So did the Apostle Paul wish vnto himselfe when hee expressed his minde in these words Desiring to be loosed and to bee with Christ which is best of all And the same Apostle speaking of the death of all the faithfull saith in this wise Wee know that if our earthly house of this Tubernacle be destroied wee haue a building giuen of God that is an house not made with hands but eternall in the heauens Here is the change of the soules dwelling from a ruinous house on earth to an eternall house in heauen Afterward the same Apostle saith Wee are bold and loue rather to reâ—…one out of the body and to dwell with the Lord. Here is the change of the soules company on earth it conuerseth with mortall men in heauen it dwelleth euer with the immortall God This is all the hurt that death can doe vnto vs if this were to be called hurt it bringeth the body to rest in the graue and it bringeth the soule to present glorie with God and all the dangerous deadly and killing power that originally it had by any confederacie with sinne all that is taken away by the death of Iesus Christ. And if it were sometime to be feared as a poisoned serpent of the olde serpents brood yet it is so spoiled by that serpent that was lifted vp vpon the crosse that it hath neither tooth nor sting nor any poison left to hurt any beleeuer Heare to this purpose the words of Saint Paul O death where is thy sting O graue where is thy victorie the sting of death is sinne and the strength of sinne is the law but thankes be vnto God which hath giuen vs victorie through our Lord Iesus Christ. Death therefore cannot be hurtfull to the beleeuer And if while he liue he take such order and find such fauour that God will be pleased in Iesus Christ to send him a discharge of his sinnes by faith in his sonne he hath no cause after death to feare the reuiuing of his accusation though the legions of lying diuels whose malice makes them accusers of the Saints before God should altogecrie out against him as Saint Paul teacheth vs saying Who shall lay any thing to the charge of Gods chosen it is God that iustifieth who shall condemne it is Christ which is dead yea or rather which is risen againe who is also at the right hand of God and maketh request also for vs. Thou hast no cause to feare death or any thing that followeth death if while thou liue thou returne to God and recouer his fauour in Iesus Christ for there is full discharge against accusation condemnation both in this life and after this life in the free loue of God and most meritorious intercession of our Lord Iesus Christ. CHAP. XXXI THE storme is ouer our afflicted sinner by this time seeth no cause any longer to dreame of terrifiing death and were it not that one dâ—…am of bitternes disseasoneth the comforts of life that God hath lent vnto him he should grow to some reasonable temper But one thing hee hath cause to complaine of and let vs heare him that we may vnderstanding his griefe be the better able to helpe him Hee telleth vs of a heauie case his sleepe he saith is not quiet but mixt with fearefull dreames at his table his minde taketh in more sad thoughts then his mouth doeth bits of meate the voice and face of his old acquaintance and former friends doeth now reuiue his greefe so oft as he doeth either see them or heare them the fairest roomes of his house which he had trimmed vp for his delight if hee come into them doe strike him with grieuous terrour and all those things that hee delighted in before are new matter of sorrow and heauines vnto him and it is his onely content though without to sit alone in darknesse This hee taketh to be some curse of God folowing him and an euident signe of Gods iust and fearefull anger following him for what should make Gods good creatures other mens comforts to be discomforts to him but the onely displeasure of God To this I answer that it is very likely that it is so and will continue to bee so with him so long as this burden of accusing thoughts lies heauy remaining vpon his wounded conscience It is a very kindly effect of it that hath growen out of it and wil vanish with it Thou sleepest catest with a wounded heart and hence it is that while thou sleepest and eatest thou still feelest the smart of thy wounded heart Thy ancient friends and former woonted delights appeare vnto thee now when thou art not fit to take pleasure in them as before time thou didst and that maketh thee at the present to be the more troubled thinking vpon thine old liberty now lost And the things prepared for thy pleasure while thou wert capable of pleasure in the contrary disposition of thine heart bent altogether to feare and sorrow doe now bring â—…orth a contrary effect vnto thee euen increase of sorrow And a desire of shaddow and solitarienesse though they be hurtfull doth follow a grieued minde as Ieremy saith of the man that beareth the yoke in his youth Hee sitteth alone and keepeth silence because he hath borne it vpon him And this desire of darknesse and solitarinesse either is an effect of mortification in him that is crucified to the world seeing the world crucified to him or else it groweth partly out of shame and partly out of anger that things are in no better tune and vpon the recouering of thy peace and ceasing of thy temptation this trouble will certainly vanish away In the meane time giue place to this griefe as little as thou canst and striue to reioyce in the Lord and in the good blessings hee hath bestowed vpon thee pray him that bestowed good things vpon thee to giue thee a free heart to take comfort in his guiftes that thou maiest be prouoked to praise his name And withall craue and vse the counsell and helpe of some learned and skilfull Physician for there is somthing in this griefe that hath neede of his iudgement and diligence And the God of hope fill thee withal ioy and peace in beleeuing that thou maiest abound in hope thorow the power of the holy Ghost Amen And now after some delay in answering such obiections as the vnquiet soule hath made out of his grieuous feare let vs grow vnto a conclusion concerning this burden of accusing thoughts and let vs gather together briefly orderly the scatterd grounds of hope that this burden may be cast off when God shall be pleased to giue his blessing and the scattered rules of aduice that teach how to cast it vpon God And for grounds of hope that this burden of accusing thoughts may bee cast off vpon God for the sinners â—…ase it hath beene shewed and proued First that his sinne not being that
the Phisitions power to be ordered by him Euen so I feeling feare in my soule crept in by reason of these accusing thoughts that make me too sensibly to feele the dangerous sicknes of my soule will not faintly yeeld vnto death that I confesse I haue deserued and might iustly fall vpon mee but euen from this feare growing from my now reuealed sicknes I will seeke out the Lord that is the onely Phisition of our soules who killeth maketh aliue bringeth down to the graue and raiseth vp And I will intreat him to make me his patient and to take me into his charge and the more I am pained the more I will sue for his helpe and I will spare no cost of praiers of sighes and grones I will poure out my whole heart vnto him and I will put my selfe wholy into his power who hath also commanded mee in such times of distresse to seeke vnto him yea hath promised when wee so seeke him to be foūd of vs saying Call vpon me in the day of troble so will I deliuer thee thou shalt glorifie me This is my day of trouble therefore will I call vpon God that me obtained deliuerance I may glorifie him with praises And seing the Apostle Paul hath said that God hath shut vp all inunbeleese that he might haue mercy vpon all why should I doe so great wrong either to my owne present misery or vnto Gods infinite mercy to beleeue otherwise but that God hath holden me thus long shut vp and fast bound in the prison and fetteres of my owne vnbeliefe and naturall infidelitie and wickednes which now I see to the end that I might the more dearely esteeme of his mercy in freeing mee which I will now call for and that his mercy might bee euen to his owne name the more honorable in conuerting me Thus may the afflicted sinner troubled with this generall confused kinde of accusing thoughts cast his burden comfortably vpon God for in this kind of temptation there is this hole in the wall wherein while hee diggeth by continuall prayer it may will proue a dore of mercy easie to be entred And I further aduise this afflicted man when he feeleth himselfe entred or entring into this feare and confused kind of temptation that he will haue some care of his bodies health and craue the aduice of some godly and learned Physition for such confused feares are not alwaies meerly spirituall temptations but they doe often arise from some naturall decay in our bodily health and from some distemper of humors in vs. Great is the affinitie betweene the soule and the body and the proper passions diseases of the one by reason of that affinitie make the other to be euill affected If therefore the body be crazed it will make the mind also to be diseased and where the humor of Melancholy is predominare is not kept in any euen proportion in vs it naturally driueth vs into deepe and dull into sad heauy and fearefull thoughts and imaginations and causeth doubtings and distrust and with a little helpe of the wicked aduersary it will quench all comfortable hope and breede wofull dispaire in vs and the Diuell is cunning to iudge of our distemperature and where he findeth such weaknes he will worke vpon it as he worketh vpon the sanguine and pleasant mans disposition to make him wanton and careles of God and as he worketh vpon the cholericke and hastie mans disposition to make him wrathfull and sudden in mischeefe as he worketh vpon the fleginaticke to make him slothfull colde and negligent of doing his dutie a louer of sloth idlenes so he will not faile to be busie with the man in whom melancholy aboundeth to make him full of feare and void of hope And lamentable are the effects which often follow where he findeth such matter to worke vpon The wise Christian therefore that is affrighted with this confused kinde of temptation in termes of generall accusation must not neglect to releeue his body and to remoue from Sathans hand that euill humour that he maketh so dangerous vse of This is a thing that the afflicted man often contemneth as carnall counsell indeed it were carnall counsell if it should be required alone without recourse vnto God by prayer but it hath beene found by the mercy of God to haue beene profitable counsell And it is not to be neglected of him that in this confused kind of tentatiō desireth ease to his soule And to take this with the former prescribed course is to cast this burden vpon God CHAP. XIIII BVT if it fall out that thou be charged more distinctly with some particular enormious sinne one or many then hath Sathan espied against thee some especiall aduantage in thy doings It behoueth thee now to looke closely to thy selfe and to marke if thou canst espie any hole in the wall of hope to dig in that a dore of mercy may be opened vnto thee In this case consider whether that or those sinnes were committed in the time of thine ignorance when thou knewest not well what was lawfull or vnlawfull for thee to doe or in the time of knowledge when thine owne heart could tell thee that such things were not lawfull to be done for if they were done in the time of ignorance when perhaps thou mightest thinke it lawfull and free to be done yea perhaps good perhaps also profitable and necessarie as Saul after called Paul thought it lawfull good and necessarie for him to persecute the name of Iesus and to cast into prison them that called vpon that name as hee said before King Agrippa I verely thought in my selfe that I ought to doe many contrary things against the name of Iesus of Nazareth Or if thou didst not thinke it to be lawfull good necessarie for thee yet thou didst not thinke or at the least didst not know it to be euill for thee to doe it and any such danger to hang vpon it with Gods high displeasure as now thou perceiuest then this very circumstance maketh thy burden lighter and in the wall of hope a hole appeareth wherein if thou dig by prayer a dore of mercy wil be opened vnto thee For though ignorance doth not excuse much lesse iustifie our sinnes and the discharge of that sinne will cost thy soule some teares and prayers and other like courses of a contrite heart yet with more ease will the terror of it be ouercome then if it had beene done against knowledge Hereto pertaines that saying of our blessed sauiour That seruant that knew his masters will and prepared not himselfe neither did according to his will shall be beaten with many stripes but he that knew it not and yet did commit things worthy of stripes shall be beaten with fewer stripes By these stripes some of the fathers vnderstand not torments in hell of different rigor though it cānot be denied but the condition
honest calling when we haue serued out our time here we may stay no longer and till we haue serued out our time we must serue so long Thou wilt therefore be found to bee a fugitiue seruant from God if thou depart his seruic before thy time be full out And that belongeth to God and not to thee to set downe The Prophet Dauid saith of God in one of the Psalmes To the Lord God belong the issues of death To God it belongeth and not to man to set downe and determine who shall die when he shall die and by what meanes he shall die he vseth sometime the hand of the magistrate sometime the hand of the violent and so endeth one mans life as we thinke by counsell and worke of another man but neuer did he giue licence to any man to kill himselfe Hee hath forbidden murder by his commandement Thou shalt not kill He condemned it in C◅ine from the beginning of the world to whom hauing slaine Abel his brother he said What hast thou done the voice of thy brothers bloud cries vnto me from the ground Now therefore thou art cursed from the earth which hath opened her mouth to receiue thy brothers bloud from thine hand And after the floud when hee began againe to replenish the earth with inhabitantes he made a law against murder to restraine both man and beast from committing it saying Surely I will require your bloud wherein your liues are at the hand of euery beast will I require it and at the hand of man euen at the hands of a mans brother will I require the life of man Who so sheddeth mans bloud by man shall his bloud be shed for in the image of God hath hee made man So oftensiue vnto God it is for a man without warrant and authoritie to kill any because man was made in the image of God a creature of vnderstanding indued with excellent vertues of knowledge and righteousnes with resemblance in these vertues to God himselfe in the making of whom it pleased God to shew his excellent power his wisedome and his mercy No man no beast can destroy this creature and bee innocent before God It belongeth onely to him that gaue life to take it away where he takes it away who can giue it and where he◅ hath giuen it who shall take it away So that the whole rule of life must remaine in the hands of the Lord of life who of himself saith I kill and giue life Except thou canst doe both attempt to doe neither First make a liuing man if thou canst and then kill him whom thou gauest life vnto thou shalt hurt no worke therein but the worke of thine owne hands But if thou canst not giue life presume not to take away life thou shalt therein violate the worke of another and if thou maist not kill any other thou maiest not kill thy selfe one God made thee and them and if thou shalt be guiltle of bloud in killing thy neighbour thou shalt be guiltie of bloud in killing thy selfe if thou maiest not touch the life of thy neighbour thou maiest not touch the life of thy selfe When Elias was weary of his life being persecuted by Iezabel hee said vnto God It is inough O Lord take my soule for I am no better then my fathers Hee desired to be out of this present euill world hee was wearie of the trauels and dangers of it did he therefore kill himselfe did he lay violent hands vpon his body let out his soule before his time No such thoughts were far from him he remembred that God had placed his soule in that earthly Tabernacle and he intreateth God to set his soule at libertie Hee held his hands howsoeuer his heart was affected So doe thou hold thy hands from any fact of violence and lift them vp with thy heart vnto God in heauen and desire him to take thy soule when hee thinkes good When the Apostle Paul was in a streight betwene two and wist not whether he should desire life to continue in the world or death to goe out of the world because his life should be profitable to the Church but his death gainefull to himselfe he expressed the inclining of his heart to death for his owne aduantage in these words Desiring to be loosed and to bee with Christ which is best of all His reward was in heauen he desired to obtaine it his redeemer was in heauen hee desired to be with him and because hee could not come to inioy his reward and to be with his redeemer except by death he should passe out of the world therefore he was willing to depart and to that end to be loosed and set at libertie from his flesh But did hee incline to set himselfe at libertie to loose the bands of his owne life by which his soule was tied and fast bound to the fellowship of his body no he desired to bee a patient not an agent to be a sufferer not a doer in this business his words are Desiring to be loosed Not desiring to loose my selfe This he longed and this he waited for and in time obtained it In these men behold and see how to craue and demeane thy selfe learne of Elias Paul learne of them that feare God learne not of Saul and Iudas learne not of wicked men mē that went astray intheir doings And tell mee if at any time thy life was so vile in thy sight and the pleasure and glory of God so deare vnto thee that thou wert content and desirous to giue thy life vnto God to put it in hazard for his name and for his trueths sake Where hast thou despised the threatning of tyrants where hast thou contemned the sword the fire the halter or any other death hast thou beene cast into the fierie furnace with Ananias Azarias and Misael rather then thou wouldest commit idolatrie and worship any God but the Lord Hast thou at any time with Daniel bin cast into the Lions den for a prey to their teeth rather then thou wouldest giue ouer and cease to pray vnto thy God Hast thou beene whipped with Peter and Iohn hast thou beene imprisoned with Paul and Silas hast thou been stoned with Steuen or hath thy necke beene vnder the stroke of the sword with Iames the brother of Iohn hast thou suffred rebuke or any losse of goods or any linnen for the name of Iesus thy Sauiour In these cases if thy life had beene vile in thy fight it had beene a commendable thing in thee to prefer the pleasure honor of God the trueth and glory of Iesus Christ before the safety of thy life for in this course thou seruest with thy life him that is the God of thy life thou yeeldest it vp being called for into the hands of him that gaue it And thou hast the examples of the Prophets of God and the Apostles of Iesus Christ to be thy patterne who were euer ready and
willing to lay downe and loose their liues in the seruice of God they did not kill themselues to be deliuered from the fury of tyrants but they yeelded themselues to the cruell will of tyrants As Ieremy saying to them that went about to kill him for preaching as god had commanded him As for me behold I am in your hand doe with me as you thinke good and right It was all one to him and equally welcome to die or liue so that he might faithfully doe his office of the like minde was S. Paul the Apostle saying to the elders of Ephesus Behol◅ I goe bound in the spirit to Ierusalem and know not what things shall come vnto me there saue that the holy Ghost witnesseth in euery Citie saying that bands and afflictions abide mee But I passe not at all neither is my life deare vnto my selfe so that I may fulfill my course with ioy and the minstration which I haue receiued of the Lord Iesus to testifie the Gospell of the grace of G◅d Heere was a godly contempt of fraile life with resolution to vse the benefit of it while it lasted in setting forward the seruice committed to him and to let it goe without shrinking whensoeuer the rage of men by the sufferance of God should by violent hands take it from him in the Lords quarrell If thou haddest resolution in any like quarrell to yeelde thy life when there should be any attempt made to take it from thee thou hast the Prophets of God and the Apostles of Christ thy example and thou hast also the promise of the Lord Iesus to recompence that losse of life with the gaine of eternall life saying He that will saue his life shall loose it and he that looseth his life for my sake shall saue it That is i◅ any shall to saue his life deny to confesse me before men his life shall bee taken from him by some such iudgement of God as that he shall haue no comfort in the losse of it and he shall after die eternally But if any constantly confesse mee putting his life in danger either God shall miraculously deliuer him and hee shall saue his life in this world or for the losse of his life here in which losse hee shall haue abundant comfort hee shall haue eternall life in the kingdome of heauen Here are comforts for thee if thou haue come or shalt come in these cases into danger if thou retaine this resolution to laie downe thy life for God and his glory for Iesus Christ and his truth But there was neuer in thee any such resolution thou diddest not loue God so well and thy selfe so ill to die for vertue to die for truth to die for the glory of God to die for the name of Iesus thou diddest neuer esteeme the Gospell true religion and righteousnesse at so high a price O vile man O vnworthy sinner wouldest thou not gratifie God with contempt of life and wilt thou gratifie the Deuill with it wouldest thou not loose it for him that is the truth wilt thou loose it for the father of lies was not he worthy in thy sight to be serued with this manly resolution that gaue thee this life and for the losse of it is ready to recompence thee with eternall life and is he worthy to be serued with it who was euer an enemy to thy life and when hee hath spoiled thee of this life makes thee ◅mēds with a higher mischife to plunge thee in eternall death O monstrous absurdity to be admitted among the professours of Christianity Pause a while and consider of this point that if it be possible thou maiest be recouered from this desperate purpose Thinke what it is to haue held God off at the staues end and neuer to haue yeelded in thy heart die for his loue though he gaue thee life to loose one drop of bloud for his sake though he filled thy vein◅s to haue thy breath stopped for his glory though it was hee that breathed into thy nostrels the breath of life and made thee a liuing soule and now to imbrace the deuill in thy bosome as if hee were thy God to tell him that he shall haue thy life thy bloud shall flowe for his sake if thou get a sword or knife and thou wilt strangle thy selfe and stopthy breath for his loue if thou canst get a halter Where is thy wisdome that resoluest so foolishly where is thy iustice that resoluest so iniuriously where is thy loue either to God or to thine owne soule to whom thou owest thy loue to God to procure his glory to thy soule to procure the saluation of it that resoluest so hatefully for more foolishly for himselfe more iniuriously against God and more hatefully both against himselfe and God did any man euer conclude and resolue in any thing then thou doest in this Most foolishly thou determinest for thy selfe that runnest into that destruction from which thou shouldst flie with all possible speed as the Israelites fled from the tents of Korah his company when the earth swallowed them vp And most vniustly thou dealest with GOD to take that is his without his leaue for we are his and not our owne They are the words of the Apostle Paul Yee are not your owne And a little after speaking of our bodies and spirits hee saith they are Gods and before his face without any reuerence and feare of him to destroy them both at once for thou destroyest the body in killing it thou destroyest the soule that must perish for that murder And most hatefully thou proceedest both against God thy self in this resolutiō hatefully against God in destroying his creature and hatefully against thy selfe in destroying thy selfe The fact of the Philistims stopping vp with earth the wells that Abraham had digged to the end that Isaac his sonne should not vse them for his ca◅tell is interpreted to be an euidence of their hatred Isaac saying vnto them Wherefore come yee to mee seeing yee hate mee c. How much more must thy fact be interpreted to be an euidence of hatred both against God and thine owne soule that fillest vp and choakest the well of life that God digged and opened for thine vse and desirest to water at the piece of death and hell where thou shalt not obtaine one droppe of water to coole thy tongue when thou art in torments How commeth it to pas◅e among deceiued men that when as in the case of suffring for God where death is accompanied with comfort and rewarded with glorie they shrinke and feare withdrawing themselues shifting for their liues which then are sweet vnto them and death is bitter vnto them and in this case of laying violent hands vpon themselues where death is accompanied with terrour and shall be rewarded with eternal damnation heere they step foorth and are desperately bolde life now is bitter vnto them and death is sweet This is a dangerous errour wherein
dead should become free from sinne and holy Saints to please God by abstayning from euill and to merit fauour O most absurd imagination to think that a man should become holy in Hell that was profane vnto the last point of his life on earth Hitherto properly belong the words of Salomon saying If the tree doe fal toward the South or toward the North in the place that the tree falleth in there it shall be In that place he exhorteth to liberality and vertue while we liue because when death comes then there is no place of bearing after any fruits of goodnesse after death there followeth no alteration of this kinde to make either the good man worse then hee was or the euill man better then hee was if the tree fall toward the South it turneth not it selfe after to the North and if it fall toward the North it turneth not to the South The good mans goodnesse continueth with him and is increased rather then diminished because he then inioyeth the goodnesse of God in Heauenly maner to raise his loue vnto God to the highest degree and measure and the wicked mans wickednes after death continueth with him and is increased rather then diminished because he now feeleth the wrath of God in the heauiest manner to raise his hatred against God â—…nto the highest straine Death can make no such change in a man that hee that was a sinner vnto death and in death should cease to bee a sinner after death this reason will deceiue thee if earth was able to make the a contemner then Hell is able to make thee a blasphemer for if correction intended for thy amendment could not make the cease from sinning while thou didst liue How much lesse can punishments laid vpon thee not by way of correction but by way of condemnation make thee cease from sinning the minde of the condemned how it stands affected toward God we may see by that which is written in the Booke of the Reuelations Men boiled in great heate and blasphemed the name of God which hath power ouer these plagues and they repented not to haue giuen him glorie When sinners are once tormented in those flames they are so farre from repenting of their sin to cease from it that their whole carriage is rage and blasphemy They can doe nothing else and therefore though being dead thou can doe no euill after the fashion of this world yet it followeth not that therefore thou shalt not sinne But say thou canst not commit any new sinne what aduantage is that vnto thee when thy olde sinne is vnforgiuen for want of repentance before thy death yea thy very death wrought by thine owne hands without warrant from God yea directly contrary to the commaundement of God addeth vnto thy condemnation deserued before Doth it helpe the thiefe fast shut vp in prison that he stealeth no more when for the olde theft vnpardoned hee must be hanged Surely no and his ceasing to steale while he is a prisoner will not bee interpreted to proceede from my new grace and purpose of amendment but to be want of libertie want of meanes and opportunitie Hee doth â—…ot steale because hee cannot steale it is no new mind in him but the streightâ—…esse of his imprisonment that maketh him for beare and though hee commit no new robberies yet hee must die for the olde And if thou couldest sinne no more after thy death the not committing of new sinnes would be as smal aduantage vnto thee that perishest for the olde vnpardoned and thy forbeating in thy graue will not be interpreted to be any fruit of repentance and a renewed heart but to bee a necessitie imposed vpon thee thy earthly members beeing tied and restrained by the condition of death and therfore thogh thou commit no new sinne thou must perish eternally for thy old not repented by thee and therefore not pardoned of God There shall not be laied to the charge of them that shall heare this sentence at the last day Depart from me ye cursed into euerlasting fire prepared for the diuell and his angels Any other sinne then those which they committed vpon the earth where they liued among the little ones of Christ for thus shall it be said vnto them I was an hungred and yee gaue me no meate I thirsted and ye gaue me no drinke I was a stranger and yee lodged mee not I was naked and yee clothed me not sicke and in prison and yee visited me not These were no sinnes committed after they were gone out of the earth while their bodies were in the graue and their soules in hell fire Christ was not there among them in his members hungry thirsty wandring naked sicke and in prison and they there had neither bread nor drinke nor clothes not lodging chambers to relieue him withall they are their olde sinnes vnpardoned not any new sinnes after death committed that the wicked shall be condemned for at the last day And so much Saint Paul doth teach vs where hee saith We must all appeare before the tudgement seate of Christ that euery man may receiue the things which are done in his bodie according to that hee hath doone whether it bee good or euill When thou shalt come to iudgement before Iesus Christ that shal iudge both quicke and dead at his appearing and in his kingdome thou shalt not be questioned for any thing done out of thy body when thou art dead but onely for those things which thou did dest in thy body while thou wert aliue Where is then that aduantage that thou dreamest of by not sinning any more after death Seest thou not by this time what a strange delusion it was that thou sholdest sinne no more after death and that ceasing from sinne should winne thee some fauour with God and be takeâ—… for true repentance and that therefore it should be a benefit vnto thee to cut off thine owne life that so thou mightest withall cut off the too long continued course and custome of thy sinne if thou haue any such purpose indeed to cease from sinne which I beseech God to giue thee if thou haue it not and to continue in thee if thou haue it nourish thy life that God hath giuen thee and while thou art in the bodie cease to doe euill and learne to do welâ—… make haste to turne to the Lord and put not off from day to day and whilest thou hast time bring forth fruits woorthy amendment of life This will be taken for true repentance this will cause all thy former sinnes to be put out of all remembrance And then whensoeuer God shall be pleased to call thee out of thee out of the world thou shalt end thy dayes in peace and comfort and then thou shalt indeede cease from sin and thy workes shall follow thee to the gaine of eternall life This doe and repent thee of thy former resolution for hitherto the reasons whereuppon it is grounded are vaine
pleasures also And where did death leaue him in Hell in what estate there in torments with what hope of helpe he had liberty to crie and call but there was no reliefe and it seemeth the man vnderstood and feared so much and therefore in his request he was very moderate if I may call it moderation which was rather the faint request of a despairing heart for hee desired not to be taken out of Hel to be placed in Heauen where Lazarus was he desired not to bee quitted wholy of his torments and to possesse the ioyes of Paradice he knew it was in vain to hope for or craue any such thing And therefore like a saint-harted fearing doubting and despairing creature hee begged a drop of colde water a thing of nothing soone dried vp in the heat of that Fornace of fire where he fried In the measure of his request hee shewed the measure of his hope hee craues a thing of nothing as knowing that nothing was to be obtained This is all the deliuerance from trouble that thy act in killing thy selfe and adding that vnnaturall sinne vnto all thy other sinnes can helpe thee vnto namly to deliuer thee from sicknesse by thy death and that death eternall to deliuer thee from needlesse feare by certain danger and that danger for euer remedilesse to deliuer thee from a little greese by endlesse woe and that we also vnsufferable to deliuer thee from some discontent by eternal vexation heaped vp beyond measure to deliuer thee from the slight offence of a litle sun-burning by casting thee into the flames of Hell fire that neuer shal be quenched to deliuer thee from some disgrace among men by making thee as Esay speaketh to be an abhorring to all flesh This is that sweet aduantage that thou dreamest of that thy death shall bring with it an end of all thy feares troubles and disgraces indeede it is the most sure way to bring vpon thee all feare trouble and disgraces it endeth present and beginneth future troubles It endeth short and beginneth eternal troubles it endeth easie and tolerable euils it beginneth wofull and intolerable euils So that there is no deliuerance to be hoped for this way it turneth in conueniences into mischiefes and turneth offences into hellish torments in one word it turneth a weary life that may bee helped into a wofull death that cannot be helped Hee that hateth thee with a deadly hatred cannot deuise to doe or wish vnto thee a greater mischiefe then this that thou vnwisly concludest against thy self therfore change thy minde while yet thou hast time hurt not thy selfe please not thine enemies offend not thy God quench not the light of life that he hath kindled in thy breast breake not the prison of thy body in which God hath shut vp thy soule as a prisoner for a season it is neither a matter of iustice for thee without commission to punish thy selfe with death neither is it a matter of aduantage for feare of falling into danger to throw thy selfe headlong into danger Beare thy crosse with patience yet a little while and trust in the mercy of God by Christ. So shall thy sinnes be forgiuen thy life shall be saued and in due time peace shall be restored to thy soule CHAP. XXIX THE sinner by this time partly afraid and partly ashamed of his former vniust and dangerous resolution and seeing the iniquity and absurdity of it lets it fall vpon the ground but is not yet won to that care and loue to the preseruation of his owne life that should be in him and therfore obiecteth againe in a lesse violent manner but very vnkindly saying If I may not kill my selfe that haue deserued to die yet why should I cherish my selfe that am not worthy to liue is not life a gift and blessing of God is it not a talent of his welth that he hath committed to our occupying that wee might bee faithfull and hee might bee a gainer by the right vse of it and first of all as it is his gift and blessing bestowed vpon me I haue beene vnthankfull to him for it the vnreasonable beasts the sencelesse trees and plants haue beene more thankfull for a viler and worse-qualified life then I for my life yea the stones and dead earth that haue no life haue beene more thankfull for a bare being then I for my life adorned with excellent qualities And shall so vnthankfull a man thinke to continue the vse of so great a blessing And as it is his goodes and that Talent that hee hath committed to mee to vse to his aduantage that hee might get glory by his owne possession I haue beene very vnfaithfull and haue wasted the daies thereof not onely vnprofitably but also hurtfully many daies haue beene spent in ignorance while I knew not my duty many daies in sloth and idlenesse while I had no care to doe my duty many daies in vanity while I sought my pleasure many in wickednesse while I sought the satisfying of mine owne lusts And shall so vnfaithfull a seruant thinke to haue still in vse such goods of his masters that hee hath done no good withall was it not said if the vnprofitable seruant take thâ—… talent from him and giue it vnto him that hath ten talents And was it not said to the wastfull Steward How is it that I heare this of thee giue an account of thy Stewardship for thou maiest be no longer Steward Such a Steward such a seruant am I I haue made waste of the daies of my life I haue brought no glory to God by them therefore I hold my selfe vnworthy of life and wil not seeke to nourish it besides I am not worthy of meat I wil not eat I am not worthy of drinke I will neuer quench my thirst I am not worthy of my clothes to couer my wicked carcase nor of my bed to rest my vngodly bones vpon I am not worthy of thy company of thy comfort of these mercifull words of counsell that thou giuest mee I am worthy of nothing cast me out to the dung-hill as a crumbe of vnsauory salt speake no more vnto mee doe no more seruice for me giue nothing vnto me let me perish I know how vile I am before God and I am as vile in mine owne sight and let mee be no dearer in your â—…ies my sinnes make me vnworthy of all good things and worthy onely of death and therefore in reuerence to God I will absteine from the vse of all good things and waite for deserued death O poore afflicted soule these words doe much moue my compassion toward thee to see that humilitie should become hurtfull to any poore seruant of God and that the confession of our vnworthines should preiudice our comfort in God and our releefe from God euen then when God doth ofter releefe and in those things wherein God doeth offer comfort Here is an error that must be helped This error is not in thy
his iust iudgement into hell This burden is prepared by bold and contemning sinners by men that rise early to follow drunkennesse and are strong to drinke strong drinke by men that commit adultery and assemble themselues by companies in harlots houses and rise in the morning like fed horses euery man neighing after his neighbours wife by men that lay wait as he that setteth snares and maketh pits to catch men and fill their houses with the fruit of deceit as cages are filled with birds by men that haue two kinds of waights and measures and vse to sweare falsly by men that say desperatly we will doe whatsoeuer thing goeth out of our owne mouth and our strength shall bee the law of vnrighteousnesse by mockers that say where is the hope of his comming and as the Prophet Esay testifieth of them draw iniquitie with cords of vanity and sinne as with Cart-ropes Of which audacious men that neither feare God nor man and are neither religious to regard conscience nor ciuill to regard good name the world is full These are the two kinds of burdens the ceremonious worship of God without truth and piety prepared and throwen vpon God by dissembling hypocrits and the bold transgression of all law and order prepared and cast vpon God by wicked contemners these are those particular burdens which by way of caueat I thought fit to warne you of that you meddle not with casting these vpon God least he cast both you and your burdens into eternall destruction in hell But our heauy burdens that presse our soules and breed feare care and griefe vnto our mindes whereof we desire to be eased those wee may and must cast vpon God and are not onely allowed but allured also to turne them off vpon him CHAP. VII OF these burdens some are secular concerning this world and no way touching Heauen or Hell and some are spirituall meerely concerning our soules and the life and death thereof and the seruice and fauor of God Of the secular there be foure kindes The first secular burden is worldly cares when a mans charge is great and his maintenance small the common burden of the poore though somtimes also wringing the backe of the rich This burden groweth heauy sometimes by the worke of Gods hands sending more charge lesse gaines deare times and vnexpected losses sometimes by the malice of other men some oppressing by power some deceiuing by fraud and some wasting by riot whom thou didst trust and sometime by thine owne fault as by sloth by sumptuous courses in apparrell diet building and by foolish bargaines This burden makes men grone out these words what shall wee eate what shall we drinke wherewith shall we be clothed how shall I pay my debts maintaine my credit and answer the charges of my place To cast this burden vpon God is to proceed by these rules First to consider the bounty of God that giueth to all both life and breath and all things Secondly vpon consideratiō of this bounty to fall to praier that he will be pleased to extend that bounty vnto thee Thirdly to apply thy selfe diligently and faithfully in some honest calling wherein God may blesse thy hand to fill thy mouth fleeing all vnlawfull shifts Fourthly and lastly to take heede of excesse This excesse is double first the excesse of desire which we calcouetousnes when a man is not content with that that is sufficient secondly the excesse of spending which we cal riot when a man hath a humour to waste intemperatly The first rule is to acquaint our selues with the bounty of God that we may cōceiue hope of help from his hand wherof the Prophet saith thou openest thine hand and fillest al things liuing of thy good pleasure this boūty of God wil appeare vnto vs partly by the testimony of the Prophets partly by the euidence of his own works liberal deling with his cretures His bounty is testified by the Prophets other holy men Dauid thus speaketh of it He causeth grasse to grow for the cattel and hearbes for the vse of man that he may bring forth bread out of the earth and wine that maketh glad the heart of man oile to make the face to shine bread that strengthneth mans heart This is a maruelous work of Gods prouidence an euidence of great bounty that out of the drie earth he bringeth forth food for vs. Of his special care among men to deale bountifully with them that feare him the Prophet Esay giueth testimony saying thus saith the Lord God behold my seruant shal eate you that is the wicked for to them he speaketh shal be hungry my seruants shall drinke you shal be thirsty my seruants shal reioice you shal be ashamed When the wicked shal want and in their want be confounded the righteous shal abound and in their abundance reioyce Excellent is the testimony of our Sauior Christ in the Gospel of S. Math. saying Behold the fowles of heauen for they sowe not neither reap nor cary into the barns yet your heauēly father feedeth them are ye not much better then they if God extend his bounty to creatures of so smal regard to whom also the means of prouiding their food by sowing reaping reseruing is denied that notwithstanding he sendeth them sufficiency how much more wil he prouide for the children of men that are of better regard with him to whom he hath giuē means of prouiding their own food by sowing by reaping by reseruing their store Excellent is the testimony of Saint Paul among the vnbeleeuing Gentiles at Listra vnto whom hee commendeth the true God that made the world before the vaine Idols which they serued saying hee left not himselfe without w◅nesse in that hee did good and gaue vs raine from heauen and fruitful seasons filling our hearts with foode and gladnesse Such was his bounty euen toward them that worshipped idols and being his creatures he failed not to supply them with necessaries◅ how much more wil he not faile his own children which worship him in spirit and truth Such testimony do the Prophets and other holy men giue of the bounty of God that openeth his hand and filleth all things liuing with his goodnesse And the euidence of his works is very cleare to approue vnto vs the same goodnesse He giueth daily and yearely store of foode and nourisheth life in all his creatures that participate life But because the worke of God in his ordinary prouidence is not obserued and esteemed as it ought to bee let him that is burdened with the cares of this life by reason of want consider the records of Gods bounty making prouision by myracle when ordinary prouision failed How he prouided for Israel in the wildernesse forty yeares sending them bread from heauen euery mourning How he prouided for Elias in a time of dearth causing the Rauens to bring him bread and flesh
of his quiet and content and thereupon he comforted his heart and would not continue in heauines for that that could not be helped So that it is to a right vnderstanding man ground enough to build content and quietnesse of heart vpon that God hath done his worke which thy sorrow cannot reuoke But for the further quieting of thy minde know that thy dead shall liue againe as the Prophet Esay saith Thy deadmen shall liue with my body shall they rise There is a day appointed of GOD wherin they shall returne out of the dust againe and liue againe in their bodies then glorified Yea know that for thy comfort that thy dead doe now liue and howsoeuer their bodies lie without life in the graue yet their soules do liue and shall liue for euer with God And with these considerations of the present life of the soule and the future life of the bodies the Apostle would haue wise Christians comfort thēselues ouer their dead and not giue way to their affections to mourne without measure saying I would not brethren haue you ignorant concerning them which are asleepe that ye sorrow not as others which haue no hope For if wee beleeue that Iesus is dead and risen euen so them which sleepe in Iesus God shall bring with him For this say wee vnto you by the word of the Lord that wee which liue and are remayning in the comming of the Lord shall not preuent them which sleepe For the Lord himselfe shall descend from heauen with a showt and with the voyce of the Archangel and with the trumpet of God And the dead in Christ shall rise first Then shal we which liue and remaine be caught vp with them in the clouds to meet the Lord in the aire and so shall wee euer bee with the Lord. Wherefore comfort your selues one another with these words Let them mourne for their dead that know not the hope of the dead and suppose them extinct that are departed but let them which in the schoole of Christ haue learned what is the condition and hope of the dead how their soules doe presently liue with Christ and that their bodies also shal be raised vp in glorie at the last day Let them reioyce in the behalf of their dead and throw off that burden of sorrow which is so heauy vnto them And thus much for the second branch of secular troubles namely for domesticall troubles and the casting of that burden vpon God CHAP. X. THe third branch is of troubles more remote hauing a beginning further of when those by whom thou art wrōged are not of thy family neither of thy kindred neere acquaintance nor neighbours but strangers of another kinred family or habitation yet hauing so much knowledge of thee acquaintance with thee as to make thee the marke of their malice and obiect for their enuy and euill hearts to worke vpon And those for whom thou art grieued are not of the same house stocke village or country with thee yet because they are men and haue fellowship with thee in common nature or because they are christians and haue fellowship with thee in the same common religiō thy hart is grieued by way of compassion to heare of the calamities that are hapned vnto them And these remote troubles and griefes may happen to him that hath peace in his own house liueth quietly with his neighbours and louingly with his friends and hath comfort and ioy in their health and prosperity The rules giuen for domesticke troubles are also very sitting for these first therfore arme thy selfe with patience quietly suffer till God send ease And for the confirming of thy patience consider that the harts of all mē being in the hands of God these should neuer haue had any will to offer the wrong if God for some holy cause had not stirred them vp as he is said to haue stirred vp troublers to Salomon when he fell to idolatry Then the Lord stirred vp an aduersary vnto Salomon euen Hadad the Edomite c. And therefore though thou grudge to beare at the hands of men yet beare with patience and humility the good pleasure of God who knoweth when and how to make thee amends Dauid with this consideration confirmeth himselfe in his patience saying I should haue bin dumbe and not haue opened my mouth because thou didst it Saint Ierome reades it I haue been dumbe and will not open my mouth Tremellius reades it I am dumbe and doe not open my mouth The meaning is that either he should haue kept silence or he had kept silence or he did keep silence or was resolued hereafter to keep silence or else altogether for time past present and to come he held himselfe bound as by way of duty in his trouble to be mute and dumbe from murmuring raging and all works of impatiencie vpon this only reason because thou didst it that is because he knew it to be the handy worke of God And vnto patience adde praier for though it becommeth a godly man in his trouble to shut his mouth against all words of murmuring yet it becommeth him not to shut his mouth in the time of trouble against words of humble praier For by silence from murmuring it is manifest that God is feared and his pleasure approued but by silence from praier it is manifest that God is neglected and his helpe little set by In these troubles therefore and in all troubles it is a principall point of casting our burden vpon God to seeke his helpe by praier And the same consideration of Gods deed in stirring vp the aduersary that serueth to shut our mouthes against words of murmuring serueth as strongly to open our mouthes for words of humble praier That childe that bearing the fathers displeasure in the fathers displeasure suffering want of some wonted case doth refuse to make request vnto his father for the withdrawing of his displeasure and the restoring of wonted liberty especially being by the father commanded to make request and assured by his fathers promise that when he doth make request all shal be forgiuen that childe plainly appeareth to beare too big a heart against his father And a wise father not willing to be contemned of his child wil not restore his child to his wonted grace and liberty till he humble himselfe and intreat his father Euen so that christian man that hath displeased God and who hath not iustly deserued his displeasure and feeleth vpon him the hand of his displeased God in troubles that these remote enemies stirred vp of God doe put him vnto and doth not humble himselfe and pray vnto God for his fauour and ease seeing God hath both commanded him to pray and hath also promised to heare him helpe him when he praieth that man shews a heart ouer swolne against his God and God in iustice can doe no lesse then denie to send him reliefe so long as he refuseth to intreate
and said vnto me Goe prophecie to my people Israel That is I haue in those sermons which you call Conspiracie faithfully followed the commandement of the God of Israel So also did Ieremy when the Priestes and false Prophets and the multitude of the people had laid hands vpon him in the Temple and went about to kill him for his preaching he protested his innocencie saying The Lord hath sent me to prophecie against this house against this Citie all the things that you haue heard And thine innocency being thus protested made knowne then secondly turne thee vnto God appeale to his iudgemē◅ rest vpon him He is the true discerner of all mens doings to whō it is manifest both what things are done and with what mind they are done and he is the iudge of all men and of their doings and he will reward them that truly serue him therefore taking no discomfort at the vniustice and vnthankfulnes of men pray God to iustifie thy well doing against misreporters Thou hast a promise of such mercie made by the Prophet saying He shall bring forth thy righteousnes as the light and thy iudgement as the noone day and pray him to remember thee and giue thee thy reward in heauen because on earth good seruices are not worthily valowed and in expectation of that reward at Gods hands comfort thy soule in this case And thus haue we spoken of the fower secular burdens wherein immediately we haue to doe with men in matters concerning this life and shewed how the burdens may be ought to be cast vpon God for the ◅ase of our soules CHAP. XII THere are diuers troubles wherein the man that is troubled hath to doe immediatly and at the next hand with God and the things wherin he hath to doe with God and looketh directly vpon him do concerne our soule and inward man and the good estate therof for holinesse and happinesse both now and hereafter And in regard hereof those troubles I call spirituall troubles And those I reduce to two heads The first of these spirituall burdens is the powerful lusts of the flesh enemies to the holinesse of the soule The second is the feareful accusing thoughts that are enemies to the happinesse of the soule The first is the burden of the lusts of the flesh fighting against the soule The multitude of our corruptions and the law of sinne in our members so potent and strong that we cannot doe the good we would in doing whereof God should be serued and the euil we would not that we doe by doing whereof the diuell is serued This is a grieuous burden to an honest minded man that is desirous to please God and keepe a good conscience Hee considereth who made him and desireth to glorifie his creator He considereth the manifold mercies of God towards him and desireth to approue himselfe a thankfull man He respecteth the end both of his creation and of his regeneration and desireth to come neare vnto God and to haue fellowship with his redeemer and to resemble him in holinesse and righteousnesse hee seriously thinketh vpon the end of vertue and reward of vice the first to be eternall life the other to be eternall destruction and with his whole heart and soule he desireth and striueth to auoid euill which hee abhorreth and to do good which he loueth And while he striueth to goe on in this course nothing hindereth him more then the root of sin that is deeply fastened in his owne flesh The Diuell offereth a temptation and his false flesh yeeldeth presently vnto it The flattering world presenteth showes of vanity and the flesh greedily imbraceth them Occasions are offered and presented to our eies and our traiterous flesh suddenly apprehendeth them and our actions fall out to be sinfull and euill sometime at vnawares before wee haue leisure to consider what we ought to doe Sometime against fore-fight yea against repugning will For that corruption that is in our flesh which for the authority that it vsurpeth and for the power that it exerciseth in vs the Apostle calleth the law in our members that corruption rebelleth against the law of our minde and leadeth vs captiue into all actuall sinne And wee are compelled in the campe of our enemies to serue against our beloued Lord. And this is no small griefe vnto a sanctified soule that desireth to serue and worship God in spirit and truth How heauy this burden is the Apostles words doe teach vs crying out by reason of it in this manner O wretched man that I am who shall deliuer mee from this body of death It was vnto him more bitter then death that sinne was of such power in his mortall body Vpon men groaning vnder this burden compassion ◅is to be taken both in regard of God whom it grieueth them to offend and dishonour and also in regard of themselues so intangled and indangered not by any fo◅aine malice but by their owne inbred sinfulnesse Therefore for the case of such ouercharged soules to giue them some comfort notwithstanding the continuance of their burden these things are to be considered First that where God hath giuen an heart grieued for these infirmities he neuer imputeth vnto them the sinnes that they so vnwillingly and grieuedly commit their broken and displeased hearts being a pleasing sacrifice to him According to the saying of the Prophet The sacrifices of God are a contrite spirit a contrite a broken heart O God thou wilt not despise So that God taketh more pleasure to see them sorrow for their committing sinne then he doth displeasure for the sinne that they commit for to commit sinne is common to all mankinde and we cannot chuse but to doe amisse while we liue in this flesh but to mourne and to be grieued for sin to striue against it and not to commit it but with dislike offence taken for it is proper onely to them that truely loue the Lord. Secondly though they cannot attaine vnto such perfect holinesse vppon earth as they desire nor vnto such an absolute conquest ouer their corruptions and such a full measure of mortification that sin shal haue no life nor power of mou◅ng in them yet their good wil being true and vnfained and their holy desire beeing sound and not dissembled is before God as well accepted as if they were altogether without sinne Therefore is it that God requireth the heart saying My sonne giue me thine heart and let thine eies delight in my wayes He that can by the mercie of God attayne vnto this to delight in in the wayes of God and to haue a sound heart within his weake bodie he hath attained vnto as great perfection of holinesse as this present life is capable of if that desire and delight of his be ioyned with knowledge and vnderstanding so that hee be free from their errour whom the Apostle speaketh of saying They being ignorant of the righteousnesse
not out of any hatred that they did beare against such vile sinnes but onely for feare of the peoples speech and rather for want of meanes and opportunity to accomplish them then for want of any good will if time place and other things had been answerable And if thou finde that thine is such a generall and confused tentation as namely that thou diddest neuer rightly know nor loue nor feare God and that thine heart was alwaies or now is an euill an hypocritical heart thine estate is so much the more easie that in the dayes of thy security while thou diddest walke according to the course of this world and after the prince that ruleth in the ayre euen the spirit that worketh in the children of disobedience God suffered not the Diuell to thrust thee into presumptuous sinnes after the manner of others and into grosse and desperate sinnes against all rules of honesty wherewith hee might now in this time of temptation torment thy conscience This affordeth much aduantage vnto thee that the diuell can finde no grosse particular sinne to vrge and presse thee withall Here let the afflicted man first consider that hitherto his case is no whit worse then the case of euery man that commeth into the world For Dauid doth tell vs that the best man euen he that prooueth afterwards a man after Gods owne heart yet out of his mothers wombe yea out of his fathers loines proceedeth a sinnefull creature with an euill heart empty of the loue of God and continueth so till God bestow some particular grace vpon him for the conuersion of him And he maketh himselfe an instance heereof speaking thus Behold I was borne in iniquity and in sinne hath my mother conceiued me He was from the wombe and loines a sinner taken in generall termes for a man in whom there was an euill heart not knowing not louing not fearing God And Saint Paul doth tell vs that the holiest man euen he that was from the beginning a chosen vessell to beare witnesse to the name of Iesus Christ before kings and nations yet in his originall estate and first yeares hee is the childe of wrath and dead in trespasses and sinnes as all other men till God in mercy looke vpon him and renew him And hee maketh himselfe among others an instance thereof while hee thus speaketh You hath be quickened that were dead in trespasses and sinnes wherein in times past ye walked according to the course of this world and after the Prince that ruleth in the ayre euen the spirit that now worketh in the children of disobedience among whom wee also had our conuersation in times past in the lusts of our flesh in fulfilling the will of the flesh and of the minde and were by nature the children of wrath as well as others Paul was a bad as the Ephesians and the Ephesians as bad as all other men til God in mercy conuerted both him them And the Prophet Ieremy telleth vs that there is both generally and particularly in all men and in euery man a heart both wicked and hypocritical wicked to do that which is euill deceitfull and hypocriticall to dissemble in the doing of it and to make shews pretences and excuses that it might be thought not to doe euill And this wickednesse and hypocrisie ro be so deepe and cunning that it deceiueth not onely other men but euen the wicked man himselfe that flattereth and pleaseth himself with his owne pretences and perswadeth his owne soule that all is well and onely God is able to finde out his hypocrisie for thus hee saith The heart of man is deceitfull and wicked aboue all things who can know it I the Lord search the heart c. Other men cannot know it and search it out For the apostle saith What man knoweth the things of a man saue the spirit of a man which is in him A manâ—… owne heart may bee acquainted with his owne thoughts but another man cannot discerne them a man himselfe oft times is not able to discerne his owne wickednesse a vaine and false opinion misleading his blinded iudgement but God searcheth it out because as the Apostle saith There is not any creature that is not manifest in his sight but all things are naked and open to his cies with whom we haue to doe Such is the depth of the wickednesse of mans heart such is his deceitfull hypocrisie that no eye but the all-seeing eye of God no iudgement but his that neuer erreth can see the same And Salomon telleth vs that there is no man iust vpon the earth that doth good and sinneth not And knowing this to be generaly true he challengeth euery man that thinkes that he can say any thing to cleere eyther himselfe or any other saying Who can say I haue made my heart cleane I am cleane from my sinne So that this is the condition of all men till God in his mercy mould them anew by his grace till then they are altogether such as thou in thy troubled heart art charged to be men of an euill heart full of wickednesse and hypocrisie that neither know God nor loue God nor feare God Therefore when thou art charged with such a generall and confused tentation yeeld it to be true that thou art charged withall and stand not to make thy selfe better then thou art withall say vnto thy soule for that I haue no more cause to dispaire of Gods mercy then Dauid had that was such a one in his birth then Paul had that was such a one vntill the day of his conuersion then any other and all other of Gods elect and best beloued children that were euery way such conceiued in sinne borne in iniquitie children of wrath full of vnsearchable wickednesse and hypocrisie neither knowing nor liuing nor fearing God till he was pleased to looke vpon them in his fauour and to conuert them by creating a new heart and renewing a right spirit in them And now that mine eyes are opened by this affrighting of my soule to see my bad condition which I saw not before I will make hast vnto the Lord and will craue that grace at his hands that I now want neither can I nor will I vnderstand this worke of his in letting me see by this fearefull temptation my sinfull estate which in the daies of my peace I did not see to be any other then the fruit of his loue by making me to see my misery to stir vp my soule long drowned in former securitie to seeke with all earnestnes of â—…eale for his help When a sicke man feeleth paine in his flesh he doeth not faintly yeeld to death because he is sicke but from the feeling of his weakenes he taketh occasion to seeke out some learned Phisition craueth his help the more sicke he is the more he desireth and the more earnestly he sueth for his helpe spares no cost and putteth himselfe into
reason to thinke my self his child First the child ought to resemble the father Our Sauiour saith Ye shall therefore be perfect as your father which is in heauen is perfect But there is in me no part of the perfection of God either in the vertues of my minde or in the workes of my life and the Apostle Saint Peter saith As obedient children fashion not your selues vnto the former lusts of your ignorance but as hee which hath called you is hoâ—…y so be yee holy in all manner of conuersation because it is written be yee holy for I am holy And if yee call him father which without respect of person iudgeth according to euery mans worke passe the time of your dwelling here in feare By this rule of Peter they which call God their father ought to be holy as he is holy but I am altogether profane They ought to passe the time of their life reuerently in the feare of God but I haue beene and am a contemner of him and their doings should not be after the lusts of their own heart that beare sway in the daies of ignorance but I neuer followed other rule then the lusting of mine owne heart I neuer stroue to suppresse and mortifie them Yea my whole course of life doth proue mee to be the child of another father that hath no place in heauen but was cast out thence for sinne The Lord Iesus said vnto the Iewes Ye are of your father the deuill and the lusts of your father yee will doe Much more rightly by triall of my deedes may it bee said to mee thou art of thy father the deull and the lusts of that father of thine thou hast done While my sinnes thus daily come to remembrance how can I cal God my father And who can call God his father that hath not the spirit of God dwelling in him as the seale and earnest of his inheritance of which spirit Paul speaketh thus Yeâ—… haue receiued the spirit of adoption whereby we cry abba father the same spirit beareth witnesse with our spirit that we are the children of God But this spirit dwelleth not in me if this spirit were in me I should feele at one time or other and in one measure or other the comfortable testimony of that spirit but I feele nothing but feareful horror in my conscience oh that I had and might feele the comfort of this spirit my present tentation witnesseth the absence of it Also if I had the spirit of God in mee the fruits of that spirit would bud and shew forth themselues in mee but all is contrary The Apostle Paul saith the fruit of the spirit is loue ioy peace long suffering gentlenesse goodnesse faith meekenesse and temperance There is none of these to be seene in mee but the fruits of the flesh are plentifull in mee With them I am ouergrowen both in body and soule The Apostle reckoneth them vp in this order The workes of the flesh are manifest which are adultery fornication vnclâ—…annesse wantonnesse idolatry witchcraft hatred debate emulation wrath contention seditions herefies enuy murders drunkennesse gluttony and such like And in these sinnes I haue liued and dwelt and delighted if not in all yet in many of them and if not in many yet in some of them inough to quench the spirit of God if the fire thereof had at any time beene kindled in mee How then can it be that I should haue the holy Ghost And not hauing the holy Ghost how can I call God my father and if I haue no right nor power to call God my father that leaue to craue the forgiueuesse of sinnes and that hope to obtaine forgiuenesse of sinnes which are grounded vpon that commandement of Iesus pertaine not to mee Alas how ingenious men are in the daies of affliction when the burden of accusing thoughts lies heauy vpon them to dispute against themselues They haue not vnderstanding enough to apprehend and taste any thing that is spoken for their comfort but they haue wit to finde out and vtterance to pronounce and feruent passion to vrge any thing that may make for their discomfort But let vs helpe to remoue these stumbling-blockes from before these mens feete that they may walke on in hope and come vnto God by praier Thou thinkest that by that commandement of Christ there is giuen to thee no leaue to aske forgiuenesse of sinne â—…orhope to obtaine forgiuenesse of sin because it is to be craued of an heauenly father And thou canst not call God thy heauenly father thou thinkest thâ—… he is not thy father and that thou nâ—… not his sonne And thou hast two reasons to proue this to thine owne heart First because neither thy vertues noâ—… thy actions doe in any thing resemble God but rather proue thee to be the child of another father opposit to God and secondly because thou hast not the spiâ—…it of adoption to crie Abba Father For thou neither feelest the restimony oâ—… that spirit in thine heart neither doest thou see the fruits of that spirit in thy life but al things euery where contrary I mislike not that thou doest holdâ—… meane opinion of thy selfe and censâ—…rest thy selfe vnworthy the title of Godâ—… child and that thou thinkest honorably of the spirituall kinred that is betweene God and his saints But be of good comfort God saâ—…leth not to be thy father because thou thinkest him not to be neither failest thou to be his child because thou darest not thinke thy selfe to bee his child And these words vrged against thy selfe are no other then the words of the prodigall vnthrift spoken of in the Gospell who in his vertues and actions did nothing as yet resemble his father for hee hanted harlots and liued riotously being euery way as sinfull as thou canst with any words make thy selfe and when by aduersity he was brought to consider of his life and estate as thou now doest he had that opinion of himselfe that thou now hast thinking it not fit to take vnto himselfe the title of a sonne His words are thus set downe by Saint Luke I will a rise and goâ—… to my father and say to him father I haue sinned against heauen and before thee and am no more worthy to be called thy sonne Compare thy selfe with him thou canst not be worse then hee not in thy life more vnlike thy heauenly father neither canst thou be in worse case then he was He for sooke his fathers house and was departed far from God knowing very well from whence he was departed Hee neuer had minde to returne backe againe till misery compelled him of whom we neede not feare to say for it is plaine and cleare that no loue to his father nor to his fathers house but pinching necessity and extreame misery made him a conuert And while hee was abroad what was his course the euangelist telleth vs he wâ—…sted his goods with riotous liuing That is all the blessings
of God bestowed vpon him whatsoeuer in minde in body or in estate hee waâ—…led them vainly without any fruit either to the praise of God or good of his saints yea wickedly to the dishonour of God and great offence and hurt of his saints His elder brother said truly of him to his father He hath deuoured thy goods with Harlots He was a deuourer rather then a spender because he followed wholy the flatterings and intice ments of the flesh and of the world hee pursued earnestly and greedily the pleasures of sinne he polluted the whole man both body and soule in carnall and spirituall fornication and hee dishonoured his mercifull Father while to his sinfull courses for the furthering thereof he conuerted all the gfits and graces that hee had receiued of God This was his behauiour being departed from his father In the end by misery iustly fallen vpon him hee was touched ashamed and confounded as thou art seest thou not thine estate liuely described in the estate of this prodigall man yet after all this wandering and wicked behauior and much misery that hee indureth hee remembreth his fathers house he repenteth he returneth and humbly praieth and the successe was he is gratiously receiued into fauour Take this example vnto thee and view it well dwell vppon it with holie meditation Such as he was in his wandering in his wickednesse in his trouble of minde such thou art such as he was in his repentance in his returne home to his Fathers house and in his humble praier vnto God such be thou and such fauorable intertainment as hee found at his Fathers hands thou also shalt find Are not these things written for our learning that wee through patience and consolation of the Scriptures might haue hope And because thou dost not yet resemble God either in the vertues of thy mind or the actions of thy life say not therefore that he is not thy Father and that thou art not his Child Why wilt thou adde this to the former discomfort of thy soule and to the former errours of thy life and wrong either God in his goodnes or thy selfe in the grounds of thy hope Thou knowest the words of Moseâ—… to the people of Israel if thou know them not heare and let thine heart vnderstand them Is not he thy Father thâ—… bought thee he hath made thee and proportioned thee If he be thy Father that made thee and proportioned thee theâ—… surely God is thy Father for hee and none but he that made heauen and earth made thee The Prophet saith of God It is he that hath made vs and not we 〈◊〉 selues And if he be thy Father that hatâ—… bought thee and purchased thee then whether thou approoue iâ—… or no God is thy Father for hee hath bought vs with a price not of corruptible things as siluer and gold but with the price of the precious bloud of Christ as of a Lamb vndefiled without spot Therfore the Apostle saith to the Corinthians Yee are not your owne for yee are bought with a price And beeing once his all thy wanderings cannot weaken his right in thee but hee still shall remaine thy Father that bought thee If a sheepe runne astray from the fold and wander long in vnknowne pastures doth it therefore cease to be his that is Lord and owner of the flocke and if it returne or be brought home with the fleece lost and left behind hanging vpon euery hedge and with the skin and flesh also torne will hee not acknowledge it and receiue it Yes he will receiue it with ioy Reade the fifteenth chapter of Saint Luke and meditate vpon that thou readest So farre off is it that the indignation of heauen should reiect thee that as it is there said There is ioy in the presence of the Angels of God for one sinner that conuerteth Make ioyfull the angels of heauen by thy returne to God and that ioy shall shine vpon the face of thy conscience And not to forget what we haue in hand to proue God thy father consider some words of the apostle to the Hebr. We haue had the fathers of our bodies that corrected vs and we gaue theÌ„ reuerence should we not much rather be in subiection vnto the Father of spirits that wee might liue He calleth men that begat vs fathers of our bodies and hee calleth God that created vs the Father of our spirits because in the generation of our bodies men are vsed but in the creation of our spirits God only worketh who is also the principal ageÌ„t in the framing of our bodies and men are but instrumentall agentâ—… therfore while there is a spirit dwelling in thy body quickning and mouing it thou canst not deny God to be thy Father whose gloâ—…ous habitation being in heauen as he saith by Esay I dwell iâ—… the high holy place Thou hast a Father in heauen And therfore by the commaÌ„dement of Iesus Christ willing vs to say to God forgiue vnto vs our sins thoâ—… hast both leaue giuen thee to aske forgiuenesse of sins and hope giuen thee to obtaine forgiuenes Vse therfore cheerfully but withall reuerently and thankfully this leaue obey duetifully and gladly this commandement for God is thy Father And thy seruice in calling vpon him shall not be fruitlesse And say not bicause as yet thou neither seest the fruits of the holy Ghost iâ—… thy reformed life nor feelest the testimony of it in thy cheereful conscience that therefore that blessed Spirit is not in thee When thou speakest of the fruits of the Spirit thou makest the Spirit to be as seed sowne in the heart that should bring forth fruit And so indeed the holy Ghost within vs is the seed of our regeneration and new life as the Lord Iesus teacheth vs saying Except that a man be borne of watâ—… the spirit the water of Baptisme spirit of Sanctification And Iohn plainely giueth the name of Seed to the Holy-Ghost saying His seed remaineth in him And when thou speakest of the testimony of the Spirit thou makest the Spirit to be as a witnesse that testifieth the fatherly loue of God vnto vs. And so indeed the Holy-Ghost within vs is vnto our hearts a true witnes of Gods loue Paul to this purpose saith Yee haue receiued the Spirit of adoption whereby we cry Abba Father The same spirit beareth witnesse with our spirit that wee are the children of God And Saint Peter in his speech before the Priest and Captain of the Temple calleth the holy-Ghost a Witnesse saying Wee are his witnesses concerning these things which we say yea and the holy-Ghost whom God hath giuen to them that obey him For the Lord Iesus hath two sorts of witnesses to confirme to the consciences of men the truth of his death and resurrection and his power of sanctifying and sauing The one sort is the Apostles and Ministers who by their doctrine doe beare witnesse
whether he did speake them spiritually and inwardly to his vnderstanding hereof they speake nothing Onely Saint Luke saith that the diuell did shew vnto Iesus the glorie of the kingdomes of the earth In the twinkling of an eie Which sure was a spirituall manner of presenting and why may we not aswell thinke that he vsed a spirituall manner of speaking but howsoeuer it was the diuels worke in thrusting those vngodly thoughts into th◅e heart is like that diuels worke that offred those sinfull motions vnto the Lord Iesus The diuell sinned therein as a tempter that would haue drawne another to wickednesse but the Lord Iesus sinned not in them while hee gaue no place vnto them neither was drawne by them to doe euill but confuted them by the scriptures those suggestions were no hurt vnto him Euen so in those thoughts thrust into thine heart the diuell sinneth in them as a tempter that would draw thee to cōmit wickednes but thou sinnest not in them if thou giue no place vnto them and suffer not thy selfe to be drawne by them to doe euill but confutest them by the scriptures Surely those thoughts if thou carry thy selfe thus shall doe no hurt to thee Againe let me remember thee to call vpon God for the assistance of his grace against those euill thoughts And to take heede of idlenes and solitarines remembring Salomons Vae soli woe vnto him that is alone And here I will also aduise the sinner which is troubled with these swarmes of euill thoughts to confer with some godly and learned Phisition and to vse his counsell for there is oft in the assault of such thoughts some mixture of some distemper in the body which he that is wise in God desireth true rest vnto his soule will not yea must not be carelesse of And whereas in the frame of thy obiection thou saist that if those thoughts be the suggestions of Sathan in thine heart then the diuell hath alreadie possession of thy heart and thou art fully in his power it is too late to thinke of deliuering thee on t of his hand This is but a false phantasie the fruit of thine owne feare without any truth in it for the diuell hath often leaue to tempt when he hath no power to ouercome Thou heardst euen now how hee had leaue to tempt the Lord Iesus in the wildernesse but he had no power to ouercome him And thou knowest the historie of Iob. The diuell had leaue to tempt him and and that was limited leaue hee was not able to touch a sheepes taile of Iobs till God permitted him and hee could not passe a step further then God allowed him and whatsoeuer he did to Iob either in his possessions or in his owne bodie yet had he no power ouer his mind to make him to blaspheme God which was the d◅uels cheefest desire whereof he had accused Iob before And thou knowest what Iesus saith of the Apostles that the diuell made suite to winnow them as wheat but hee interposed his praier for them that their faith might not faile in the most hote and violent temptation So that the diuell hath no power at all either to trouble by tempting or to hurt whom he troubleth But as God in his holy wisdome giueth him leaue Malice and desire to hurt aboundeth in that enemy but power he must obtaine at Gods hands And in thy selfe thou maiest see it plain by the very maner of thy trouble that though he haue leaue by these thoughts to tempt thee yet thou art not wholly in his power for if hee had power to hurt thee with deedes hee would not trifle the time with thee to trouble thee with thoughts for the diuell euer goeth as farre as ◅is commission extendeth in doing hurt to the sonnes of men he◅ hath no mercie and charitie to spare where he may do a mischiefe And if he had as ful possession of thee as euer hee had of any child of disobedience yet were it not therefore too late to thinke vppon and to seeke deliuerance out of his power For the Apostle saith that hee himselfe and the Ephesians to whom he writeth walked sometime according to the course of this world and after the prince that ruleth i◅ the aire euen the spirit that now worketh in the children of disobedience He sometime preuailed in Paul and the Ephesians further then to molest them with vngodly thoughts for they walked in their deedes after his course and yet they were deliuered out of his power and made the faithful seruants and obedient sonnes of God Indeed the Deuil is a strong man armed that to his vttermost power keepeth those things that hee possesseth in peace But the Lord Iesus saith in the Gospel When a stronger then hee commeth vppon him and ouercommeth him hee taketh from him al his armour wherein hee trusted and diuideth his spoiles And this stronger then Satan is our Lord Iesus Christ wholeadeth euen captiuity captiue and by suffering death in his flesh hath destroyed death as the Prophet speaketh O death I will be thy death O graue I will bee thy destruction And him also that had power of death to hurt vs withall as the Apostle saith That hee might destroy through death him that had the power of death that is the deuill And to what end hath he subdued this enemy but that hee might diuide his spoiles and set at liberty those whom he held captiue as it followeth in the same place That he might deliuer all them which for feare of death were all their life time subiect to bondage Where wee see deliuerance granted to them that the deuill had possession of and held in peace as the spoils that he had taken And the same may be seene by an other saying of the Apostle writing to Timothy Instruct them with meekenesse that are contrarie minded proning if God at any time will giue them repentance that they may know the trueth and that they may come to amendment out of the snares of the deuill which are taken of him at his will Marke it and make vse of it those whom the deuill hath taken at his pleasure are not such men in his power and whom he hath ins◅ared with the cords of ignorance and of wickednesse in the blindnesse and stubbornenesse of their hearts those God deliuereth and setteth free bringing them to the knowledge of the truth and to amendment of life And doth it by the milde instruction of Timothie that is by the word of the Gospel vnder the free ministerie whereof thou liuest happily in the bosome of the Church The power of which word if thou hearken vnto it in ouerthrowing the power of Satan and diuiding his spoiles we may yet further see by that that is written in the Gospell The Lord Iesus sent forth seuenty Disciples to preach the Gospel sending them two and two together and after their ministerie was fulfilled the Seauentie returned
drawen him out of the loynes and wombe of beleeuing parents that inherited the couenant to the benefit of themselues and of their seede after them in their generations for euer That God admitted him from his very birth into the fellowship of the Saints marked yea sealed him for his owne by the water of Baptisme sprinckled vpon him in the name of the holy Trinitie as one adopted by God the father redeemed by God the sonne and from that time sealed vp vnto the day of full redemption by God the Holy Ghost He shall find that God hath brought him vp in the bosome of his Church the Schole of eternall life and in this Schole hath taught him to know God and himselfe God his creator himselfe the worke of Gods hands God his sauiour in Christ and himselfe one of his saued people He shall find that God hath put vpon him the name of his holy Sonne from the glorious title of the Messiah which is by interpretation the Christ hath graced him with the title of a Christian as a member and follower of that Christ. Yea â—…e shall find God out of his free loue â—…ath giuen vnto him his onely begotten sonne that the obedience of Iesus Christ might be this sinners righteousnes that the suffrings of Iesus Christ might bee this sinners ransome and that the conquest wonne by Iesus Christ might bee vnto this sinner a rich inheritance that so Iesus Christ might be vnto this sinner wisdome righteousnes sanctification and redemption and that the sinner in Iesus Christ might bee wise vnto saluation righteous by imputation sanctified by regeneration and fully redeemed to inherit saluation He shall find himselfe to be now no more a stranger and forenner but a citizen with the Saints and of the houshold of God He shall find forgiuenes of sinnes peace with God and hope of euerlasting saluation This is the condition of euery seruant of God in Iesus Christ. And herein he hath cause to looke vp to lift vp his head with comfort and ioy He that in himselfe is a lost sinner is in Iesus Christ a saued Saint But thou saiest also that thou art a reprobate and a viler sinner then many reprobates This latter speech namely that thou art a viler sinner then many reprobates may be pronounced beleeued and graunted But the first speech namely that thou art a reprobate is neither to bee pronounced by thee nor granted by me nor beleeued by any The name of a reprobate is to be vnderstood with reference not vnto our naturall corruption which makes vs all children of wrath and worthy of reprobation but rather vnto the eternall and secret counsell vnto the iust and holie purpose of God And therefore the name signifieth not euery man that is a most vile sinner but him that is ordained by God from euerlasting to perish iustly in and for his sinne that God by declaring in him his power and his iustice may be glorified in the worke of his owne hands as of right belongeth â—…o him This description of a reprobate 〈◊〉 to bee prooued out of the words of â—… Paul saying What and if God would to 〈◊〉 his wrath and to make his power â—…ne suffer with long patience the vessels of wrath prepared to destruction The â—…en for their reprobation are called vessels of wrath their reprobation is shewed when it is said of them that they are prepared to destruction the end of their reprobation is signified to bee the glorie of God in the declaration of his iustice and power when hee is said to suffer them with long patience that when their ripe wickednesse calleth for vengance hee might shew in them his wrath power where by Gods wrath we are not to vnderstand any disturbed or disturbing passion as that which we call wrath in man but the holy and seâ—…ere execution of his iustice vppon sinners without respect of persons to declare his dislike of the sinne that he doth punish This is it that the Scripture calleth his wrath euen his holie euen and most vpright and vnpartiall iustice and for the manifestation of this his Iustice and power that for it he may be honored among his creatures hee doth indure these reprobates sometime long in their sinnes and in the end doth destroy them as hee had from euerlasting determined And that it doth of right belong vnto God and that he may glorifie his owne name by manifestation of his iustice and power and may appoint aforehaâ—…d so to doe the whole question in those words of the Apostle aboue alledged and the whole discourse of the Apostle in that place doe plainly prooue it For as the Potter hath power of his clay out of the same lump to take one peece to make a vessell for honourable seruice another peece to make a vessel for baser seruice the seruice of both being necessarie So God that is the Potter and fashioner of mankinde hath full power ouâ—… of the same lump of humane flesh made in the creation of Adam and multiplied by the gift and power of procreation to take one peece and thereof to make a vessell of meâ—…cie prepared vnto glory and to take an other peece and thereof to make a vessell of wrath prepared to destruction both these seruices of the glory of the one and the destruction of the other being necessary and furthering to one holy end which is the honour of God in and among his creatures Thus you heare what it is to be a reprobate the name not hauing reference to our originall sinfulnes which maketh vs all by nature children of wrath but to the purpose of almighty God seeking iustly his owne honour and glory by and in his owne creature How then can this afflicted sinner pronounce himselfe a reprobate seeing the truth of that name â—…ightly vnderstood dependeth not vpon the knowne sinne of man but vpon the vnknowne and secret purpose of God Sure that speech is a presuming speech wherewith he greatly wrongeth himselfe and which in humility and reuerence to God he must reuoke If the sinner for maintenance of that first bold and desperate speech shall further add and say I see in my selfe all â—…gnes of reprobation and therefore not presumptuously but iudiciously that â—…s from ground of reason I pronounce my selfe to bee a reprobate For first I 〈◊〉 a slauâ—…o sinne I am wholly subiect to the dominion of it it raigneth in my mortall body And I finde no resisting grace against it in my immortall soule Secondly the wrath of God lieth heauy vpon mee I am already vnder execution the worme that neuer dieth beginneth already to liue and sting most horribly in my conscience And what maketh or manifesteth a reprobate but these two his owne sinne deseruing destruction and Gods wrath working destruction And to manifest mee to be a reprobate I haue prowdly committed sinne against God and hee hath iustly powred out wrath vpon me I haue reason therefore to pronounce
I haue prouoked him to anger and by his iust sentence I must not liue Also I haue spent the daies of my life on earth so wickedly that I must liue no longer There the earth is ouer-loaden with my transgressions and refuseth to beare the burden of them And as for the life of heauen it were folly and madnes in mee yea it were shameles presumption in me to hope for any fruition of iâ—… I know no other place of life but these two earth where life is mortall and heauen where life is immortall and heauen will not admit me to liue there and the earth hath indured my life too long Therefore I must die This is the sentence of God The Prophet Ezekiel saith The soule that sinneth it shall die And the Apostle Saint Paul saith The wages of sinne is death Who can controule this iudgement of God who shall open his mouth against it I doe my selfe approue it And therefore I am become my selfe an enemie to mine owne life yea heauen doeth abhor it the earth doeth loath it it must not continue to the offence of God and his Angels to the greefe of the Church and all true members of it And therefore I â—…hat heitherto haue had no care to serue and glorifie God wiâ—…h the continuance of my life will yet at the least and at the last serue and glorifie God with the end of my life intending to be the executioner of Gods holy sentence vpon my selfe So shall I cease to sinne any longer against God As the dead cannot praise him so the dead can not blaspheme him and as they haue no place to doe well so I thinke they haue no place to doe euill and by such course I shall deliuer my selfe from this violent temptation I shall obtaine an end of my feare Doth not Iob say of death and of the graue The prisoners rest together and heare not the voice of the oppressor there are small and great and the seruant is free from his master There shall Ireâ—… hauing put off this heauy burden What greater oppressour can there be then an accusing and condemning conscience And there he saith I shall not heare the voice of the oppressor O place to be desired O sweet graue I long to be laied vp in thee and am I not a seruant and a slaue to sinne is it not now a most cruell and tyrannous master to me and there I shall be freed from his tormenting power This being so iust in regard of God so full of aduantage and ease vnto my selfe it must be done it shall be done and I must doâ—… it yea I wil doe it disswade mee not from so iust and so gainefull a course wherein I am resolued O malice of Satan this is thy voice this is thy counsell in all the former obiections wherein thou hast beene a medler thou hast shewed thy selfe but in this thou exceedest thy selfe Hee that knew thee not before by this obiection may know thee to be as saint Peter calls thee A roaring lion that walketh about seeking whom hee may deuoure Heereby thou maiest be knowne to be as S. Iohn calls thee the great dungeon that olde serpent called the diuell and Satan which deceiueth all the world In this temptation thou seekest to deuoure but the prey shall be plucked out of thy iawes in this thou thinkest to deceiue but thy dangerous falshood shall be discouered and auoyded The victorious Lion of the tribe of Iudah the roote of Dauid shall rescue and deliuer his seely sheepe The Serpent that was lifted vp vpon the crosse shall bâ—…uise thine head and heale the wound that thou like a fiery serpent hast made The Lord rebuke thee Satan The Lord tread thee downe vnder the feete of this afflicted sinner and that shortly But thou O sorrowfull sinner hearken to the councell of God let not the serpent that deceiued our first parents deceiue thee stoppe thine eare against his lying words and be ready to heare what shall be taught thee in the name of God God saith by the Prophet Heare your soule shal liue Heare that thy soul may liue Thou art vrged to desire deser ued death thou art vrged yeldest with thine owne hands to hasten his death Thy resolution to hasten it seemeth to be grounded vpon these reasons First thou hast wronged and prouoked to anger the Lord of life and therefore deseruest in his iustice to die Secondly thou hast burdened the earth the place of mortall life with thy sinnes and art not worthy to liue any longer vpon the face thereof and then to thinke that thou maiest liue in heauen the place of immortal life thou holdest to be shamlesse presumption Thirdly thou holdest thy life to be loathsome it is so to thy selfe because it is offensiue to God and to his Angels to the church and members thereof Fourthly because thou hast not serued and glorified God by the continuance of thy life thou wilt serue and glorifie him by hastening the end of it Fistly thou hast multiplied sinne all the daies of thy life and thou thinkest that thou shalt cease to sin if once thou be dead Lastly whereas thy life is full of feare sorrow and bitternesse thou thinkest by death to be freede at once from all These are the reasons vpon which thou groundest thy resolution to hasten thy death with thine owne hands they may preuaile as reasons with them whom God hath left in the power of him whom the Lord Iesus calleth a murtherer from the beginning But whosoeuer remaineth in the protection of the Lord and giuer of life to him these allegations cary not the estimation of perswading reasons oâ—… if they beare any such estimation with them yet God wil nâ—…uer suffer them so to preuaile that they shal take effect but he will preuent their execution as â—…e did with the affrited Gaoler of Philippiâ—…â—…hom â—…hom being ready to fall vpâ—… his sword when he perceiued the effects of the earth-quake and feared that his prisoners were â—…led the mercifull GOD preserued him by the voice of Paul My heart trembleth to thinke of this obiection and it breaketh out beyond the bounds of my conceit that thought the precedent obiection to haue beene the height of Sathans malice and of this poore afflicted sinners danger But this exceedeth all height heere is extremity of malice in the tempter heere is extremity of danger in the tempted If the Deuill preuaile in this temptation hee xedeth not to vse any other And if the â—…ner giue place to this temptation it is â—…othing worth to 〈◊〉 and ouer come â—…lother In answering this temptation â—…il first examine the point that he saith â—…is resolued vpon and then the reaâ—…ons vpon which hee groundeth his resolution The thing that he is resolued vpon is â—…o cut the threed of his own life in plain â—…ords he intendeth to kill himselfe In the whole history of the Bible that conâ—…neth the
a thing is it that the professed Christian should faile to put his trust in Christ his Sauiour a greater error then this into which thou runnest it is not possible for any man to fall into this is to say to the iudge whom we haue offended I will indure no chastisment at thy hands this is to say to the redeemer that is readie to saue vs I despise thy saluation rather make choice to perish There is a madnes of the bodie when the braine is distempered but verily this is the madnes of the soule running into ruine and while thou art yet sober wilt thou wittingly run mad foreseeing the mischiefe that will follow Besides consider whose thy life is who quickned thee at the first who preserued thy life heitherto who hath numbred thy dayes and appointed thy time to whom the seruice of thy life belongeth to vse while he pleaseth to whom the issues of death doe appertaine and who hath the keyes of Hell and of Death and in whose handes the rule of all these things remaine thâ—… so shâ—…lt thou discerne whether thou haue any power authorite or no to meddle in this busines Didst thou appoint the beginning of thine owne life Didst thou fashion and quickeÌ„ thy selfe in thy mothers wombe doeth not the Prophet say speaking vnto God Thine hands haue made me and fashioned me He confesseth god to be the work master himselfe to be Gods work wherein hee did no more then the pot doeth that taketh not his owne shape but receiues it from the potter Hereof he speaketh more fully in another place Know yee that euen the Lord he is God he â—…th made vs. and not we our selues And wilt thou pull downe the building that God hath set vp go to then and pull downe heauen which God hath spread â—…owle it vp in a bundle and cast it into the deepe scatter in the ayre the water of the sea and fling abroad the drops of it till it be drie pound the earth into â—…st and raise a mightie winde to scatter the same that the place of it may bee sound no more If thou haue a purpose to destroy that God hath made and wouldest oppose thy hand in destroying against the hand of God in building attempt some of these things and try thy strength that thou maiest suruiue thy fact and liue to reape the glory of it If these things be to great for thee then cease to hold this conceit to attempt the pulling downe of that which God hath built vp oppose not thy selfe against his worke especially in pulling downe the frame of thine owne life where thou must needes perish with thine owne worke not liue to glorie in that that thou hast done And as God made thee at the first a liuing wight so it is he that hath preserued thee all thy time in the feeblenes of thy insancie in the carelesnes of thy youth in the rashnes of thy riper yeares all which seasons of thy life made thee subiect to many decaies thorough their proper frailties But God made thy feeble infancie strong with his strength he made thy ignorant and carelesse youth aduised and wise by his wisdome he made thy rash and hold manhod to be safe through his prouidence He that keepeth Israel and neither slumbreth nor sleepeth it is he that hath kept thee The Prophet speaketh thus vnto God in one of the Psames Thou didst draw me out of the wombe thou gauest me hope euen at my mothers breastes I was cast vpon thee euen from the wombe thou art my God from my mothers belly By which words hee giueth vs to vnderstand that the same God that gaue vs life in our mothers wombe is hee that keepeth vs from the wombe to the graue he preuenteth dangers he giueth â—…oode hee healeth our sicknes hee disapointeth our enemies he is our guard to defend vs he is our shield and buckler to saue vs from all hurt He hath done this for thee for thy conception vnto this day and wilt thou in one hower attempt to ouerthrow and destroy that which with so much care God hath cherished so long wilt thou be hatefull to oppose thy selfe against his loue wilt â—…ou be maliciously vnthankefull to oppose thy selfe against the worke of his fatherly care while hee is desirous to keepe thee in safetie wilt thou striue more then all the world besides to worke thine owne decay The Angels in heauen vnderstanding the care of God for thee doe willingly pitch their â—…ents about thee and refuse not for thy safety to be are thee in their hands and keepe thee in thy wars The diuels of hell by Gods prouidence are kept off from thee as with a strong hedge which they can neither clime ouer nor breake thorow whereby they impeach not thy safety And while the creator of all things remaineth thy keeper the creatures are in league with thee and thou liuest in pace among them and while the worke of God that preserueth thy life hath this power among all creatures that the creatures of heauen will not attempt thy hurt the creatures of earth doe not attempt it and the creatures of hell cannot Wilt thou alone vnmercifully seeke to crosse the care of God in working thine owne woe Then thou art worthy whom the heauenly creatures should abhorre whom the earthly creatures should forsake and the hellish creatures imbrace receiued into their company with this greeting this is he whom God would haue kept but against the loue of the Angels of heauen against the peace of the creatures of the earth and beyond the malice and power of vs Angels of darknes hee hath destroied himselfe Besides it is God that hath assigned to euery one of vs the measure of our time he hath appointed the number of our daies our life did not begin till he appointed the first day of it and so long it must last vntill hee say this is the last day of it No man did set downe for himselfe when he would come into the world and no man must set downe for himselfe when he will goe out of the world God sent vs in giuing vs life when we came into the world and God must call vs out of the world taking away our life when wee goe hence It is the saying of Iob Is there not 〈◊〉 appointed time to man vpon earth and 〈◊〉 not his daies as the daies of an hireling Man hath his time appointed to him when it shall begin when it shall end he cannot lengthen it when the end comâ—…th and he ought not to shorten it before the time be come His daies are as the daies of an hireling an hireling is entertained for so many daies longer theÌ„ his couenant he may not stay shorter then his couenant he ought not to stay such is the life of man hee is Gods hireling for so many daies and yeares God â—…ath hired him in this world as in Gods vineyard to worke in some
cheerefull seruice of them that are about thee vse thy bed thy clothes thy meate prepared for thy ease thy couering thy nourishment vse all the creatures of God in their kinds and praise God that thou maiest haue them S. Paul saith Euery creature of God is good and nothing ought to be refused if it be receiued with thanksgiuing for it is sanctified by the word of God and praier It ought not saith he to be refused it ought to be receiued with giuing of thankes And if we vse praier vnto God that it will please him to blesse vnto vs his owne gift which the word of God alloweth vs to vse he will sanctifie it for our good For God that giueth these things is good the things themselues that God doth giue are good therefore the effect of them being Christianly vsed cannot but bee good Continue the opinion of thine owne vnworthinesse but reiect thy vnwise purpose of refusing to vse Gods creatures for thine vnworthinesse CHAP. XXX OVR poore distressed sinner reclaymed from the conrses that in his last obiections hee remembred the first being a quicke violent and apparent purpose of ending his owne life the second being a slow dangerous and close purpose of wasting his life is not yet so freed from the troubled thoughts of death that he can with a quiet hope of life looke to the God of life and thus further out of remayning feare obiecteth to the disquieting of his owne heart though I may not hurt my life with violent hands as first I thought to doe and must nourish my life with seruiceable hands which in the second place I thought not to haue done yet my life must come 'to an end by the condition that all Adams children are subiect vnto God said to Adam in the sweat of thy face shalt thou eat bread till thou returne to the earth for out of it wast thou taken because thou art dust and to dust shalt thou returne This was the condition of the first man this is the condition of all men and among all it is also my condition I must die if I cherish life neuer so carefully And this remembrance of death considering my present woefull estate is fearefull vnto mee two manner of waies First I feare lest death should take mee away before I be deliuered from this temptation as it may well doe for I may die to day or to morrow yea I may die presently And if I should so hastily die while this feare directly contrary to faith lieth yet vpon my conscience I should die in my infidelity I should die without faith in Christ and so to die without faith in the sonne of God is the high-way to eternall damnation for the Lord Iesus saith he that beleeueth not is condemned already because he beleeueth not in the name of the only begotten sonne of God Secondly if there should be any ceasing and intermission of these accusing thoughts before my death yet I feare death because after death this accusation may bee renewed and the precedent ceasing proue no doing away for euer but onely a deferring for a time of this plague And I haue cause to feare such a thing because the right time of preferring accusations against sinners is the time after death when men must come to iudgement as the Apostle saith it is appointed vnto men that they shal once die and after that commeth the iudgement After death the soule commeth to iudgement the book of conscience must then be opened and accusations then or neuer must be heard and if these accusations now be so grieuous vnto mee now while iudgement is far off while there is place for repentance and hope of forgiuenesse surely they will then be much more fearefull woefull miserable horrible therefore the remembrance of death come it sooner or come it later come it before or after the stay of this temptation is fearfull vnto me This obiection is not hard to bee answered thou fearest death two manner of waies First lest it come before thou haue ouercome this temptation and recouered peace with God by faith in our Lord Iesus And thou fearest this hasty comming of death for two causes one is because it is possible that it may so come for we may and must if God cal die presently another because it is dangerous so to die thou takest thy temptation to bee directly opposit to faith therefore if thou die before it bee ouercome thou diest without faith and to die without faith is sure damnation Thus thou fearest deathes hasty comming and to thy feare of death this way growing we will first make answer Against thy feare of death comming before thy temptation be ouercome God giueth comfortable hope that death shall not come before thy temptation be ouercome And it comes not at all but by the appointment of God neither sooner nor later then he appointed it For hee sent vs with life into the world he hath appointed the length of our life in the world and the time and manner of our dying and departing out of the world lieth onely in his pleasure of whom the Prophet saith To the Lord God belongeth the issues of death The set time for the produceing of all his appointed workes resteth in his owne counsell when the Apostles questioned the Lord Christ after his resurrection for the restoring of the kingdome to Israel he made them answer It is not for you to know the times or the seasons which the father hath put in his owne power And if the time of all his workes be put and placed only in his power then the time of thy death which is one of this workes is put only in his power But his God that hath the sole disposing of thy death hath as I said giuen thee comfortable hope that death shall not come before this thy temptation be ouercome For this we haue his gracious promise deliuered by the pen of the blessed Apostle Paul saying God is faithfull that will not suffer you to be tempted aboue that you be able but will giue the issue with the temtation that ye may be able to beare it Here he promiseth an issue of euery temptation and also that the man burdened there with shal be able to beare it and ouercome it And hitherto though this temptation hath beene grieuous vnto thee and in bearing of it thou hast felt and found thine owne weaknesse yet God hath supported thee and thou hast beene inabled to indure weary daies and comfortlesse nights And in the meane time while this temptation hath lasted for thy further strengthening thou hast inioyed many mercies of God both in thy soule and body and estate and friends for hee hath not smitten thy soule with the stroke that fell vpon Nebuchadnezzar thou hast had and stil hast thine vnderstanding free to inquire after God and harken after his mercy and he hath not smitten thy body with the bile of Aegypt
or denouncing iudgement to the impenitent and vnbeleeuers Whatsoeuer yee binde on earth shall be bound in heauen and whatsoeuer yee loose on earth shal be loosed in heauen Wherefore doeth hee speake thus of their determination and of their word but that according to that good hope which thou hast gathered vnto thy soule from the word of God in the writings of his Prophets and Apostles and in the mouthes of his faithfull witnesses on earth according to that good hope hee will doe vnto thee in heauen And in his iudgement both at thy last day and in the worlds last day he will not varie one iot from the straight rule of his word whereon thy recouered peace is grounded Indeede if thou shouldest recouer thy peace and remoue thy accusing thoughts with the remedie of Atheists that like Dauids foole Say in their hearts there is no God that is there is no diuine power gouerning the world in iustice and rewarding euery man according to his workes If thou shouldest shake off thy temptation with that conceit of wicked men recorded in the booke of wisedome that say Wee are borne at all aduenture and wee shal be â—…ereafter as though we had neuer beene for the breath is a smoke in our nosthrilles and the words are a sparke raised out of our heart which being extinguished the body is turned into ashes and the spirit vanisheth as the soft aire our life shall passe away as the trace of a cloud and come to â—…ought as the mist that is driuen away with the beames of the Sun and cast downe with the heate thereof That is no hand of God made vs at the first to be serued with the obedience of our life and when we leaue the world we shall not appeare before the face of any God to giue account for our liues for wee were borne by no prouidence and appointment of any higher power but euen as it happened such a man to beget such a boy such a mother to beare such a child and when wee die wee returne into earth and aire ourbodies become dust our spirits vanish as a puffe of winde there is no difference after death betweene man and beast both vanish and come to nothing as we were not before we were borne so wee shall not be when we are dead Iâ—… with these wicked conceites we seeke to stifle and choke our owne conscience or falsely flatter our selues with the securitie of contemners despising all the threatnings of God So that when they heare the words of the curse they blesse themselues in their heart saying we shall haue peace although we walke according to the 〈◊〉 of our owne hearts that is the threatnings of Gods displeasure are not to be regarded I esteeme them no more then the winde that breatheth ouer mine head and I shal be well inough whatsoeuer God say and I will hold on my course without any feare of God If vpon any such sandie and deceitfull ground thou shouldest builde thy peace and by such deuice should make dull rather then quiet thy troubled conscience verily thy accusing thoughts would returne like so many furies after death charging thee with all thine impieties before the face of thy Iudge The Atheist shall knowthat there is a God as it is said in the Psalme Doubtles there is a God that iudgeth the earth The Sadduce shall know that there is a life after this when he shall be called to answere as it is said of the â—…uill steward Giue accounts of thy stewardship for thou maist bee no longer steward And the contemner shall know the power of Gods displeasure when the wrath of the Lord and his iâ—…alousie shall smoake against that man and all the curses written in Gods booke shall light vpon him But if thy accusing thoughts be put to silence by the knowledge and faith of Gods mercy and of Christ his merit accompanied with repentance and true conuersion to God as hath beene said if by the promises and rules of Gods word thy peace while thou liuest be recouered assuerdly thy sinnes shall neuer be laid to thy charge after death for otherwise there were no faithfulnes in God nor trueth in his word wherein he hath thus spoken I will rememher their sinnes no more And in another place All his transgressions that he hath committed they shall not be mentioned vnto him Theresore if it shall please God by the meanes that is applied vnto thee out of his word to deliuer thee froÌ„ the storme of this temptation whilest thou liuest thou hast no cause to feare the renewing of it after death nor in that name to feare death And because thou art troubled with such fantasticall feares of death that indeed is naturally fearefull to all men let â—…e acquaint thee with the condition thereof to a Chistian it came indeede into the world by the sinne of our first parents and by the holy and iust iudgement of God it was imposed vpon vs as a punishment of sinne depriuing vs of all present good things and plunging vs into eternall euils But when the sonne of God suffred death for our sinnes and by his suffring gaue satisfaction to the iustice of God he then slew destroied death it selfe by that death of his and tooke away all deadly killing power from that dissolution of ours which we call death and made it vnto all beleeuers a gate and passage into life putting an end vnto all their present troubles â—…nd bringing them to the possession of endles happines So that it is to them as the euening is to the labourer when he both resteth from his former wearie worke and also receiueth the reward for which he wrought For the body henceforth is laied vp in the graue as vpon a bed of ease where it shall â—…euer after either shake for colde or faint for heate where it shall neuer after feele either hunger or sicknes or be wearied any more with painfull labour That is it that the Prophet meaneth when hee saith Peace shall come they shall rest in their beds euery one that walketh before him That is the righteous man that treading in the paths of Gods commandements walketh with him in his holy obedience heâ—… at his iournies end in his body shall lie downe to rest in his graue as on his bed and much peace shall be his portion and as for the soule from thenceforth being vnclothed of his earthly couering and remoued out of his Tabernacle and house of clay it ascendeth vp vnto Iesus Christ and being clothed with glory it hath an happy abiding with him in heauen where it inioyeth the most comfortable presence of Christ his redeemer and the desired fellowship of those redeemed that are alreadle passed out of the wildernes of this wicked world into the paradice of eternall delight So did the Lord Iesus promise to the dying theese when hee said vnto him This day thou shalt bewith mee in paradice
fall into misery is of infinite variety no man can number the seuerall miseries and troubles that sinne hath made our life subiect vnto yet they may be reduced to two generall heads for either they are iudgements vpon the inward man inward miseries and afflictions vpon the soule or else they are outward iudgements vpon the outward man in outward things that touch not the peace of the soule The inward iudgements and miseries which follow the fall into sin and wherinto for sinne man falleth are either the blinding of our vnderstanding and the hardening of our heart often inflicted as punishments of foregoing sinnes and such was the iudgâ—…ment of God vpon Pharao whose heart God hardened and such a iudgement and misery the Apostle Paul telleth vs the Gentiles fell into as a punishment of precedent sins when he saith Wherefore also God gaue them vp to their hearts lusts vnto vncleannesse to deâ—…ile their owne bodies betweene themselues And in many more words he recordeth that iudgement or they are those feares and terrours of heart that cast vs downe from hope that empty our soules of comfort fill them with feares and make vs as it were to stagger shrinke and fall in our faith of this kind is that iudgement that God threaâ—…neth by Moses in these words the Lord shall simite thee with madnesse and with blindnesse and astonishment of heart when a man is amased and confounded with his feares that hee knoweth not which way to turne him for comfort and helpe and deepe fallen into this miserie were they whom Esay speaketh of saying The sinnes in Sion are afraid a feare is come vpon the hipocrites who among vs shall dwell with the deuouring fire who among vs shall dwell with the euerlasting burnings They conceiued no otherwise of God then of a consuming fire and therefore feare possessed altogither their hearts hope vanished faith had no abiding there And all these inward miseries falling immediately vpon the soule and the facultie thereof tend chiefely to this to ouerthrow our faith by decay of it to ouerthrow vs for faith is the firme standing of our soule grounded vpon the assurance of Gods mercy Therefore doeth the Apostle vse this phrase Watch you stand fast in the faith quit you like men and be strong Because he that hath the stronger faith standeth the more strong and steadfast and hee that hath the weaker faith standeth more weakely and loose and thoug the faith of the Saints of God once giuen vnto them neuer totally decaieth for as the Lord Iesus saith hee praied for the continuance and confirmation of Peters faith to whom he said I haue praied for thee that thy faith faile not So he praied for all his chosen ones that beleeue in him when he said to his father I pray not for these alone but for them also which shall beleeue in mee thorough their word Yet the faith of the Saintes suffereth sometimes an eclipse or deceasing at some other times an increasing whereby as in the increasing of their faith they stand fast and are full of comfort so in the deceasing of their faith their footing becommeth slipperie and they take many sore falles feele their hearts oppressed with feare as it was with Dauid when he cried out My God my God why hast thou forsaken mee and art so far from my health and from the words of my roaring And when he complained at another time saying Mine heart trembleth within mee and the terrors of death are fallen vpon mee feare and trembling are come upon mee and an horrible feare hath couered mee In this manner their faith at that time being in the wane the righteous oppressed with a weight of anguish and feare doe often fall through the shrinking of their faith and feele themselues sore bruised in their soules But yet such is the mercy of God that he doeth not suffer the righteous being fallen into these inward iudgements and miseries to fall for euer And if it be a blinded vnderstanding or a hardned heart that they are fallen into he raiseth them vp out from a blinded vnderstanding by sending the knowledge of the 〈◊〉 As the Lord Iesus sent Paul among the ignorant Gentiles with this commission I send thee to open their 〈◊〉 that they may turne from darkenes to light c. And he raiseth them vp from hardnes of heart by mollifying their hearts as hee promiseth by Ezekiel saying I will take away the stonâ—…e heart out of your body and I will giue you an heart of flesh And if they be fallen into any feare and terror of conscience he raiseth them vp by repairing their faith and by reuiuing their comfort To that end he bringeth to their remembrance the large promises of his grace the boundles measure of his mercy the riches of his free vnchangeable loue and then doeth hee make them remember that they haue a mediator that died for their sinnes and rose againe for their iustification and ascended into heauen to prepare a place for them and sitteth on the right hand of his father in highest fauour and greatest authoritie to make intercession for them continually vrging the vertue of his death and bloudshedding that hath taken away the sinne of the world who is the prince of peace that hath made their peace and is that beloued sonne in whom the father is well pleased making vs accepted in that his beloued To the same end doeth he spread the beames of his louing countenance and cause the light thereof to shine within their consciences sending downe the spirit of adoption into their hearts to beare witnes with their spirits that they are the sonnes of God so raking together the sparkes of their almost smothered faith from among the cold ashes of anguish and feare where it lay deepe couered giuing heate and life vnto it with the warming fire of his comfort so that they begin to lift vp their heads and to reioice their hearts and to shake of their their sorrow and feare and to glorie in God saying with the blessed virgin My soule magnifieth the Lord and my spirit reioiceth in God my Sauiour And with the Prophet Dauid Thou hast tnrned my mourning into ioy thou hast loosed my sacke and girded mee with gladnes And that God doeth thus not suffring the righteous to fall and languish in these inward miseries for euer besides the experience of Gods elect daily renewed with light and grace and daily refreshed with comfort and peace the scriptures also doe testifie it to be the gracious manner of Gods dealing with his chosen The Prophet saith of him Hee healeth those that are broken in heart and bindeth vp their soares These words can be referred to no other worke of God for the more sure and full performance whereof God sent his sonne into the world who came to call sinners vnto repentance and to seeke and saue them that