head of sinne That we were all in Adam in the day of his creation needeth no proofe for out of him was the woman created and of them made one flesh by marriage was all mankinde propagated So that these first parents of our flesh did stand or fall to the benefit or losse of all their posteritie But man stood but a while in honour and by his fall he not onely corrupted his own person but his nature whereby there remained an infection of sinne to the pollution of the whole nature of mankinde This the Apostle hath affirmed disertly In Adam all dye that is all are subject to the law of mortality and all are under the curse of the law for the second death God concluded all under sinne that is both the infection of sinne and the punishment thereof David speaketh here of his originall sinne in the pollution thereof and confesseth that from that root of bitternesse this and all his other sinnes derived Therefore he confesseth the beginning of it not onely at his shaping and formation in the wombe when God gave his body a composition in the wombe and set every member and part of his body in the proper place but he goeth higher to his first conception In peccato fovit me in sin she nourisht me his first warmth which put the first natural heat to the radicall moisture of which we are created This appeares in the difference between the first man created and the first generated for â—f Adam it is said In the image of God made he him But de primo generato of the first begotten for in the account of the Genealogie he reckoneth not Cain who was gone from the presence of God nor Abel who was by Cain murthered But the Genealogie begins at Seth of whom we reade And Adam begat a sonne in his own likenesse after his image and called his name Seth. For Cain he needed not to say so for the corruption of his foule heart shewed him borne of corrupt seed But Seth was one of the holy Fathers of the Church yet begotten in the image of Adam now corrupt and not in the image of God as Adam was created How could it be otherwise for our first parents being defiled who can bring a clean thing out of an unclean Not one The Fathers with full consent referre that speech of Iob to our originall sinne as Pineda upon that place recounteth and quoteth them I should not need to prove this point of originall sinne having so cleare evidence for it as my Text in hand But that the Pelagians long ago denyed any such sinne or naturall corruption affirming Verba Pelagii Ut sine virtutâ— ita sine vitio procreamur atque ante actionem propriae voluntatis id solum in homine est quod Deus condidit The words of Pelagius That as we are begotten without vertue so without vice and before the acting of our own wils that onely is in man which God made Saint Augustine long ago took this heresie to â—ask and learnedly confuted it But of late Ann. 1620. there was a Pamphlet stolne out in print and vented from pocket to pocket by some Anabaptists at home who yet refuse to be so called In this the heresie of Pelagius is revived and originall sinne denyed and peremptorily it is affirmed that no sinne is derived from our parents We take say they from Adam vanity corruption and death This vanity is onely a weaknesse and impotencie in nature to know and do the duties of the Law of God But they deny it to be sinne Their reason is Adam was made of the earth we were made of Adam Adam was made of the earth onely in respect of â—iâ— body for God first made the body and then infused the soul in it The body was free from sinne the soul a spirituall substance infused by God was also free from sinne so Adam was created without sinne But we were no otherwise made of Adam then Adam was made of the earth and we were no more in Adam when he sinned then Adam was in the earth before his creation First according to the body Adam had no commandment given him till he had understanding to embrace it and will to receive or refuse it Adam sinned not till he departed from the commandment They conclude hence that we receiving nothing but our flesh from Adam cannot sinne till we have understanding to know what is commanded us ergo no originall sinne To all which we answer That the flesh which Adam took from the earth was pure for so was the earth But the flesh that we take from Adam is tainted with sinne And true it is that no actuall sinne can be committed without the Law But we may be guilty of originall impuritie without prevarication of the Law Adam had onely the matter of his body from the earth we derive more from Adam For whereas as God breathed into the body of Adam all at once the breath of lives We live three lives The life of plants in our vegetative The life of bruits in our sensitive The life of Angels in our rationall soul Philosophers and Phisitians and the learned Scholars of nature do resolve that we traduce two of these lives from our parents the third is immediately both created and infused by God The proper seat of originall sinne is in the sensitive part of man and that corrupteth our reason and as it groweth faster then our rationall doth so it over-groweth it and keepeth it down untill our new birth doth cut it and keep it short and the good Spirit of God give us strength to resist it and to subdue it This God himself hath in both Testaments fully detected in two holy Sacraments first Circumcision This was to be administred so soone as an infant was capable of it even after the first criticall day and that part of the body was chosen for this Sacrament which might best shew our generation unclean it was a Sacrament of purgation the impuritie of our naturall generation In the new â—estament the Sacrament of Baptisme was instituted to the same purpose And where our Anabaptists do charge us that by our doctrine of originall sinne we bring upon infants a danger of eternall death and thereby we revive that wicked Proverbe The fathers have eaten fowre grapes and the childrens teeth are set on edge We regest this calumny upon them in just imputation For when they confesse that we traduce from our parents vanity corruption and death these are the punishments of sinne and if we have no sinne of our own it is our parents sinne and so our teeth are on edge for their sowre grapes The doctrine of originall sinne was ever taught in the Church and when Saint Augustine did meet with the Pelagian heresie denying it he opposed it strongly and because the adversary urged the faith and doctrine of certaine Hereticks denying originall sinne S. Augustine produceth the constant contrary asseverations of the
the latter end it will not be a luxation of our bones putting them out of joynt but a breaking literally this must not be understood of the breaking of bones neither the contrary spoken also by David Many are the afflictions of the righteous but the Lord delivereth him our of them all He keepeth all his bones so that not one of them is broken for wee know that not onely alive but dead the bones of the Lords servants have beene violated their dead bones lye scattered like chippes of wood at the mouth of the grave By bones the strength of the body the inward strength and vigour of the soule is meant And the conscience of sinne and the terrour of judgement doth breake the heart of a true penitent so long as he beholdeth his sinne deserving his death his judge ready to pronounce the sentence of it hell open to receive him for it and the evill Angels Gods executioners at hand to hurry him to it Here is extremity of anguish even anima doloris dolor animae the soule of sorrow the sorrow of the soule enough to make a man goe weeping all the day long I beseech you lay this example to heart David that walked with an upright heart and the holy Ghost hath testified him unblameable save onely in this matter of Vriah the Hittite Yet see how he afflicteth himselfe for all his other transgressions which were not laid to his charge his conscience forgiveth him nothing No question but David had many infirmities and many other aberrations some upon record yet they were all by his repentance and the favour of God past over yet they upbrayd him now all of them come upon him like a breach of waters with so fierce irruption and so deluging inundation that they steepe him in deepe waters and cover him all over with affliction The reason is as in sinne the fault he that breaketh the least Commandement and repaireth not himselfe by repentance is guilty of the whole law so in transgressions he that repenteth of all the sinnes he hath done and hath his pardon under seale by the next offence is lyable to all the evidence againe of his former sinnes he cancelleth and forfeiteth his pardon for pardon ever bindeth to good behaviour This breakes the bones of David to have all this weight upon him 2 The author of this Thou hast broken God in favour to his children doth afflict them for sinne and the very phrase of breaking his bones though it expresse extremity of misery and paine yet it hath hope in it for broken bones by acunning hand may be set againe and returne to their former use and strength so that a conscience distrest for sinnes is not out of hope yet upon that hope no wise man will adventure upon sinne saying though I am wounded yet I may be healed againe though I am broken I may be repaired for let him consider 1 Who breakes his bones Thou he that made us our bones and put them in their severall places and tyed them together with ligaments and covered them with flesh he that keepeth all our bones from breaking it must be a great matter that must move him to breake the bones of any of us The God of all consolation that comforteth us in all our distresses when he commeth to distresse us this makes affliction weigh heavy It was Iobs vexation The arrowes of the Almighty are within me the poyson whereof drinketh up my spirit the terrors of God doe set themselves in array against mee He will not suffer me to take my breath but filleth mee with bitternesse What greater sorrow can be then to have God in opposition 2 The paine of the affliction exprest so feelingly in the breaking of bones which as is said is the anguish of the soule for sinne and feare of the consuming fire of Gods wrath and the tempest as Iob cals it of anger 3. The paine of setting these bones againe for though bones dislocate may be put in joynt and though bones broken may be set againe yet this is not done without paine and great extremity to the Patient Repentance setteth all our broken pained bones it recovereth the soule from the anguish thereof but hee that once feeleth the smart of a true repentance will say the pleasures of sinne which are but for a season are as hard a bargaine as ever he made and as deare bought they cost teares which are sanguis vulner aticordis the bloud of a wounded heart they cost sighes and grones which cannot be exprest they cost watching fasting taming of the body to bring it in subjection even to the crucifying of the flesh with the lusts thereof Therefore let no man adventure his bones in hope of setting them againe But how did God breake the bones of David here 1 Outwardly by his word sent in the ministerie of Nathan the Prophet for the word and voyce of God is a two edged sword This was all the strength by which Jeremie was sent forth by God on that great businesse over nations and over kingdomes to root out to pull downe and to destroy and to throw downe Behold I have put my words in thy mouth This is the sword of the spirit and though our doctrine drop as the raine gently and easily if we drinke it in and become fruitfull by it yet when our sinnes doe overgrow we shall finde it a sharpe Conlter to rend the fallow grounds of our hearts we shall finde it a rod of iron to breake our soules in pieces and this word runneth very swiftly it is gladius versatilis a sword that turneth every way 2 But it is a dead letter and draweth no bloud till it come to the conscience for so long as it beateth the eare and ayre onely and worketh no further than the understanding there is no great cumber with it as wee see in those who daily heare their swearing and drunkennesse reproved in the house of God and threatned with losse and deprivation of the kingdome of God it worketh not upon them but when Nathan comes home to their consciences tu es homo thou art the man God hath sent mee to thee to charge thee with this sinne and to tell thee hee is angry and is whetting his sword to cut thee off for it this breaketh and shattereth the bones and though our publike ministery doe not descend to such particulars as tu es homo thou art the man and our private reproofes are subject to ill constructiou yet a plaine dealing death bed will roare it in our eares of our inward man Tu es homo thou art the man thou hast lived a blasphemer of the name of God a glutton a drunkard c. This fils the soules of many dying persons with so much bitternesse that when the sorrowes of death are upon them and the judgement of their whole life in sight the conscience of their sinnes doth make their soules much sicker then their bodies One of
have power in his name to pronounce his absolution and free pardon of that and all the rest sincerely repented saying Whosoever sinnes yee remit they are remitted And the true penitent hath comfort to his heart in that absolution Some of our owne brethren at home have quarrelled this as popish not well advised of the ordinance and institution of Iesus Christ our Master by whose commission we performe this as the cleare Text doth warrant Tertullian calleth the Clergie a distinct order separate from all other callings to a speciall worke of Gods holy service for the enlightening of ignorants and converting transgressors and comforting the disconsolate and confirming such as are weake And what greater comfort can we administer then the assurance of forgivenesse to distressed soules languishing under the oppression of their conscience for their sinnes Therefore Christ in our Commission useth the same word for our pardoning of sinnes that he teacheth us to use in our owne prayers to God for our pardon 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 Whosoever sinnes yee remit 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 Forgive us A departing soule being to leave the world and hearing that he that hideth his sinnes shall not prosper having the sting of conscience and the Angell of Sathan buffetting him can no longer hide this fire in his bosome which burneth him but hee bringeth it forth in confession And wee finde in the capitall punishment of malefactors that the feare of judgement and terrour of conscience a little before their end hath detected many murthers adulteries felonies and foule transgressions which till then lay hidden in the secret of their hearts concealed from the worlds intelligence and suspicion In such cases having disburdened their soules and declared their repentance our absolution is of force and then the penitent cryeth Nâ—nc dimittis servum tuum Domine in pace Lord now lettest thou thy servant depart in peace and as one that hath his yoke taken off and his burthen eased he removeth hence with joy 2 This petition teacheth that the sinne of shedding innocent bloud oppresseth the conscience and is of a crimosin dye hardly washt out After the fall of our Parents the first sinne we reade recorded was murther the first death by it He that maketh inquisition for bloud beginneth his search and vengeance at the bloud of Abel That sinne of bloud in Caine is set for terror in the beginning of the holy story of the Bible to advise us of that roaring Lyon who goeth about continually seeking whom hee may devoure He was a lyar and a murtherer from the beginning hee practised upon the soules and bodies of our first Parents and by a cunning lye brought in death upon them in Paradise Then he incensed a brother against a brother in the first infancie of time Observe that murther 1 In the conception of it 2 In the act and execution 3 In the sequell and event of it 1 In the conception the provocation was onely Gods accepting of his brother in his service and his refusing him which made his death a persecution in Caine a Martyrdom in Abel This put murther into the heart God saw it there yet he taketh notice of it by the countenaÌ„ce of Cain Anger cannot well conceale it selfe and God is so tender as not to endure a frowning countenance in us to one another He expostulated the cause with Caine he layed the fault upon himselfe If thou doe well c. he gave him place of his brother and promised him his subjection Hee would have cured Caine of this disease but he would not 2 In the act It was the foulest that could be Cain talked with Abel his brother no question but it was a faire â—poken parley which tempted him â—alone with him into the field and there he arose against him and slew him A strange act worthy to be recorded The first borne in the world a murtherer the first recorded sinne in the generation of man murther the first brother a murtherer the first death murther Death followed sinne God would rather have it performed by the hand of man than by his owne hand the better to shew the effect of his justice and mans sinne according to the sentence Thou shalt dye the death 3 The sequell to that I hasten for 1 Cain sought not out God said nothing to him the text saith The Lord said unto Cain he spake first and enquired after the murther he maketh inquisition for bloud 2 His question where is Abel thy brother he calleth for him by name Abel God nameth him by the name that his Mother gave him He challengeth a right in his person hee challengeth their right in him who named him And the interest that the murthered had in the murtherer frater tuus thy brother 3 When this would not bring forth a confession and repentance of the fault but was frowardly answered first with a nescio I know not a lye then with a surly question Am I my brothers keeper Then God replieth with 1 Detection of the murtherer What hast thou done for hee so troubleth the conscience of such persons as shed bloud 2 Production of evidence vox sanguinis fratris tui de terra inclamat me the voyce of thy brothers bloud cryes unto me from the earth 3 Vpon so cleare evidence he proceedeth to judgement 1 The earth is cursed for his sake to him so before in his fathers sinne we thinke much if the earth serve us not with the fruits thereof we may thanke our sinne 2 His person is cursed a fugitive and a vagabond shalt thou be on the earth 4 When hee stood convicted in his conscience by the voyce of the Iudge and evidentiâ facti the plainenesse of the deed done 1 He turnes desperate and speakes a speech which beares a double construction My punishment is greater than I can beare or My iniquity is greater than that it may be forgiven 2 He takes upon himselfe a necessity of grievous punishment which he distributeth into foure great griefes 1 Thou hast driven me out this day from the face of the earth 2 And from thy face shall I be hid 3 And I shall be a fugitive and vagabond upon the earth 4 And it shall come to passe that every one that findeth me shall slay me Observe the first punishment of murther in this full example for it is notable 1 In the Iudge secondly in the judgement 1 The Iudge is God himselfe he taketh it into his owne judicature conventeth convinceth judgeth the offender himselfe The fault is exprest in the words of my Text vox sanguinum the voyce of blouds for hee not onely spilled the bloud of his brother but he destroyed the posterity that might have bin derived from him and he is called Abel the just so he might have had semen sanctum an holy seed All this hope of after-generations all their bloud spilt in him The judgement an heavy curse 1 Without him in the earth 2 Excommunication from the face
omnia sanguinem filii ejus His food apparell the use of his time above all the bloud of his Sonne Would these severall seeds of grace yeild him no harvest 2 Our sins our folly trespassing his wisdome our vanity offending his holinesse our falshood his truth our unrighteousnesse his justice our presumption his mercy and our rebellion his power Saint Bernard in meditation of the account for this is all broken heart and all Paveo gehennam paveo judicis vultum ipsis angelicis potestatibus tremendum horreo vermâ—m rodentem ignem torrentem fumum sulphur tenebras exteriores Quis dabit capiti meo aquam oculis meis fontem laâ—hrymarum ut praeveniam fletibus meis fletum stridorem dentium c. Heu me mater mea ut quid genuisti me filium doloris amaritudinis indignationis plorationis aeternae natum in combustionem cibum ignis I feare hell I feare the countenance of the judge to be feared by angelicall powers I feare the worme gnawing the fire broyling the smoke the brimstone the outer darknesse Who will give water to my head and a fountaine of teares to my eyes that I may prevent by my weeping the weeping and gnashing of teeth O my mother why hast thou begotten me a sonne of sorrow of bitternesse of wrath of eternall wayling born to be burnt and to be meat for the fire We are here convicted in two tryals and receive sentence of condemnation in both 1 In the judgement of the Law which wee have broken 2 Of our conscience which pronounceth us children of darknesse and heires of condemnation When the sad consideration of these things hath broken our hearts and ground them to dust then the nest of sinne will be destroyed and concupiscence shall not have where to lay her yong Observe the difference of true Religion from false The gods of the Heathen doe never exact such breaking of hearts of their worshippers Let them have your eye your tongue your knee your gifts and keep your hearts to your selves For they know not whether you give them hearts or no. But our God will have our hearts and hee will have them thus broken and there is no delaying or dallying with him hee searcheth us to the bottome and tryeth hearts and reins We cannot deceive him with unreall semblances The way to heaven is not so easie as most men deem it We must suffer with Christ if we will reigne with him his soule was heavy and he was broken for our sins when the 〈…〉 of our peace lay upon him And we must rent our hearâ—◠〈…〉 not our garments when wee turne to the Lord if we will have mercy and forgivenesse There is nothing that flattereth sin more in us then an opinion of the easinesse of repentance But if we observe David in this Psalme we shall discern that there is no such tribulation as true repentance it is a washing throughly a rubbing and scowring with hysop it will cost hote and scalding water to purge the stains and blemishes of our life It will cost the breaking of our bones strong cryes and supplications that wee may heare of joy and gladnesse It will cost us a breaking first then a new making of our hearts to fill them a present for him who saith My sonne give me thy heart And now what shall I say and what shall I doe unto thee thou preserver of men My heart is not worth the giving to thee If we should search Ierusalem with candles should we finde such a heart O that there were such a heart saith our God in them that they would feare me and keep my Commandements alwayes that it might go well with them and with their children for ever Our broken heart is such an heart when our stubborne will is corrected and made pliant and obedient to the wil of God when our love is taken away from the world and the things therof and fixed on the Lord. When our vast desires are limited to the seeking of the Kingdom of God and the righteousnesse therof When our flattering hopes are taken off from things temporall which profit not and reach out to the promises of God which concern better things When our â—uscious delights are no longer grazed on the green pastures of vain pleasure which saginate them to slaughter but our delight is in the law of God and in that law we do exercise our selves day and night When our strong endevours and labours are not for bread that perisheth but for that which feedeth to everlasting life When our high flowne ambition ceaseth to affect the false and unconstant honors of the world and reacheth forth an hand to the never-withering crown of glory When our feare is not of them that can kill the body and there an end but of him who can deliver soule and body to death eternall When our griefe is not for the punishments we suffer but for the sins that deserve them These be broken and contrite hearts You see to what all that I have said driveth even to stirre up my selfe and you to a true repentance which the Prophet calleth the breaking up of the fallow ground of our hearts Why should our hearts lye fallow and receive no seed and bring forth nothing but weeds It asketh culture digging and ploughing to make it capable of good seed No man casteth away seed upon fallow ground If we would bring forth fruit to God we must suffer the plow the renting and tearing of the share this is repentance John began his preaching at repentance So did Christ And he sent forth his Disciples admonishing men every where to repent If destruction were within forty dayes of us repentance would stand in the gap and keep it out If the Decree were ready for birth repentance would make an aborcement If wee be nailed to the crosse of shame and pain wheron we suffer justly repentance will open Paradise to us If our sins were grained in crimson or scarlet repentance would wash us whiter then snow If our iniquities had hid the face of God from us repentance would uneclipse it and our eies should see our salvation Our sins breake the hearts of others David weepeth for transgressors here is sanguis vulnerati cordis the bloud of a wounded heart O weepe for your selves and your children 2 Sacrifices of God This title given to these Sacrifices called Sacrificia Dei the Sacrifices of God doth shew 1 The necessity 2 The excellency of them 1 The necessity No Nation was ever so irreligious but it acknowledged and worshipped some God Nemo simpliciter atheos No man is simply an Atheist And they thought him that they worshipped worthy of some oblations and gifts It is one of the honors that inferiors do to their superiours to present them with gifts It is recorded of Israel that when God had set Saul over them for their King that the children of Belial said How shall this man save us And they despised him
Impenitents 2. So our thanks-givings are but the sacrifices of fools 3. We cannot heare with profit for good seed must be sowne in good ground 4. We cannot receive the holy Sacrament for pearls must not be given to swine So we are unfit for all acts and exercises of Religion And especially upon our death-beds when we should part with this life Our iniquities shew us quite out of heavens way and we have no warrant to commend our spirits into the hands of God for he receiveth no such souls as turn aside to crooked wayes he leadeth them forth with workers of iniquitie There is none so unhappie as the impenitent sinner For the world cannot be friend him and God will not Who shall then have pity upon thee O Iesus David feels the burthen of sinne importable There is no rest in my bones because of my sinne For mine iniquities are gone over my head as an heavy burthen they are too heavy for me My wounds stinke and are corrupt because of my foolishnesse I am troubled I am bowed down greatly I go mourning all the day long S. Augustine very judiciously looketh beyond David in this Psalme and maketh the whole Psalme the complaint of Christ Who though he were free from the infection of sinne yet was he over-laden with the burthen thereof for God layed on him the iniquities of us all So the point is more prest to the conscience of a sinner for if my sinnes could make the soul of Christ heavy to death if my sinnes could make him sweat water and bloud and pray with strong cryes and supplications how blinde must my reason be if I see them not How insensible and dull must I be if I feele not the stench and annoyance the weight and burthen of them For these iniquities do move God to anger and it is a fearfull thing to fall into the hands of God in his displeasure for even our God is a consuming fire Now we see in Davids example how combersome a few sinnes are and what feare what agony of heart what griefe what shame they bring We have cause to lay this to our hearts for when we shall see our many crying bold presumptuous sinnes together in order before us when our conscience shall tell us not onely that we have received the grace of God in vain but that we have turned the grace of God into wantonnesse and have abused his best â—avours and despised his threatnings At once carrying in our faces Cains frowns and in our heart Cains malice against our brother having Esaâ—s prophanenesse Achans theft Ahabs oppression out-sinning those who are in the holy story the spots and blemishes of their times How doth Sathan benight us if we discerne not our fault and our danger How doth he harden our hearts if we feele not the burthen How doth he benumme and dead the conscience if the lash of our iniquities do not smart upon us We have cause to think upon it now if our Land after so great blessings of God swarme at this day with impious sinnes if Religion hath suffered symonie and oppression pride and drunkennesse Sodome and Gomorrah were modest sinners in comparison of us It will be easier for them one day for we live in the light we have more knowledge of our Masters will then our fathers had Pulpit and Presse have filled the eare and eye with the wayes of life And we are filii tenebrarum sonnes of darknesse still and walk in the paths of death We are hearers onely deceiving our own selves and the more we know of our Masters will the more stripes it will cost us that we have done so little of it we have gathered such drosse to our gold that it will ask an hot fire to refine us God in favour yet forbeareth us expecting our repentance and there is no hope of his love but in that way To fast and mourne for a day to ask God forgivenesse to promise amendment is no more then Ahab may do and it may spinne out the time and put off judgement for a while But plangere commissa to bewail sinnes committed is but a part of repentance and it hath lost the labour and our tears shall never be put into the bottle if after we do committere plangenda commit sinnes to be bewailed Transgressions iniquities sinnes these are our disease and that which threatneth it mortall is our dangerous impenitencie 2. What remedie Mercie this is the soveraigne remedy this heals all diseases but some few drops of this balme will not do it here David knows that God hath sundry vessels of this wine some stronger then other he desireth to draw of the strongest and for quantity he desireth the multitude a great measure and that running over for qualitie his tenderest and dearest compassions Those that are extracted and distilled to the height of strength sinnes of ignorance sinnes of infirmitie and weaknesse sinnes committed with reluctation and resistance the Fathers have called veniall because a small measure of Gods mercy will remove them and their punishment but studied sinnes acted after deliberation and practised upon advise and used to hide and shelter other sinnes have a more provoking qualitie in them to kindle the wrath of God a worse deserving condition to draw that wrath upon us David needs the most the best and strongest of these mercies for his transgressions Saint Augustine Attendis contemptores ut corrigas nescientes ut doceâ—â— confitentes ut ignoscas Thou observest the despisers to correct them the ignorant to teach them the confessours of sinne to pardon them Zacharie calleth these mercies that he beggeth 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 the bowels of the mercy of our God Sicut pater miseretur as a father takes pity Christ hath given us a full example of such a Father in the parable of the prodigall Look how high the heaven is above the earth so high is the mercie of God to them that feare him that is nothing in comparison for mercie cannot be numbred This is that which boundeth the waters of the Sea that they do not return to drown the earth This keepeth his fire and brimstone bound up that it falleth not upon our Cities and Towns our persons and cattell to consume them This locketh up the earth underneath us that it doth not open the mouth to swallow us up quick This keepeth the key of his treasures of judgements that they cannot come abroad to destroy and consume the world as Jeremy saith It is of the Lords mercies that we are not consumed because his compassions faile not They are new every morning Though he cause griefe yet he will have compassion according to the multitude of his mercies for he doth not afflict willingly nor grieve the children of men They that love lying vanities forsake their own mercy The mercy of God is called our mercy for God hath no occasion to use his mercy any where else but among the sonnes of men The Angels
that sinned are not capable of it The Angels that stand in their first estate never came to miserie and they stand by the providence and love of God But sinfull man maketh God called mercifull and he putteth him to his multitude of tender compassions This is the rock of our refuge our strong Citie of refuge against the pursuer it is our hiding place In nothing doth God comfort us more Therefore be ye merciful with this sicut Sicut pater vester coelestis as your heavenly Father There is nothing that flattereth sinne more and that giveth it growth and vegetation amongst us then the overweening of this mercie Every wicked man can say God hath multitude of tender compassions and his mercies are more then my sinnes it is true But what interest such a one may have in those mercies he little considereth For with the Lord is mercie that he may be feared and that a sinner may apply himself not to continue in his finne presuming upon it but for sake it beleeving it for he that confesseth and for saketh his sinne shall have this mercie Let us therefore begin with David at Confitebor contra me I will confesse against my self and say Peccavi contra Dominum I have sinned against the Lord with a conscience of our sinnes and a sense both of the pollution of them within our selues and of the provocation of Gods due displeasure against us for them Then it will be in season to call for mercie But if we over-weene our own integritie as some justiciaries do Sani non egent medico the whole need no Physitian or if we sinne on in confidence of mercy at last We shall finde that God sitteth in his throne and judgeth uprightly and that the ungodly shall not stand in judgement nor sinners in the congregation of the righteous For the Lord knoweth the way of the just but the way of the ungodly shall perish 3. What effect he desireth of these mercies This is varied in phrase for he is passionate and exceeding earnest with God and plieth him with strong cries and supplications 1. To blot out his transgressions 2. To wash him throughly 3. To cleanse him 1. The blotting out of his transgressions hath reference to the books of God wherein all our transgressions are recorded 1. The book of Gods remembrance 2. The book of our conscience 1. The book of Gods remembrance God is a Seer and there is nothing hid from his eye and he doth consider the sonnes of men his eyes are upon all his wayes There is not a thought in our hearts but he knoweth it long before we our selues know it As he seeth so he remembreth and that we call his book of accounts wherein he recordeth all that is said done or thought that he may judge us according to all that is registred in that book whether it be good or evill He is said to blot us out of that book when our true repentance and his free pardon hath removed our iniquity from us Two Doctrines arise from hence 1. One of terrour all our sinnes are booked and kept upon record 2. Another of comfort they may be blotted out thence 1. Doctr. Knowing the terrour of the Lord we must be wariehow we sinne against him for though we love sinne he hateth it He is a God that loveth not wickednesse neither shall any evill dwell with him Though we sleight sinne and passe it over gainsomely and pleasantly yet he taketh it to heart and recordeth it that he may be able to set all our sinnes in order before us when time comes This is a black book and it will be a fearfull and shamefull thing to behold all our sinnes inventoried together All our idle words vain lascivious malitious false slanderous speeches all our loose thoughts all our vast and unlawfull desires all our ungodly works done all the good duties omitted all the evils we would have done all the imaginations of the thoughts of our hearts are not all these things written in his book We may conceive it by this David hath the honourable memory of walking in all the wayes of God alwayes save onely in the matter of Uriah the Hittite That matter is recorded in this living book of holy Scripture so are many of the infirmities of his holy ones chiefly for terrour of his children that they might feare to sinne against him who keepeth so exact a score of all our transgressions These are called debts and God our creditour keeps his debt-book very perfect The Steward in the parable called his Masters debtors they could tell every man what he owed but who knoweth how often he hath offended We have no hope to pay these debts and therefore we desire mercy to blot them out of the book And if we look back upon the transgressions of our whole life we shall see need not onely of the loving kindnesse of the Lord but of the multitude of his tenderest compassions 2. Another book is the book of our Conscience this also keepeth a record against us It was called of old our inwit for though our appetite and witbe so corrupt that the deceivable lusts of the flesh do often transport us to Gods offence yet our understanding and reason and memorie informe our conscience of our sinnes and that booketh them This book is not so exactly kept as the other because 1. Many sinnes passe us which we are not aware of 2. Many thoughts words and works escape us which we think to be no sinnes our consciences not being rightly informed 3. Many sinnes our memory doth not retein which should give in evidence to our conscience against us 4. The conscience it self may be corrupted benummed seared and so many foule deeds may escape unrecorded Yet for all this if we had no other book opened against us to convince us of sinne but this This alone would call us guilty and expose us to wrath David sueth to have his transgressions blotted out of both these books For if the tender mercies of God should blot his book and the book of our conscience remaine against us we should live upon the rack in a perpetuall torture our spirit wounded within us It is well observed of Cardinall Bellarmine Sciebat David ex actione peccati relinqui in animâ— reatum mortis aeternae David knew that by the acting of sinne in his soul was left the guilt deserving eternall death You may discerne the convulsions and strong cramps of the soul for sinne in David There is no rest in my bones because of my sinne So long as we live in sinne we feele not the pain of it David for ten moneths found no great need of these mercies of God For a sinner during his impenitencie is as a man besides himself but reversus ad se returning to himself then he bethinketh in what case he stands before God Demersus in profundo drowned in the deep the Sea above him seems not heavy Elementa in loco non
that the purse hath saved the life yet that is but the price of intercession But the Kings pardon onely saveth life It is so in the state of our soules sinne is a capitall fault and the wages of it death and no way of escape from this just judgement but by Gods gratious and free pardon We cannot purchase a mediation at any rate to availe us without true and unfained repentance and then we have but one Mediatour to the Father and he must purchase our pardon with his bloud he must be wounded for our transgressions and we must be healed by his stripes and hee must dye for us that we may live in and by him Let Papists seeke heaven by their righteousnesse at their owne perill For my selfe I am so farre from trusting to any merits of our owne workes that I dare resolve that if the salvation of all mankinde had beene put to the plunge that Sodome was at with the other Cities to finde tenne righteous from Adam to the last man that shall stand upon the earth all mankinde must have perished for want of tenne such I dare adventure further in resolution that if the bringing one good worke before God done in all the generations of men performed without any tast or taint of sinne might save all mankinde I except none but Iesus Christ I doe beleeve that he that searched Jerusalem with candle and lanterne even his seven eyes which tunne to and fro through the whole earth cannot finde out one such good and perfect worke the caske distasteth the liquour who is he that doth good and sinneth not who doth good and sinneth not in the very good he hath done To make a worke perfectly holy is one thing to make it meritorious is another If no good work we doe can come from us holy it is not possible it should aske wages Our corruption of nature sprinckles every word worke and thought of ours with some graines more or lesse of our old Adam for as we consist of flesh and spirit ever conflicting there is of both in all we are or have it cannot bee otherwise for the imaginations of the thoughts of our heart are onely evill continually and from that neast these birds doe flye Adultery Fornication Strife c. But if wee could doe any worke holy and pure â—â—oâ—n blame yet there goeth more to it then holinesse to make it meritorious 1 It is required that we be able to doe it of our selves for no thankes to us for any good we doe if he land us the faculties and abilities of doing it 2 It is required that hee which deserveth should doe something for the benefit of him of whom he deserveth but our well-doing extendeth not to God 3 It is required that hee which meriteth doe his good worke out of his owne free will ex mero motu non ex debito meerely by his owne mooving not as of due debt For what we doe of duty we pay we doe not give 4 It is required that the reward bee proportionable to the worke for else whatsoever is more is gift not wages They that wrought all day deserved their penny they that came late had more gift then wages eternall life is too much reward for any service wee doe This putteth workes of supererogation quite out of countenance to name them is to shame them Micah 6. 6. Where withall shall I come before the Lord burnt offerings Calves of a yeare old Will the Lord bee pleased with thousands of rammes or with tenne thousand rivers of oyle shall I give my first borne for my transgressions the fruit of my body for the sinne of my soule Hee hath shewed thee c. To doe justly to love mercy to walke humbly before thy God The way of repentance and crying God mercy is the way of humility we cannot pay our debt we cannot buy out our fault we have nothing to give our plea is miserere have mercy we can finde no way out of our sinnes but by Gods gratious and free pardon This is not so easie a favour obtained as many thinke for suppose the pardon were obtained and sealed for God have mercy yet there is no moment of our life in which we doe not forfeit it and therefore we must renew it continually When you pray say Pater noster dimitte nobis Our Father forgive us and semper orate pray alwayes Be sure to renew your pardon by repentance and prayer continually especially at such times when we come to the house of God to the Table of God now wash us throughly O Lord now O Lord have mercy upon us now purge us with hysope now hide thy face from our sinnes and blot on t all our iniquities Now make us heare joy and gladnesse which thou impartest to us in the Sacrament of thy sons passion Our Church service is holily accommodated to this for we beginne at the words wherein God maketh us heare of joy and we humble our selves to God in a contrite deploration of our sins O Lord heare us from heaven and when thou hearest shew mercy VERSE 10. Create in me a cleane heart O God and renew a right spirit within me 4. HE prayeth for newnesse of life Here also he doubleth his petition and changeth the phrase 1 For his heart the seat of his affections 2 For the holy Ghost to sanctifie him throughout in his body soule and minde In the first observe 1 His suit is for the heart 2 He desireth that cleane 3 He wisheth it so by creation In the second 1 His suit is for the spirit 2 He would have that right 3 He would have it by renovation 1 For the heart there breed adulteries murthers and all other sinnes as Christ hath taught us and that was the neast of all his sinnes The message of God by Nathan descended into the secrets of his heart there he hid the word he saith before Thou requirest truth in the inward parts he found his heart no fit habitation for truth as it was It is our chiefest care to looke to the heart because Christ asketh that of us for himselfe My sonne give me thy heart The Church of the Iewes in tender care for the Church of the Gentiles complaineth We have a little sister and she hath no breasts what shall we doe for our sister in the day when she shall be spoken for that is how shall wee doe for her when Christ shall be speake her for a Spouse for himselfe That should be our care every one for his heart wee have a foule and uncleane heart what shall we doe for it or how shall we answer when Christ saith My sonne give me thy heart Our care therefore must be for it to prepare it so that we may neither be ashamed nor afraid when Christ calleth for it to present him with it Here Salomon adviseth well Keep thy heart above all keeping for out of it are the issues of life This heart of ours hath many
thing it is to live in the displeasure of God and to be deprived of the comfort of the holy Ghost He feeles how the conscience is oppressed with sinne and how wee are made to remember all our evill wayes from the first sinne We see all this in David for the filthinesse of his sinne he doth earnestly desire to be washed and washed cleane washed with hysope that he may be whiter than snow For the burthen of sinne it lay so heavy upon him that he desireth to be made to heare of joy and gladnesse for his sinne and the feare of Gods judgements had broken his bones For the departure of God from him he was so sensible of it that he prayeth the spirit of God not to depart from him For his former sinnes they all lay upon his oppressed conscience that he remembred them from his conception and birth and he saw the danger of temptations and therefore desireth the confirming spirit of God to keep him from falling into new or relapsing into old sinnes 2 A true Convert knoweth the bitternesse of true repentance he that hath kept an ill dyet and thereby lost his health and is put to it to sweate to purge to bleed to abstaine from all toothsome and pleasing eates and is kept to a dyet and enforced to live medicé miseré in physicke in misery for the time till his health be repaired such a one will give warning to others to abstaine from such things as hazard our health He can tell how deare it doth cost the purse how much it restraineth a mans liberty what paines he suffereth in his body how much his minde is disquieted in his bodily distemperatures and all to repaire what some ill dyet hath corrupted in his body So is it with the true Convert he can relate the bitternesse of repentance which is the soules physicke for sinne there is nothing in the world so smarting and a king as true repentance is In the generality of men the most presume upon this remedy they sinne on and flatter themselves that a miserere have mercy at last will set all to rights It is true that repentance doth amend all it purgeth us and restoreth us to the favour of God but they consider not the bitternesse thereof for the soules of the penitent are heavy within them even to death their eyes runne rivers of waters their throats are hoarse with roring and crying for mercy their teares are their drinke day and night they have sighes and grones which cannot be exprest The sorrowes of hell so David doth call them doe compasse them round about they call upon God and he will not heare them they doe seeke him and he will not presently be found like Mariners in a storme their cunning is gone they are at their wits end Sometimes they cry quid feci what have I done and remember all their sinnes Sathan then comes in to helpe their memory upbrayding them with those very sinnes to which he enticed them with a non est salus tiâ—i in Deo tuâ— there is no safety for thee in thy God God saith but I will reprove thee and set them in order before thee The word of God scourgeth us that when wee heare it preached and finde our owne sinnes detected and threatned we thinke the Sermon intended against us The contrary good life of others walking in good wayes reprovesth us and cryeth shame on us that we have not done as they doe that we might have had peace but especially our conscience within us is a thousand witnesses against us and is a record written within and without like Ezekiels scrowle with lamentations mourning and woe sometimes we cry like Saint Peters auditours quid faciemus what shall wee doe or as Iob quid faciam tibi what shall I doe unto thee hide our selves from God wee cannot we cannot goe out of the reach of that right hand which findeth out all his enemies excuse our selves we cannot for who can answer God one for a thousand his spirit searcheth hearts and reines nothing is hid from the eye of his jealousie He is wise to discerne holy to hate just to punish A soule thus anguished and embittered with remorse of sinne is emblemed in Prometheus his Vulture ever feeding upon the heart wretched man that I am who shall deliver me David hath many very excellent expressures of penitentiall fits which doe lively set forth the paine that true repentance doth put a man to but one amongst the rest to my opinion doth render it in the heighth of bitternesse and makes it a non ficut no such I remembred God and was troubled for what refuge hath a sinner but God and what comfort can a sorrowfull soule have but in him yet sinne is so contrary to him that a guilty soule cannot thinke upon him but as an enemy You see it in the first sinners the first thing they did after they had sinned was to flye away from the presence of God Let a true Convert tell sinners all this and see what joy they can take in sinne when it is like to cost them all this breaking of the heart confusion of face confession of mouth confession of soule A true penitent must keepe a session within himselfe he must give in evidence against himselfe his conscience must accuse him his memory must beare witnesse against him he must judge himselfe that he be not judged of the Lord he must after sentence be avenged on himselfe by a voluntary penance afflicting his soule chastening his body restraining it from pleasures humbling it with fasting wearying it with labour weakening it with watching and by all means bringing it into subjection Beloved sit downe and cast up the cost and paine of this spirituall physicke for a sinne-sicke soule and if there be any of you that hath past this course of physicke and kept you to it without shrinking or shifting from it I dare say such a one can say Nocet empta dolore voluptas Pleasure hurts that 's bought with pain and docet teaches too he will scarce eate of the forbidden fruit it is faire to the eye it is delicious in taste But it is the dearest bargaine that ever we bought a momentany short delight with many weary dayes nights of penitential remorse anguish of soule 3 None so fit as true Converts to teach transgressors the sweet benefit of reconciliation to God the comfort of the holy Ghost and the peace of conscience Such perceive the difference betweene the bondage of sinne and the freedome of the spirit They know what it is to lose the cheerfull light of Gods gratious countenance they can say that in his favour is life light and delight As their longing desire was great to come and appeare before God and as they thirsted after the full river of his pleasures so the recovery of that joy over-joyeth them When thou turnedst againe the captivity of Sion wee were like those that dreame Our mouthes
griefe so inward as in anima in the soule yet so sensible as nos vidimus we saw it How were the rivers of their bloud which runne in the channels of their veines to water the earth of which they are made frozen and congealed that they had neither mercy to pitty their fathers sonne nor so much tendernesse as to looke another way nos vidimus we saw Seeing malice and envy had taken away their hearts why had it left the eyes open to let in so unpleasing a sight Thou shouldest not have looked on the day of thy brother Thou shouldest not have looked on their affliction in the day of their calamity oculi augâ—â—â— dolorâ—m commonly that the eye sees not the heart grieves not here the mercies of the brethren were all turned eruell 4 I but perchance Ioseph might thanke his owne stout heart for their cruell usage of him for many times our own untemperate carriage in afflictions brings fewell to the fire that scorcheth us and blowes more breath into the tempest of winde that bestormeth us But Iosephs brethren have not this excuse they confesse their brother resisted them not but with humble entreaties they confesse he besought us The petition of a soule in anguish faire-spoken and humble hath pierced hard hearts and relented cruell intentions of evill but it wrought not here for 5 They confesse we would not heare They did heare the request of their brethren but they would not heare for they will not heare that doe not heare to doe what they are requested I have prest this example the more to declare how troubles awake the conscience from a dead sleepe and turn our eyes into our owne bosomes that if there lye a notoriouâ— unrepented sinne in the heart stoned as low as Jonah who lay asleepe in the bottome of the shippes Hold affliction will romage the ship and will cry as the Mariners to Ionah Awake thou sleeper and bring it above hatches Therefore it is wisedome by confession by repentance and prayer to quit our consciences so soone as we can of such sinnes Here is a sinne of bloud almost a full yeare old and though Nathan hath pronounced Gods pardon of it the conscience of David is not yet at rest his thoughts are upon it and his prayers be concerning it 2 Another of Sathans seasons to call such speciall sinnes to remembrance is when we are neare our end that is a season wherein many of the faithfull servants of God have dangerous and fearefull conflicts with Sathan After his 40. daies temptation of Christ in the wildernesse it is said that he departed from him for a season Once he borrowed the heart and tongue of an Apostle even of Peter to tempt him but Christ resented him and said Get thee behinde me Sathan but he confesseth a little before his passion The Prince of this world commeth but he hath nothing in me There is his advantage against us when any speciall sinnes lye upon the conscience unrepented then he hath something of his in us This makes many an aking heart upon death-beds for then judgement is at hand and the old flatterie of sinne Dominus tardabit the Lord will delay is removed by the sensible decay of the body and the evident symptomes of approaching death The widdow of Sarepta when her onely sonne was dead was in a storme at Eliah and said unto him What have I to doe with thee O thou man of God art thou come to call my sinne to remembrance and to slay my sonne Did the death of her sonne call her sinne to remembrance bethinke you then how our owne death in sight and sense will call all our sinnes to remembrance that we have done And in this Inventorie if there be any capitall sinne texted and recorded by the conscience in great and capitall letters not yet blotted out by our repentance and Gods gracious pardon how will that sin present it selfe to present remembrance how will it cruciate and torment the inward man even the hid man of the heart Judas his last words gushed out the bowels of his despaire as his last passion did the bowels of his body I have sinned in betraying innocent bloud he had not the heart to breath one miserere have mercy to comfort the agony of his despairing end The penitent convert thiefe on the Crosse was in a better minde he glorified God and his Sonne Christ by a free confession for he rebuked his blasphemous fellow thiefe saying Dost not thou feare God seeing we are in the same condemnation and we indeed justly for wee receive the reward of our deeds but this man hath done nothing amisse This had beene the Crosse of his soule as that he hung on was of his body if his faith had not nailed his sinnes as fast to Christ as Christ was nailed for them to his Crosse which he declared in the next words And he said unto Iesus Lord remember me when thou commest into thy kingdome which was answered with bodie mecum cris to day thou shalt be with me It is worthy our observing that Iesus Christ did institute the holy Sacrament of his Passion the evening before his suffering as it were acting his death in visible demonstration before he under-went it To teach how effectuall the death of Christ is against our sinnes and for preparation of the soule for her remove hence And from hence it is that the holy Church hath not only offered this Sacrament as the bread of our spirituall life to nourish it but hath commended it also to sicke persons upon their death beds as viaticum animae the provision of the soule so the Councell of Nice calleth it That the conscience being then purged from all sinne may receive Iesus Christ inâ—o it And in this holy action our search of our hearts will soone finde out any eminent and notorious sinne to confesse and repent it that the conscience may be disburthened and that the soule of man may be domus pacis the house of peace for otherwise we receive that Sacrament unworthily to our condemnation Our Saviour is precise in this If thou bring thy gift to the Altar and there remembrest that thy brother hath ought against thee More if God have ought against thee leave there thy gift Goe and be reconciled et offer and then bring it This is a Sacrament from God to us it is a sacrifice from us to God If any great extraordinary sinne lye upon the conscience we had best exonerate us thereof for we and our gift will else be unacceptable to him If God receive our gift he will not refuse us for he looketh first upon Abel then on his sacrifice we make our offering acceptable not that us Now because our sinnes lye so heavy especially our notorious sinne this or that particular transgression upon our conscience in the agonie of death Christ hath ordained a gracious remedy that upon our repentance the faithfull Minister of the Word should
kind of Sacrifices God would rather have then burnt Offerings This is such a sacrifice as will never be out of fashion When hee comes of whom it is written in the volume of the booke and when all the sacrificeâ— of the Ceremoniâ—â— law cease as shadows of things to come giving place to the true substance and body of them then this kinde of sacrifice will last in season and fashion to the Worlds end This is the sacrifice which God accepteâ—â— in and for it selfe Such as the Apostle calleth of I beseeth you brethren by the 〈◊〉 of God 〈…〉 your 〈◊〉 a living sacrifice holy acceptable to God which is your reasonable service Consider here 1 The matter and substance of this Sacrifice a broken spirit a broken and contrite heart 2 The necessity of this sacrifice enforced from hence it is the sacrifice of God 3 The acceptation here of with God O God thou wilt not despise 1 Of the matter 1 Here is a double subject 1 The spirit 2 The heart 2 Here heare the work which must be wrought upon this subject 1 Breaking a broken spirit 2 Conâ—â—ition a broken and contrite heart 1 The Spirit 1 By the spirit it sometimes is meant in Scripture the holy Ghost in the regenerate man wherby he is sanctified in some measure This Spirit was in Christ in plenitudine in fulnesse and herewith he sanctified himselfe for our skes Of this Saint Iohn speaketh when he saith God giveth not the spirit by measure unto him 2 Sometimes the name of spirit is given to the breath of man So God breathed into Adam the breath of life 3 Sometime it is taken for the reasonable soul of man which actuateth and animaâ—eth the body and man thereby is anima vivens a living foule spiritus revertitur ad Deum qui dedit The spirit returns to God that gave it 4 Somtime â—â— is taken for the intellectuall part of man which we call the minde So the Apostle For what â—â—n knoweth the things of man save the spirit of â—â—in that is â—n him So I take it here This is the understanding and discuâ—sâ—ve power in man wherby hee comprehendeth the knowledge of things This spirit of it self is not capable of divine knowledge that is supernaturall Animal is hoâ—â— non percipiâ— quâ— sunt Dei nâ—que potest the naturall man understandeth noâ— the things of God neither can â—e For they are spiritually discerned that â—â— by the help of a nobleâ— and more excellent spirit then his is even the Spirit of God These divine mysteries are foolishnesse to the spirit of man For this spirit judgeth by sense and naturall reason and is blinde to behold things invisble which are the object of a regenerate mans spirit The eye of the naturall spirit seeth things present onely the eye of the spirit regenerate videt futura sees things to come 2 The heart The heart is the proper seat of our affections there dwell our hope and joy and love and desire our griefe and feare c. It is the saurus cordis the treasure of the hart if it do hold good things it is bonus the saurus a good treasure if it be the nest wherin Concupiscence hatcheth heâ— yong Then out of the heart come adulteries murthers c. The name of heart is often in Scripture extended to both these both understanding and affections here they be distinguished to make sure worke that both of them may be wrought upon in the oblation of this sacrifice So the name of spirit doth include the whole inward man yet it is here named single in his more peculiar sense Examples we have of both 1 Of the heart God saith The imagination of mans heart is evill from his youth Where hee understandeth not onely projections casting about but desires wishing and purposes resolving this or thaâ—â— wherin the whole inward man is contained 2 For the spirit so Malachie Therefore take heed to your spirit where the whole inward man is meant The subject then of this passion is the whole man for the passions of the spirit and heart do afflict the body and make a sacrifice of that also to God So here is nothing of man left out Sicut delictum it â— pâ—â—itenâ—iâ— As there is a fault so there must be repentance where the fault stained repentance â—â—â—st wash God loveth not unrighteousnesse neither shall any evil dwell with him from iniquitâ—â— cordis the iniquity of the heart to iniquitâ—â— calcanâ—i the iniquitie of the heele 2 How this subject must â—e wrought upon Here are two words used 1 To the spirit breaking 2 To the heart breaking and contrition 1 Of breaking The word signifieth such a breaking as commeth of smiting which lameth and maketh the body unable to performe the offices thereof Or such as threshing which quasheth and breaketh the straw 2 Contrition That is a word of more force and betokeneth grinding These words are used to expresse the mortification of the inward man David spake before of Gods breaking his bones which is used to declare 1 The inward vexation of the soule for sin and feare of the indignation of God due for it 2 The outward afflictions which God doth put upon sinners to bring them to repentance Gods breaking of us thus is not enough to make us a sacrifice to God We must also thresh and smite and grinde our owne spirits and hearts by a serious and unfeined and full repentance and then our spirit and our heart is a sacrifice acceptable to God 1 For the breaking of the spirit that is performed when wee take away by strong hand our intellectuall powers and faculties from all impertinent and vain speculations and studies when wee bestow them all in the search of that excellent knowledge of Christ crucified who is our way to heaven So the Apostle esteemed to know nothing else 1 Knowledge puffeth up it is windy and swelling in many This bladder must be prickt and such as over-ween their knowledge must be taught to know that they yet know nothing sicut opâ—rtet as they ought Augustine amongst the hereticks in his time notorious nameth the Gâ—ostiâ—i who took upon them singular knowledge The wise sonne of Iâ—kâ—h did not finde this in himselfe for he said Surely I am more bruâ—ish then any man and have not the understanding of a man I neither 〈◊〉 wisdome nor have the knowledge of the holy If wee cannot be sensible of our defect this way but will needs over-esteeme our knowledge the Prophet thresheth and breaketh such spirits with this universall elogie Every man is brutish by his knowledge when God looked down from heaven he found non est intelligent there is none that understandeth Wisdome had much adoe shee called for audience in the street on house-tops much and lowd shee cried for audience Yet they that think they know som what more then their neighbours exalt themselves This spirit must be broken â—in us The Devils
envious persons because they cannot have their will doe not onely sicken and disease all the joyes of life but choake and strangle them with immoderate vexation If hearts so broken were a sacrifice to God Cain and Lamech and Esau and Ishmael and Absolon might plead for their acceptance with God for in Cains countenance in Lamechs words in Ishmaels lookes in Esaeus teares In Absolons flight wee may discerne what hearts they had no question much shaken and broken with severall vexations because they could not have their will 2 Inward compunction St. Bernard putteth us into the way of it 1 Looking up unto God 2 Looking downe upon our selves 1 Vpon God if we looke we shall finde 1 What he hath beene and is 2 What he is and shall be 1 What he hath beene and is to us 1 Factor a maker for thy hands have made me and fashioned me He made us not we our selves we are wonderfully and fearefully made Wonderfully in respect of the priviledges of man above all his other creatures and fearefully in respect of the danger he was in in case of falling 2 Benefactor for notwithstanding our fall to omit all other his favours Misit dedit filium non pepercit he hath sent he hath giveÌ„ his Son he hath not spared him and by him he offereth life and salvation God is no debtor to us that he should have so immense a summe of favours to pay us Adam would have sought out him in the fresh of the morning if it had been so Let us but cast up the accompt of the favours of God to us that is enough to breake the heart for full shame doth not onely put us out of countenance but out of heart also Ad omnia reus es plaâ—ge per singula thy guilt is universall let thy sorrow be universall There is never a favour by us received from God but it deserveth the thankes and obedience of our whole life Many sinnes are punished onely with shame here the law presumeth that shame will breake the heart and remove the offence Quânam fronte attolle oculos ad vultum patris tâ—â— boni tam malus filius With what fâ—ce do I so wicked a sonne behold the countenance of so good a Father Shame hath this power of breaking the heart because in all ingenuous natures it is joyned with griefe and grief grindeth the heart to powder For how can wee suffer it to have our faces covered with confusion and not to have our soules rent and torne with sorrow when wee consider how unthankfully wee have requited God with evill for all the favours hee hath done for us When he pleadeth What could I have done more for my Vineyard that I have not done and shall say If this had been too little I would have done more yet hee looked for grapes and lo we have brought him forth wilde grapes Can this do lesse then engrieve our soules and charge them with heavinesse even to the death that for our corn and wine and oile for the bread that strengtheneth our harts for the oile that maketh our countenance cheerfull for the wine that comforteth us for rain and fruitfull seasons for peace and prosperity wee should grieve the heart of God and pain him with our sinnes even to repentance that he hath made us 2 Consider what he is and shall be to us 1 Hee is the Lord Jehovah is his name he protecteth us in our being he giveth us laws to regulate our conversation and he saith to every one of us Hoc fac vives Do this and live But we have set his laws light and have cast his Commandements behind our backs We have hated to be reformed God himself the Father of mercies and God of all consolation cannot find out a way for mercy How shall I be mercifull to thee in this God hath risen early to send his prophets to us and they have stretched out their hands all the day long in season and out of season calling upon us to heare his words for they are sweet The wise consideration and remembrance of this exceeding love and patience of God in forbearing us of his wisdome in guiding us leading us like sheep by the hand of Moses and Aaron compared with our sinfull aberrations and wilfull oppositions to his Law may work upon us these two thoughts which may break our hearts 1 Quid feâ—i What have I done It was Jeremies complaint that there was none in the people that so bethought himself and cryed Quid feci What have I done Who audited his life and called himself to account for his sins but every man ran on in his sin as an horse rusheth into the battaile But even-reckonings doe make long friends If we see upon the accompt that wee have not to pay at least with the servant in the Parable let us aske mercy and crave a further day and promise payment that he may forgive us all the debt 2 With the auditours of Peter Viri fratres quid faciemus Men and brethren what shall we do When our hearts fail us and we are at our wits end and all our cunning is gone in this storm Then Samuel the Lords Prophet will say God forbid that I should â—inne against the Lord and cease praying for you but I will teach you the good and the right way Yea God himselfe shall be thy teacher He hath shewed thee ô man what is good and what the Lord requireth of thee May not our hearts melt within us considering the time of light in which wee have lived that our wayes should yet be taxed with darknesse That ignorance should now be charged upon us after wisdome hath uttered her voice so long in our streets and high-wayes and on our house-tops Insomuch as God cryeth unto us in complaint and grief Why will you perish ô house of Israel 2 Consider God as hee shall be the judge of all our wayes of all our words of all our thoughts Shall I not avenge me of such a Nation as this We shall all appeare before the judgment seat of God and every man shall give account to God of himselfe What heart thinketh of this day of this appearance of this account of this judgment but it breaketh like a potters vessell it melteth like the fat of Lambs For when God ariseth and awaketh as one out of sleep as Noah awaked and knoweth what his sonnes have done to him Will not he rain snares to take us that wee may not escape his hail stones and coles of fire The God whom we provoke is a jealous and a terrible God it is a fearfull thing to fall into his angry hands when he ariseth to judge the righteous shall hardly be saved As Saint Bernard saith Instaurat adversumme testes Hee appointeth witnesses against me These are of two sorts it is a breaking of our hearts to heare either of them give in evidence 1 His benefits Victum vestitum usum temporis hujus ante
for his works were evill The foolish Israelites did offer their sonnes and daughters unto Devils Many of the Heathen were so transported with superstition and reverence of their false gods that they spared not to offer up their children in burnt Sacrifices to them They have burned their sonnes and daughters with fire to their gods Israel hath warning not to do so Yet they took no warning For not onelâ— the King of Moab did this For hee offered his sonne the heire of his kingdome for a burnt-offering upon the wall But Ahaz King of Judah made his sonne to passe through the fire And wee finds it one of the provocations which incensed the Lord against Israel to give them into deportation Some thinke that this evill custome grew out of the Commandement given to Abraham to offer his Sonne From whence was concluded that the greatest expressure of obedience put upon him did teach it the exaltation and fulnesse of zeale in them that could find in their hearts to offer up their beloved children in sacrifice Therfore in the consultation before urged in Micah for the means of reconciliation to God this was one Shall I give the fruit of my body for the sin of my soule But Abraham did not kill his sonne hee would have done it by vertue of Gods speciall Commandement and God approved his willing obedience but held his hand from the act For he will have mercy and not sacrifice I denâ— not but there is a strong demonstration of servent zeale in those that can afford to God such Sacrifices But that which he requireth is more excellent and toucheth us much more neer the quick as S. Austine In to habes quod occidas noli extrà thura quâ—rere Thou hast what thou mayst kill in thy selfe seeke not Frankincenâ—e without thy selfe This breaking of the heart and contrition of the spirit is a sacrifice for God Have wee not heard of some whom the conscience of sinne hath so afflicted as they have not thought themselves worthy of any more life but have died by their own hand These courses are desperate and damnable that is not it which God requireth of them hee doth not desire our bodies a dead sacrifice I beseech you brethren that you give up your bodies a living Sacrifice This is his will Ut perâ—ant crimina non homines that the faults perish not the men We shall find that a work of more sorrow and af-fliction then to kill the body Wee have full examples in the books of time of many that have made nothing of it to die by their own hand But it is a Sacrifice onely for God to destroy the body of sin in our selves and to preserve life for Gods better service For our sinnes be deerer to us then our children then our life then our good name which should be valued more then life then our precious soules Doth not the drunkard preferre his drunkennesse before his health who knoweth that drunkennesse destroyeth health Doth not the covetous man love his wedge and heape more then Heaven Doth not the Wanton undo his body his posterity his very soule for the fulfilling of his lust Do not all sinners â—ell Heaven and eternall life for the feeding and fewelling of their darling sinnes Of all the lessons that wee are taught in the house of God none is so hard to learn none so uneasie to practise as the doctrine of Repentance Men are either transported with gluttony and drunkennesse and all they can get goeth that way their bellie is their God and they make all these means Sacrifices to that devouring Idoll If they feed the hungry and quench the thirst of their brethren their meats and drinks are sacrifices to God Especially when wee deny them to our selves to relieve such or we are transported with pride and our back is our god and Fashion is our Idoll and wee consume all in vain adornings of our houses of clay hanging them with the costly garish trappings of vanity If wee give one of our coâ—â—â— to cover the nakednesse of our brethren and spare our wooll to keep them warm that their souls may blesse us for it this garment so bestowed is a sacrifice to God Or we are transported with ambition and all our study is how to rise higher our cares and desires and our wealth are all sacrifices to that Idoll of Ambition but if we raise the poor out of the dust take him up from the ground it is sacrificium Deo a sacrifice to God Was Sauls a sacrifice to God when against Gods Commandement he spared the best of the spoile of Amalek to offer it to God Is not obedience better then sacrifice Doth the Church of Rome offer God a sacrifice when she presenteth the Shrines of the dead and the Images of our Lady and the Saints with rich gifts They did so who kneaded their dough and made cakes to offer them to the Queen of Heaven and powred out drink-offerings to other gods Be there not many that sacrifice to their not and burne incense to their drag because by them their portion is fat and their â—eâ—â— plenteous These make themselves their owne Idols and kisse their owne hands and thank their owne wits for all the good that commeth to them they never look up so high as God to give him thanks for any thing But when all is done this onely is a sacrifice to God when wee break our hearts and spirits and grinde them with sincere contrition for sin destroying the nest wherin lust teemeth her brood of iniquity This putteth away the leaven which sowreth all our actions and devotions and turneth our very prayers into sin The excellency of this sacrifice will more cleerly appeare in the following portion of my text These broken-hearted persons are such as God delighteth to dwell with that he may revive the spirit of contrite ones To such onely is the Gospel sent Hee hath sent me to binde up the broken-hearted These be mourners they not onely bewaile their own sins but their eyes do run rivers of waters for those that â—â—ep not the Law They are grieved for transgressours One of these is health to a City all fare the better for him Loâ—s righteous soule was vexed with the ungodlinesse of Sodome God warned him out his Angell pulled him out and he desiring a place to retire to the Angell hastned him thither saying Haste thee escape thither for I cannot do any thing till thou be come thither These mourners are priviledged from the fury of Gods destroying Angell his marke is upon them they must be spared in the day of Gods visitation Come not neere any man upon whom is the mark They have eyes pickled in their teares they have voyces hoarse with crying upon God for mercy they have soules cloven to the pavement they have soules heavy unto death their countenance is cast down Their Harps are turned into mourning and their organs into
the voice of them that weep Their whole bodies and mindes and soules are living sacrifices holy unto God and therefore acceptable for so it followeth God will not despise them Here ariseth a Quaere Now wee have seene the excellency and necessity of these sacrifices What hindereth that wee doe not offer them up to God continually We do bear about us a body of sin and in it these hinderances of this excellent and holy service 1 An over-bold presumption of the favour and remisnesse of God in putting us to this pain 2 An over-delight in our works of darknesse and the forbidden pleasures of life 3 A naturall slothfulnesse in doing such things as carry with them painfulnesse in the doing of them 4 A naturall tendernesse of our selves whereby wee do favour our own flesh and cannot put it to griefe 5 The cares of life I Presumption on the favour of God to us We think the word more severe and the killing letter of it more cutting then it need to be and the minister of this word more harsh then is cause We confesse that for terrour these things are set down and the Ministers must threaten us with heavy judgement if our hearts be not broken But it is God who is veiled in the parable of that Master to whom his servant deep in his debt came and besought him for favour and hee forgave him all the debt So we confesse that this sacrifice of broken hearts is a due debt but our Master is so gracious and pitifull to forgive it all There be many fair spoken texts that seem to nourish this presumption in us As a father hath compassion of his children so hath the Lord compassion but it is on them that fear him not on them that presume on him And the parable of that father of the prodigall who did not so much as chide his unthrifty son but met him afarre off fell on his neck welcomed him with a kisse and feasted and clothed him doth expresse a great tendernesse But let no man presume upon that for that sonne came home with a broken hart Father I have sinned against heaven and against thee Non sumdignus vocari fac me unum ex mercenariis tuis I am not worthy to be called and make me one of thy hyred servants His father was sensible of his contrition hee was lost by his sin and found in his repentance he was dead by the wound of his own conscience and made alive by his fathers favourable pardon receiving him againe to his grace And the servant to whom his master forgave all his debt was put to his miserere have mercy his master saw his heart broken with the grief of his debt and heard his willing protestation to pay all and received his humble supplication for mercie God is a loving Father but not indulgent he loveth not so but that he chasteneth and scourgeth every sonne whom hee receiveth for â—ods are for the backs of fools Iudgment beginneth at the house of God and the righteous are hardly saved Saint Peter would put any man out of heart to presume too much upon the favour of God for by three great examples he declareth the severe justice of God against sin For if God spared not the Angels that sinned but cast them down to Hell and delivered them into chains of darknesse to be reserved unto judgment And spared not the old world bringing in the floud upon the world of the ungodly â—urning the Cities of Sodome and Gomorrah into ashes condemned them with an overthrow making them an example unto those that after should live ungodly The Lord knoweth how to deliver the godly out of temptations to reserve the unjust unto the day of judgment to be punished 2. Peter 2. 4. Presumption doth make an Idole of God for it advanceth the mercy of God against his holinesse which hateth sinne against his truth which threatneth sinne against his justice which punisheth sinne Presumption crucifieth againe the Lord Iesus and layeth on more stripes upon him Presumption resisteth grieveth quencheth the holy Ghost by whom wee are sealed to the day of Redemption and so boldly trespasseth the whole Trinity I need not urge any other evidence against presumption on the favour of God then his severity against his own Son Misit dedit non pepercit non fuit dolor sicut He sent he gave he spared him not there was no sorrow like unto his And was this to quite us from all passion No if wee suffer with him wee shall also reigne with him hee did not drinke of a sponge of vineger and gall Transeat calix Let this cup passe from me Hee began the health of his Spouse the Church all the faithfull must doe him right they owe him a pledge Some are put to it to suffer for him none are exempt from suffering with him This is the least and easiest plunge wee can be put to to break our hearts with contrition for our own sins ò mihi tum quà m molliter ossa quiescent ô then my bones shall take their sweet repose When I can tender to my God a broken heart no laceration no dissipation of it can so unfashion it but that he can put it together again like the dry bones in Ezech. Vision and say unto it live In our mortification it dieth a naturall heart in our first resurrection it riseth againe a spirituall heart I conclude with Davids suite O keepe thy servant from presumptuous sins that they have no dominion over me so shall I be innocent from the great offence 2 A second impediment to the sacrifice of a broken heart is an over-delight that we take in the vain pleasures of life God was pleased to make a singular triall of two men in two contrary wayes for example of others 1 Hee made tryall of his servant Job by afflictions they came upon him suddenly and they came thick In all the things wherin he had blessed Job above most men he afflicted him beyond example In his honor autority he tryed him with disgrace and contempt In a fair posterity he tried him with orbitie In his abundance of riches he tryed him with poverty In his friends with paucity he had few left and they proved grievous to him In his health he afflicted his body with painfull and lothsome diseases and sores Yet you have heard of the patience of Job saith the Apostle hee came off faire In all this Iob sinned not neither did hee charge God foolishly 2 His servant Solomon he tryed with honour riches and power with victory over his enemies and the cup of temporall pleasures of life he made to over-flow never did any man on earth drinke so deep of that cup. In this tryall Solomon miscarried pleasures stole away his heart Solomon lost his integrity his wisdome wherin he excelled all that were before him was benighted in him the salt in him was infatuate Such power have worldly pleasures against wisdome See his Ecclesiastes