Circumstances of sinning are as great as thine are Now seemeth it to thee a light thing O Christian to deny the Divine Goodness and to set Limits to Infinite Mercy 3. Thirdly This Sin always carries with it also A denial of Gods Truth and Faithfulness He hath told thee Mat. 12. 31. That all Sin and Blasphemy wherewith any shall Blaspheme the Son of Man shall be Forgiven That if thy Sins were as Scarlet they shall be as Wooll if as Crimson they shall be as White as Snow No sayest thou I have Sinned I have Blasphemed and it shall not be Forgiven I have Scarlet Sins and God will not make them as Snow I have Crimson Sins and God will not make them as Wooll What is this but to put the lie upon God to deny his Truth and Faithfulness to say he hath said it and he will not do it he hath spoken it but it shall not come to pass But some will say it to me after this rate of Arguing God should save all Men and Women breathing These words are nomore spoken to me than to any other I Answer I do not urge these great and precious Revelations of the Divine Will as grounds for Sinners to conclude that they shall be Saved Pardoned and Saved without any more a-do but onely as general grounds of Hope that there may perhaps be Mercy found with God for us and as Assurances on the part of a gracious God that if we miss of Pardon and Eternal Life and Salvation the fault shall not be justly charged on God he is ready to forgive but in our selves who will not Repent nor leave our Sins and turn unto God who will not come unto Christ that we might have Life still it remaineth the duty of us that would obtain this Pardon to confess its Sins and forsake them and to believe in the Lord Jesus Christ but the Despairing Soul throws all the blame of its miscarriage upon God and ordinarily doth not say I do not Repent I cannot Repent therefore there is no hope but there is no Mercy in God God cannot or God will not Pardon me now I say This is an Impeachment as of the Power of God to forgive to the utmost and of Christ to save to the utmost so of that Goodness and Grace and Mercy of God yea and of the Truth and Faithfulness of God Besides What a Comparison doth the Soul make here betwixt finite and infinite betwixt which two there is no proportion Let thy Sins be what they will or can they can be but finite The Mercies of God are infinite The Sea is but a finite Creature yet what can you imagine so great that the Sea will not swallow up and cover that it shall not be seen any more It is a Similitude which God himself doth sometimes make use of by it to express the plenty of his Forgiving Mercy See that excellent Text Micah 7. 18 19. Who is a God like unto thee that pardoneth Iniquity and passeth by the Transgression of the Remnant of his Heritage he retaineth not his Anger for ever because he delighteth in Mercy He will turn again he will have Compassion upon us he will subdue our Iniquities and thou wilt cast all their Sins into the depths of the Sea Now Despairing Conclusions That there is no Hope in God that our Iniquities are too many or too great to be forgiven give God the Lie as to this It is no more than the Scripture saith 1 John 5. 10. He that believeth not God maketh God a Liar because he believeth not the Record that God gave of his Son and this is the Record that God hath given to us Eternal Life and this Life is in his Son 2. Secondly This Sin as it implieth these things so it is always attended with Unbelief in Gods Promises and with very hard and unworthy Thoughts of God By Unbelief here I understand the Negation of a Trust and Confidence in God and the Promises he hath made of those good things concerning which the Soul Despaireth So that what ever can be said in aggravation of the Sin of Unbelief is highly applicable in the aggravation of this Sin for Despair speaketh the highest degree of Unbelief imaginable It is one thing for a Soul not to trust in God another thing to conclude That he is not to be trusted in as to my Soul that there is no hope for me in God This speaketh the highest degree of Unbelief that we can imagine 2. Besides it necessarily carrieth along with it very hard and unworthy Thoughts of God The Soul cannot think reverently and worthily of God when it is rooted in such Thoughts as these that although he be a God that Pardoneth Iniquities Transgressions and Sins yea abundantly Pardoneth yet he will shew it no Favour but adjudge it to an Everlasting Misery and Torment nay it is hard to conceive how such a Soul should forbear wishing that there were no God that the Being of God were annihilated 3. Then in the last place The Effects of this Sin of Despair must needs be very sad for as a Lively Hope of obtaining any Good quickeneth the Soul to the use of all those Means which Reason dictateth as probable Means for the obtaining what we desire so the Despair of obtaining any such Good quite deadneth the Heart and taketh it off all Thoughts of using Means to obtain that which it concludeth with it self impossible to be obtained This is manifest upon the Experience of all such Souls as at any time are under any Fits of Despair They cannot be perswaded to hear Sermons to Pray to Read in short not to use any Means of Grace and Salvation So that a greater Sin can hardly be imagined than this Sin of Despair is Oh that those would think of this who find in their Souls any Motions Temptations or Inclinations towards it That they would think how much Dishonour God hath from this Sin above others 3. Again Certainly it must be advantage to such a Soul to reflect upon those great Presidents of Free Grace which we have upon Record in Holy Writ Let them remember the instance of St. Paul who saith of himself That he was a Persecutor he was a Blasphemer and Injurious but yet he obtained Mercy 1 Tim. 1. 13. The instance of David restored again to the joy of Gods Salvation after the guilt of Adultery and Murther Of Peter who received kind Looks from Christ after he had thrice denied his Master and that with the addition of Cursing and Swearing that he did not know him Of Mary Magdalen out of whom the Lord had cast out Seven Devils Let such a
Flesh ought with Job to make a Covenant with their Eyes that they will not look upon Objects that may minister Fuel to their Lusts Yea and with their Ears too that they will not hear any Discourses of that Tendency The Melancholick Person being naturally inclined to an excess of Fear and Sorrow ought to make a Covenant with his or her Exteriour Senses that they will not fetch in or receive any Objects that have an aptitude or fitness in them to increase Fears and Excessive Sorrow and Sadness c. 2. Take heed of Solitude and delighting too much to be alone It is usually said that every one who is alone much alone proves either a God or a Devil to himself There is nothing of more advantage to a Man or Woman if they be in health and under no disturbances of Mind and Spirit than to be alone It was wont to be said by a great Roman That he was never less alone then when he was alone A Good Christian in clear Circumstances is never more with God then when he is alone nor doth ordinarily ever enjoy more of God But the case is quite contrary if one be under the prevailings of this Distemper He is never more exposed to Temptations he is never mote baited by the Devil then when he is alone Solitude is by no means advisable in an hour of Temptation I observe Matth. 4. 1. That when Christ was to be tempted by the Devil he was by the Spirit carried into the Wilderness 3. Divert thy self by Imployment what thou canst The great Evils which hazard the Soul under this Distemper arise from the too much fixation of the thoughts upon some particular terrible Objects Hence whatsoever is proper to divert the thoughts that they pore not too much upon such terrible things which are most obvious to them is a very rational mean to be used in order if not to the rooting out of the Cause yet to the preventing the sad Effects of this Distemper Hence you shall observe in that Story of Elijah 1 Kings 19. That God would neither suffer him to be Alone nor to be out of Imployment both which he seemed to seek v. 4. He goeth a days Journey into the Wilderness and sitteth under a Juniper Tree there he beggs of God to take away his Life and lyes down and sleepeth v. 5. God sends an Angel which cometh and toucheth him and bids him Arise and Eat v. 7. He sends an Angel the second time and bids him Arise and Eat and sends him to Horeb. Still he was in his Melancholick Fit and goeth into a Cave God v. 9. comes to him a third time and saith to him What doest thou here Elijah v. 13. he lingers still and standeth in the Mouth of the Cave There cometh a Voice to him again saying What doest thou here Elijah Methinks God himself in that Chapter prescribes unto persons under these Distempers what to do and to their friends and relations what they should do as to them and for them by all means to avoid Solitude and to drive them out from their pleasing Solititudes and to imploy them and divert them God sends Elijah a Journey v. 15. to Damascus to anoint Hazael King of Syria and to anoint Jehu King of Israel Other directions of this Nature I leave to Physicians 3. Lastly Religious Means is by no means to be neglected for as the blessing of all Means by which Remedy is given us for any Diseases even those which are most obvious in their Causes Effects and Cures depend upon him whose name is The Lord that healeth us So more especially as to this the Causes of which are so various the Effects so uncertain and the Cure so difficult that I doubt whether any yet have wrote satisfactorily to more considerate persons in the Case There seems to be much hidden even from the Wisest Naturalists and to be 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 something Divine beyond what the Accutest Wits and Reasons have discovered I would therefore have such persons by no means omit Reading and Hearing the Word of God Sorrow maketh an heart to stoop saith Solomon but a good word makes it better I have heard a Story of a Good Woman under a great Temptation to destroy her self and going about to drown her self first taking her Bible and casually opening it and casting her Eye on a Text declaring the great Mercy of God to Sinners she presently saith to her self Nay if it be so I will not drown my self yet And if there were nothing as certainly there is very much by persons to be expected upon the Promise of God to persons performing their Duty in Reading and Waiting upon God in his Ordinances yet I know no Reason but the thoughts of persons may be diverted by what they Read and Hear in Sacred and Holy things as well as other things which have not such a Stamp and Impress of God upon them Prayer is the general way of Application and Address unto God in all Cases if we know no due Means Prayer obtains Wisdom and Direction from God if we use due Means Prayer obtaineth a Blessing from God upon the use of them If something must be done for us beyond the Natural Force and Vertue of Means Prayer obtaineth that from God But I shall add no more to this first Direction upon which I had not inlarged so far but that I find it so hard to perswade persons under this Temptation that it is advantaged by this Natural Distemper than which there is nothing more evident upon all Experience that both this and another Sore Temptation as to which I shall speak something in my following Discourse are all highly advantaged and promoved by it and therefore a taking heed to our selves in this Case is also very necessary to prevent them and I intend when I speak to them to add little more upon this Argument but onely refer to what I have said in this Chapter which hath made me willing once for all to discourse it more largely Now I proceed CHAP. V. A Second Direction to prevent Temptations of this Nature The Mortification of Pride The Influence which Pride hath upon the Soul in order to the raising or promoving such thoughts in us as it is the great Mother of Discontent upon Gods altering our External Circumstances Considerations to be digested in order to the keeping of our Souls in a mean opinion of our Selves 2. IN the Second place Take heed of Pride live in the Mortification of that Lust Solomon hath three Wise Sentences in his Book of Proverbs which we should have at all times ingraven in our hearts Prov. 11. 2. When Pride cometh then cometh Shame Prov. 16. 18. Pride goeth before destruction and an haughty spirit before a fall The last is Prov. 29. 23. A mans pride shall bring him low I do not think that there are three other pieces of the revealed Will of God that are more verified in daily experience than these are
Ministers or knowing and experienced Christians who are able to speak a word in season for the Relief of Souls that are weary and heavy laden with the sense of their Sins 3. A third Work to be done for the Relief of Souls under this fore Temptation is with the Persons themselves that are Tempted and that is to perswade them or for such poor Souls to perswade themselves of the unreasonableness of those conclusions which they make against themselves Now upon this suffer me to inlarge a little in an endeavour to demonstrate the little force that can be in any Argument that such a Soul can bring against it self in this Case and in shew-you the exceeding sinfulness of this Sining of Despair in the first place let me desire such a Soul to Consider 1. That there is no Argument sufficient to warrant it to cast away all Hope in God as to the pardon of its Sin and the obtaining Eternal Life and Salvation through Christ The one of these dependeth upon the other For if there be no Argument sufficient to convince such a Soul that its Sins shall never be forgiven there can be no Argument sufficient to convince it that it shall certainly be Damned or that it is a Reprobate for Psal 32. 1. Blessed is he whose Iniquities are forgiven and whose Sins are covered and to whom the Lord imputeth not Transgression A Pardoned Sinner cannot Perish that is certain If therefore no Reason can be brought sufficient to prove that God will never Pardon me none can be brought sufficient for me to conclude from it That God will not Save me 1. Sometimes Souls under these Circumstances will plead no Argument at all onely they have such a fixed Impression and Perswasion upon their Hearts they know it they are sure of it c. and this is all you can get from it But as the Apostle saith in another Case Gal 5. 8. This perswasion cometh not from him that calleth you Impressions upon our Spirits are no Oracles nor must be taken for Arguments Impressions or Perswasions are either from the Holy Spirit of God or Perswasions hatcht up in our Souls by their own Powers or they are from the Evil Spirit Impressions indeed from the Spirit of God cannot deceive they are infallible but so are not these Can think you this Perswasion be from him that every where in his Word calleth upon Men to Sinners to all sorts and degrees of Sinners to Repent and Beleeve to wash themselves and make themselves Clean telling them that if their Sins were as Scarlet they shall be as Snow if as Crimson they shall be as white as Wooll that he will have Mercy upon them and abundantly Pardon them Jsaiah 55. 6 7. Can he that calleth Sinners all Sinners that are weary and heavy laden to come unto him Promising them Rest for their Souls I say can they possibly think that he hath perswaded them that they shall never obtain Pardon It must therefore remain that these Perswasions in whatsoever Souls they are found must either be bred in the Soul from its own Corruption or brought into the Soul by Satan Let them be from which of these two Causes they will they are very far from being certain and infallible The Heart of Man is deceitful above all things and the Devil was a Liar from the Beginning Time was it is possible when the Devil drove a quite contrary Design and sang a quite other Song to incourage the Soul in a course of Sin suggesting to it that Pardon was an easie thing and might be obtained without difficulty however he hath changed his Note now he is pursuing but the same Design that is the Ruin of the Soul though it be by a quite contrary Method But it is not always that a Soul under this Temptation talketh at this irrational rate ordinarily it hath something to say though nothing sufficient to build such a Conclusion upon and as I hinted to you before all that the Devil or a Man 's own Heart can say in the case is either 1. That our Sins are too many to be forgiven Or 2. That they have been aggravated with some circumstances to that degree that they cannot be forgiven Or 3. That the time is past we have gone on in them too long to be forgiven Or 4. That we have committed some particular Sins of too deep a dy to be washed out If we can but drive out the Devil from these Refuges we shall leave him nothing to say to a Soul to advantage this Temptation 1. As to the First That our Sins are too many to be forgiven This Suggestion either hath no bottom at all or if it hath any it must be this That the Promises of Grace and the Forgiveness of Sins are limited to a certain number of Sins for if they be not upon what colourable pretence doth the Devil endeavour to baffle the Hope of any Soul by whispering to it That its Sins are too many to be forgiven if God hath no where said he will not pardon a multitude of Sins to what purpose or upon what pretence shall a Soul Despair because of the multitude of its Iniquities But where in the whole Book of God shall a troubled Soul find any line to this purpose A Souls hope for Pardon dependeth upon the Word of God and in reason must not the Limitations if any be of that hope be found in the Word of God too or are they not in all reason to be rejected as the Fictions of our own Hearts or Figments of our grand Adversary the Devil Where the Word of God limiteth not the Will of God upon what grounds do we limit it Methinks in this case the whole Trinity speaketh unto us in the Language that St. Paul spake to the Corinthians in another Cause 2 Cor. 6. 11 12. Oye Corinthians saith he our Mouth is opened unto you our Heart is inlarged You are not straitned in us you are straitned in your own Bowels Some thinks the Holy Trinity speaketh to us in the whole tenor of the Sacred Writing O you troubled Sinners you Despairing Souls our Mouth is opened to you to call those that have abundantly sinned to our abounding Mercies Our Heart is enlarged you are not straitned in me saith the Father of Mercies I have infinite Mercies Mercies as the Sands which is on the Sea-shore You are not straitned in me saith the Son I have an infinite Value and Vertue in my Blood it is sufficient in it self for the Expiation of the Sins of the whole World and every individual Man and Woman in the World You are not straitned in me saith the Holy Spirit I after a multitude of Sinnings stand yet at the door of your Hearts and knock and cry if any Man will open he shall come in and sâ—p with me yea let them do what in them lieth I am ready to add my Efficacy to give Faith and to give Repentance and this after a multitude
10 11. They received the Word with readiness of Mind and searched the Scriptures whether thâ—se things were so yet St. Paul himself was the Preacher and good Reason for the same Paul hath commanded That if he or an Angel from Heaven should bring any other Doctrine then what they had received what was according to the Gospel they should be Accursed Gal 1. 8. in doing this you will take heed what you hear and whom you hear too The Influence of Notions upon the Mind is very great our Hopes will be built upon the Notions which we receive Takeheed therefore what Notions you receive see them solidly founded in and proved by the Word of God be assured else there is no light in them 7. A Seventh Notion I shall but name for it is perfectly Popish concerning a Satisfaction for Sin after this life by Purgatory out of which too men may get by the Prayers of the Saints or by Masses said for them or by an Indulgence or Pardon This is that which they say That if any die in Venial Sin or under the debt of Punishment when the guilt is acquitted that is when the Priest hath Absolved them but they have not performed the Penance and given the Satisfaction which the Priest hath enjoyned all such go not into Heaven but go into a place they know not where which they call Purgatory where till they come out which also shall be they know not when for they are not agreed in the time of Souls lying there they shall be Tormented they know not how some say by a material Fire some say by a metaphorical Fire some say by Water and Fire too but by giving so much money for so many Masses or by a Pardon from the Pope or many other ways they may get out sooner And this Doctrine doubtless destroyeth thousands of Souls amongst them they love their Lusts better than their Moneys and venture to live and die in their sinful Courses and then bequeath a good part of their Estates for saying Masses c. to get them out of Purgatory when alas poor wretches they are in the bottomless Pit from which is no Redemption for ever But it is enough to have named these horrible things this Ridiculous Fire serves now for nothing but to keep the Popes Kitchin warm and the Priests pot boyling and to damn poor silly Papists by Presumption it hardly hurteth a very ordinary Protestants Conscience But I shall enlarge no further upon this first Direction for avoiding a Temptation to Presumption by taking heed of Notions which lead the Soul right on upon it and indeed serve for little else I proceed to a Second Direction CHAP. VI. Further Directions for the avoiding Presumption considering the greatness of the guilt of the danger how many miscary by it To be possessed of the difficulty of being Saved the paâ—city of those who shall be saved Self Examination Rules for it Takeing heed of Sinning against Light Prayer to God Working out our Salvation with Fear 2. POssess your Souls Secondly if you would avoid this great Temptation with the greatness of Sin and danger of Presumption and the great multitudes which split eternally on this Rock Here are three things offered to your Consideration 1. The greatness of the Sin of Presumption This will be understood partly by considering the Nature of it partly by considering the Revelation of Gods wraih against it as to the Nature of it 1. It Robbeth God of the Glory of his Justice it indeed seemeth to give God the honour of his Goodness and Mercy but it makes him an Idol of Mercy and despoileth him of his Justice and Purity and Holiness God indeed is Gracious and Merciful but he is also a God of purer Eyes than to behold Iniquity a God before whom Sinners shall not stand in Judgment a God that cannot clear the Guilty Now that Soul that goes on in its sinful Courses and yet hopes to find Favour with God and to go to Heaven at last doth think that God is not so holy and pure a God as indeed he is or that he is not so Just as he is either that he hath not Power to be Revenged upon Sinners or not so just a Will and steady a resolution to be revenged upon such as go on in their Courses of Ungodliness as indeed he hath Now consider with they self how great a sin it must be either to deny the Purity and Holiness of God or the Power and Justice of God The Presumptuous Sinner saith God is not of so pure Eyes but he can abide Iniquity a Sinner may dwell in his sight whereas God could not be God if he could not be Just or not be Holy and Pure Holiness is a piece of Gods Glory he is not only Glorious in Majesty but he is also Glorious in Holiness 2. And as the Justice and Purity of God is Impeached by Presumption so his Truth is also Impeached The Presumptuous Sinner doth in effect say The Scripture is a Lie and a Romance for the language of his heart is directly contrary to the language of Scripture that saith such and such Sinners shall never enter into the Kingdom of God but shall have their portion in the Lake which burneth with Fire and Brimstone He saith I am such a one yet I shall enter into the Kingdom of God I shall not have my portion in the Lake which burneth with Fire and Brimstone What is this but either to deny the Scriptures to be the Word of God or to deny that which is contained in them to be truth and so to make God a liar who is a God that cannot lie Judge you how great an Iniquity this must be And if the Impeachment of a Mans truth be counted such a violation of his honour that he knoweth not how to put it up but is ready to revenge it with a Stab what shall God do who cannot lie So that three eminent Attributes of God Purity Justice and Truth are all of them questioned impeached or denyed by the Presumption of a Sinner And Presumption is not only a Transgression of the Law of God but containeth in it a secret Impugning of the Divine Nature and transformeth God into a being that is not Pure and Holy at least not so Pure and Holy but it can abide Sin well enough that either cannot or will not be revenged upon Sinners that can declare one thing and do another 2. Secondly The magnitude of any Sin is well taken and judged from the Revelation of Divine Wrath against it And it is but just and equal to judge that the greatest Sin against which God doth most severely reveal his Wrath. As to this we shall need look no further then the Text which I have made the foundation of this Discourse Deut. 29. It is the Presumptuous Sinner that is spoken of v. 19. That heareth the words of the Law and the words of the Curse annexed to the violation of the Law