alone but it doth 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 Rom. 2.14.15 Rom 1. as well as 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 and hence it is that the same thing hath such different effects upon the spirits of men There were many in the company of Belshazar when the hand-wrighting apeared Dan. 5.5.6 and yet none that we read of was affected with it but the King and it was not the hand-wrighting that troubled him but at the same time the spirit of God did come into his Conscience and his own thoughts troubled him stir'd up and acted his Conscience and they sudenly terrisie him as the word doth here signify And â—rov 18.14 We reaâ— of 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 a sad anâ— troubled broaken and tender spirit 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 And who has power over the spirits of a man It is subject unto none but God and the spirit of God and therefore none is able to wound the spirit of a man no more then they can command it without the spirit of God come in with it Therefore one man is moved by a threatning and another man is not one man is pricked in his heart and the other feels it not It is as tâ—e spirit of God doth come into the Conscience of men Now as there is a twofold Covenant so there is a twofold Spirit That is in respect of the double effect that the spirit of God works upon the spirits of men for every man hath the spirit of God working in him answerable to the Covenant under which he stands Christ having the administration of both Covenants the Covenant of grace and the Covenant of works and the spirit of Christ being the Prorex of Christ in the administration of all things in his kingdom the spirit that accompanies the first Covenant and works in all that are under it is 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 Rom. 8.15 2 Tim. 1.7 But the spirit that acompanies the Covenant of grace and works in all those whose Covenant is changed is 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 Rom. 8.45 2 Cor. 3.17 And the liberty or the bondage of a mans spirit lies mainly in his Conscience The spirit of God coming in to a mans Conscience gives him boldness and a manuduction into the presence of God the boldness of a man that has a spirit of adoption Job 2 it makes him lift up his face in the presence of God and the spirit coming into a mans heart as a spirit of Bondage it casts upon a man chains of darkness Jude 6. Heb. 2.15 Now As here in this life the spirit of God as a spirit of Sonship and Adoption comes into the soul but by degrees and we do but receive the first fruits Rom. 8.23 The earnest Ephes 9.4 All is but as a spark to the Fire a drop to the Ocean and the spirit of God works and withdraws it self and the man is diserted so now the coming of the spirit of God into the Conscience is but a pledge and the first fruits of wrath which now a man receives but in the first fruits in a weak measure and with much intermission We have our well and our ill dayes c. And men have their deversions notwithstanding the pangs of their Consciences Caine can build Cities to drown the cry of Conscience but hereafter as the spirit of God in Heaven shall be perfectly a spirit of Adoption so in Hell it shall be perfectly a spirit of Bondage and Fear and that without intermission or interception for ever Secondly After this Life Conscience shall be perfectly inlightned and perfectly awakened There are two great evils that hinder the working of Conscience in this Life First A blindness and that both sinful and penal Luk 19.11 They would not know the things of their peace in the day of their peace therefore they were now hid from their eyes and so men go hoodwinckt to Hell and fall into distruction ere they apprehend their danger Mal. 3.8 Will a man rob God c. And they say wherein have we rob'd thee Isa 26.11 The hand of the Lord is lifted up but they will not see and Isa 5.20 They call evil good and good evil put darkness for light and light for darkness and they Math. 6.7 Did think they had prayed well when they babled much for they did expect to be heard for it and so there is a great deal of blindness that does sease upon men Judicially Rom. 11.7 Secondly There is also a spirit of stumber Isa 29.10 The word in the Hebrew is the same that is used of Adam when God took out a rib from him Gen. 2.21 Let God threaten judgment and terrour out of his word and the man awakes not but is in a deep sleep still But there are some spiritual Judgments that are also eternal a man being forsaken of God and God leaving him to the willful wickedness of his own spirit But there are some that are but temporal and only for the time of this Life God gives men over to Atheism and the Fool says there is no God But though there are Atheists here there are no Atheists in Hell God gives men over to blindness here that they will not see that sin is so great an evil and the wrath of God is so dreadful as it is But they shall see and the blindness of their minds shall be done away and they shall be awakned and the spirit of slumber removed and Conscience shall never sleep again Thirdly All the faculties of the soul shall be inlarged here they are streightned by sin and are of a narrow capacity and it is little either joy or sorrow that they are capable of also Conscience renewed is capable of a little Grace there is an 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 a measure a pitch to which they come and that is but little before they be translated to Glory it is but a taste that the Lord is gracious it is but the first fruits of the spirit but after this life all the faculties shall be inlarged that they shall be made vessels prepared for Glory So wicked men Cain and Judas they are capable of a little wrath here as a man cannot see God and live he is not capable of the glory of Heaven so neither is a man capable of the torments of Hell and live a child is capable of more wrath in Hell then the wickedest man that ever was whilest he lived here therefore they shall be vessels fitted for destruction c. And hence it is that men cannot call to mind the offers of grace and opertunities neglected rejected motions the duties omited the sins commited Sermons heard the truths that were offered to be disposed the several checks of a mans own Conscience and the several admonitions of friends reproaches of enemies c. A man cannot conceive how it should be but then our faculties shall be inlarged and we shall put off our houses of Clay by which the soul is streightened and it shall be conversant
seat and will exalt the humble and lowly Sixthly Keep a good Conscience towards enemies Job 3.129 30. it was a brave temper in Job If I rejoyced at the destruction of him that hated me or lift up my self when evil found him c. and our Saviour bids us Mat. 5.44 pray for them that despightfully use you and persecute you c. forgive them and be willing to do them good if thine enemy hunger feed him for in so doing thou shalt heap coals of fire on his head be not overcome of evil but overcome evil with good if they be thy enemies without a cause or for telling them the truth they are more their own enemies then thine therefore pity them The accidental part or less principal part of the torments of Hell we have hear under the Metaphor of the never dying Worm And now I come unto the principal part and that which is essential to it and that is the fire that never can be quenched and here I must mind you of what Christ sayes Joh. 3.12 I have spoken to you Earthly things and you believe not Spiritual things under Earthly resemblances for our weak eyes need to have the species condensed by such spectacles as these are spiritualia capere non possumus nisi adumbrata c. How shall you believe if I tell you of Heavenly especially when the joys of Heaven and the pains of Hell are laid down in any measure before you this latter I am now to speak to the fire which cannot be quenched it 's a thing disputed amongst Divines and the fathers of old have differ'd in it and the Schoolmen after them whether the fire by which the damned in Hell shall be tormented be not Material and Corporeal fire but Metaphorical only some of them say that it is Corporeal and of the same nature with that fire we have here because it must torment the bodies of men and others say that it cannot be Corporeal for then it cannot work upon Spirits as the Devils and the Souls of men are and hence Durandus and others have found out a way that by the power of God he can elevate Corporeal agents in their operations so that they shall work upon Spiritual subâ—â—ances and as the Soul is affected here by its union with the body so it shall be hereafter c. But these things seem not at all to agree with the word of God nor the manner of the speaking of the Spirit of God therein who hath wholly expressed Heaven and Hell to us by Metaphors because in its proper Speech and if the Lord should speak of things as they are we could not understand them it 's questioned by some Divines by what names the estate and condition of the damned was expressed in the Old Testament and it is wholly resolved into certain Metaphors taken from some exemplary acts of vengeance upon sinners the first remarkable judgment that came upon the world was the Deluge now we read in Gen. 6. Of Giants that were in the Earth men of renown whose wickedness was so great upon the Earth that the Lord repented that he had made man and takes up a resolution in judgment to destroy them that he had created from the Earth and these being the first that did eminently and remarkably perish therefore Pro. 21.16 't is said The man that wanders out of the way of understarding shall remain in the Congregation of the dead the Hebrew word is 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 the place receives its name from those wicked men who were in the eyes of all men remarkably the first inhabitants and this is conceived to be the first title that in Scripture is any where given to the place of the damned the next judgment was the destruction of Sodom God condemning them with an overthrow and turning it into a dead Sea a fiery and Sulphurious Lake where every thing dyes nor can any thing live in it and a smoak that continually ascends up and by that also in Scripture Hell is expressed the Lake that burns with fire and Brimstone for ever and it is Jude 7. suffering the vengeance of Eternal fire There is another expression of it that is very famous there was near Jerusalem a place that was called Tophet as Schal conceives from 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 Tympano because of the several Musical Instruments that were used there when the Jews did sacrifice their children unto Molech and burnt them caused them to pass through the fire unto the Devil and to testifie that they did it from the heart though they were never so dear yet they must rejoyce in it and dance at the sacrifice it was the Valley of the sons of Himon this place was thus polluted by sin and with the blood of men poor inocent ones And this place of Idolatry Josiah did pollute and commanded all the dead bodies and all the unclean things of the City to be cast therein and for the consuming of those a continual fire was kept there and God did execute special vengeance in this place because in it the Lord destroyed 185000. of the Assyrian Camp and there the Jews were slain themselves when the Babylonish Army took the City and hence Isa 30. and last verse For Tophet is ordained of old yea for the King it is prepared he has made it deep and large the pile thereof is fire and much wood the breath of the Lord like a stream of Brimstone doth kindle it this place that was so famous for judgment and vengeance is used to express the torments of Hell the place of the damned it is called Tophet and hence also I conceive the Word 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 hath its name from Himon for the greatness of the misery it is called 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 the grave and destruction Pro. 15.11 There is nothing done in Hell and in the bottomless pit but it is open to the Lord he knows and orders all in it and therefore is the Devil called Abadon the destroyer for the terror and unquietness thereof it is called 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 2 Pet. 2.4 from 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 which signifies to trouble vex and disquiet a man and it s called for the uncomfortableness and continual fear of it darkness by which all misery is expressed in the Scripture and to set forth the perfection of it it is called utter darkness Mat. 8.12 but the children of the Kingdom shall be cast out into utter darkness c. That is extra Ecclesiam regnum Christi for the Kingdom of God is an inheritance in light Col. 1.12 so all the miseries of men without Christ are called darkness and a darkness that is without even there where all the wicked of the world shall be so Cartwright and some think that it is Comparativum Superlativi loco and it signifies maximas profundismas and so Pareus c. And for the eternity of it its called the deep Luke 8.31 and Rev.
no more about these streightned objects but about the vast things of Eternity for ever The things of Eternity pass knowledg and pass fear 1 Cor. 13.12 This life in grace is but childhood to Heaven the faculties and abilities of our souls are streightned so this life in sin and misery is but childhood unto Hell for there shall the soul be inlarged for God has made the soul capable of greater joyes and greater sorrows greater blessings and greater sufferings then there are in this Life and he would never have prepared such vessels either for wrath or glory but that he means to fill them and this inlargement shall be by degrees as he will fill them by degrees and as grace inlarges and prepares the heart for glory Col. 1.12 so does sin inlarge and prepare the heart for wrath and therefore they are said Rom. 9.23 To be vessels fited for distruction as well as prepared for glory c. Fourthly After this Life all comfortable affections and actings of the soul shall have an end There be some acts of soul that are comforting and cheering and there are some acts that are afflicting and tormenting the comforting acts are in refference to good things either present or to come if present the soul loves them and rejoyceth in them and if absent the soul loves them desires them and hopes for them and all these do cheer the soul and in the exercise of these the life of the soul comes in but after this Life all good things of this Life in present fruition or future reversion shall have an end From the creatures all good things at Death shall take their leave they are but this worlds goods and for all good things from God there shall be none for they shall have Judgment without mercy pure and utter darkness there shall not be a beam of light or the hope of any good thing for the soul to live upon unto Eternity for if a man were to lye in Hell a million of years and were to expect then a release his soul would live but being swallowed up in eternity of misery without hope the soul dyes These affections shall still remain in the soul but because they have no object therefore shall never be exercised as fear and sorrow are in the Saints in Heaven but never are exercised because there is no object upon which it should be exercised Therefore in Hell there never shall be an act of love or joy or hope more to eternity the hope of the wicked is as the giving up of the Ghost he breaths it out with his last breath and he shall never hope more for ever and there are in the soul some tormenting and afflicting acts in reference unto evil things present or to come if it be present there is sorrow and if to come fear and if it be looked upon as an insuportable and inseparable no way to escape it there is dispair for ever Now seeing there shall be the absence of all good at present and in hope and the presence of all evil and a mans condition under it helpless and hopeless therefore after this life to ungodly men all comforting acts of soul shall cease and all the tormenting acts shall take place and act in their full power and vigour for ever Now let us come to the particulars wherein Conscience doth apear to be a worm after this life manely There is a four fold act of Conscience and in every one of them it does hereafter become a worm First There is an act of Accusation Secondly of Conviction Thirdly of Condemnation Fourthly of Execution The torments that follow the soul after all these and in these does this furious reflection of the soul upon it self consist First An act of accusation Rom. 2.15 Conscience accusing and excusing and this consists in two things First A reviewing and reflecting upon the rule that a man did and should have walked in Secondly Upon the unanswerableness of a mans wayes unto this rule and so Conscience shall charge upon a man all the errours of his way for an accusation does suppose and lay down a Law and then charges a man with the breach thereof there is a double book of Conscience the first is a book of precepts and rules secondly a book of practises First For the book of rules and precepts there shall be manifested three things after this life First There are many rules of duty that we are ignorant of and so there are many sins of ignorance committed that men know not to be a sin because they are unacquainted with the rule of duty for we know in part and prophecy in part 1 Cor. 13. There is a vail upon the hearts of men in many things that they know not what they do Now to this end the book of Law and Gospel shall be opened and thereby a mans Duty discovered and Conscience inlightned in those things which here it never knew Rom. 2.16 for he will judge the secrets of all men according unto my Gospel c. Secondly There are several sins commited out of errour and mistake and upon false rules The Lord will bring forth and discover unto a man all these false and erroneous principles by which he has been led in his whole course John 16.2 1 Cor. 2.8 had they known it they would not have crucified the Lord of Glory Rom. 10.2 they have a zeal but not according to knowledg many things they did from an erroneous Conscience now all these false principles that mislead a man in his wayes shall be brought forth also and the falshood of them discovered Thirdly There are many true principles which Conscience does receive here from the word and the ministery thereof which are called truth Rom. 1.18 Who withhold the truth in unrighteousness All these rules in their authority holiness and equity shall be set before a man and how all of them were required of man for his good Thus the book of precepts being opened and the 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 of Conscience inlarged now follow the opening of the second book and that is that of practises First Conscience does charge upon a man sins of ignorance this thou hast done through ignorance of such a rule as Paul knew not Lust to be a sin before that the Commandment said thou shalt not Lust and then thy ignorance shall be discovered unto thee before men and angels and that with all thy means and opertunities of knowledg you to whom the Lord wrote the great things of his Law that had the Scriptures in your own Language and freedom and liberty to use them you that had all manner of helps publickly and privately preaching and writing wherein men do transcribere aias you that dwelt in the valley of Vision and yet of these things you are wilfully ignorant and in the things you know not in them you have corrupted your selves now they that counted it matter of shame to be instructed by a
rowl away the stone from the grave but it was done in a legal and judiciary way and therefore he is said to be justified He is near that justifies me 1 Tim. 3.16 Isa 50.8 And by this he doth convince the World of righteousness because the Lord delivered him from death Because he doth go to the Father Sixthly For a Soul by an Almighty power of God to rest upon this satisfaction of his and to plead it before God for himself at his judgment seat First To look upon Christ as dying not for himself but as a surety for in justification and the purging of Conscience from the guilt of sin the eye of Faith is mainly set upon Christ crucified Christ as dying and that as a surety to make satisfaction 1 Cor. 2.2 Heb 9.22 I desire to know nothing but Christ and Christ crucyfied for without sheding of blood there is no remission For though it is true that the personal excellencies that be in Christ are the objects of Faith yet that Faith as it comes to Christ in the act of justyfication and being quit of the guilt of sin it mainly looks upon Christ dying Christ satisfying Secondly To look upon Christ as a representative head as one in whom I died as a surety so as one in whome I rose he was justyfied and I in him because as he dyed for me so for me he was justified also and Christ was formerly condemned therefore there must an act of aquiting pass upon Christ and therefore Heb. 9.28 That it was so apeared plainly for he did bear the sins of many in respect of the guilt of them and he shall apear the second time without sin that is have the guilt of no sin charged upon him in oposition unto his former bearing our iniquities he shall be aquitted before men and angels and therefore he rose as the first fruits as a person representing all the rest of the elect and he was justified in the spirit that is raised up by the power of the divine nature thereby he was manifested to be justified and as he is sanctified as a common person and receives an Image for us that we must bear the Image of the heavenly there is life eternal laid up in him so he is justified as a common person from the guilt of sin that not any iniquity remains unsatisfied for in his behalf that is the ransom in his death is fully paid and as we were condemned in Adam a common person so it is reason we should be justified by Christ as in a common person also now when a soul by an almighty work of the spirit of God looks upon all these acts of Christ and the soul rests upon them in respect of the guilt of sin he doth put his sins upon the head of his surety and looks upon himself as acquitted in his justification and casts himself upon it that he may attain it thus the blood of Christ is said by a mighty work of the spirit on Christs part and faith on ours to be sprinkled upon our Consciences to purge them from the guilt of dead works Quest But how shall I know whether there be such an almighty power put forth in me that I may stay my soul upon Christs blood thus satisfying that I might be able thereby to see my Conscience purged and pacified and the terrour of sin taken away Answ A man shall know this almighty work of the spirit sprinkling this blood of Christ upon the Conscience by enabling a man unto that which all the power and improvement of a natural Conscience cannot perform and it will be seen in three things First When a mans Conscience awakened and convinced of sin doth yet make after reconciliation with God and union with Christ for a natural Conscience can find it easie to believe while he goes on still in his sins and Conscience is a sleep and indeed the faith of most men is but a good conceit of themselves from the self flatery of their own hearts but as soon as Conscience is awakened by and by they fly from God and look upon him as an enemy Luke 3.5 there are Mountains to be made a plain and there are Valleys to be fill'd now when a soul considers himself under the condemnation of sin the curse of the Law and looks upon God as an angry judge and yet saith I have heard that the Lord of Israel is a mercifull God and if mercy save me I shall be saved and if mercy destroy me I shall but dye I will fly to him whom I have offended and lye down at his footstool there is nothing in the world that I desire like unto reconciliation with him and I would be reconciled to him in his own way the way of union with Christ I would he found in him not having my own righteousness I would submit to the way of the Gospel Oh blessed is the Man unto whom the Lord imputes this righteousness and he is made the righteousness of God in Christ when a soul thus convinced of sin saith God be mercifull to me a sinner I will now go to him and leave my self with him let him do as it seemeth good to him as David said if the Lord delight in me he will save me c. truly all the power of nature improved can never make men leave themselves with God in this manner Secondly When a mans sins are discovered and the Lord leads a man into the wardrope of Christs righteousness and enables him to see how there is enough therein to cover them all and as God saw enough of Christs righteousness to satisfie him in point of justice so the Lord doth by a glorious light shew unto the soul enough of Christs righteousness to satisfy also in point of guilt that the soul can in some measure in Christ answer all the objections that Conscience can make by some spiritual reasonings drawn from the Lord Jesus Christ as when Conscience objects sin is a transgression of the Law but the soul answers the sufferings of Christ are the humiliation of the Law-giver sin is a dishonour to God in point of goods but Christ that made all things with him and had the same title unto all that God the Father had he laid down all and became poor and took a new title unto all he had more then a world to lay down sin did wrong God in point of honour but he that was the brightness of his glory did abase himself and made himself of no reputation and did bring thereby more honour to God he being subject to him then the subjection of all the creatures could have done it was a higher honour to the Soveraignty of God to have his son a servant then could have been to have had the service of all the creatures and he can do him more service and bring him in more glory in an hour then all the creatures could have done if man had stood to eternity sin did offend
sins Thirdly That all a mans comfort comes in by it Isa 40.1 says God speak comfortably to her and tell her that her fins are pardoned be of good cheer for thy sins are forgiven and Gods people many of them that walk in bitterness all their dayes and have sad hearts and they pray and their souls draw near to the grave and all this God permits that he might raise the price of pardon in their hearts when he bids them be of good cheer their sins are forgiven and then their flesh comes again as the flesh of a young child These and many the like principles of prophaness there is in the hearts of men and these being once granted they do bear a great sway with a man in his whole life Thus we have seen how to keep a pure Conscience in respect of the principles in mens hearts Now let us come to the second which is how to keep Conscience pure in respect of practise and therein two things are to be spoken to First The notes of a defiled Conscience Secondly Rules how to preserve it pure from defilement First Marks how to judge of the defilement of a mans Conscience as first when a man sins much against knowledge Tit. 1.15 and to sin against knowledge is one of the highest aggravations of sin and it makes every sin to be presumptious and qualifies a man Heb. 10.27 for the great transgression if a mans sin will fully after he has received the knowledge of the truth if you had been blind you had had no sin the Pharisees and the people committed the same sin they all persecuted Christ but the Pharisees sin'd against the Holy Ghost in it and the people did it ignorantly and repented sins that are ignorantly commited leave a door open to mercy Paul obtained mercy for I did it ignorantly in unbelief yet though he did it ignorantly there was need of mercy but because he did it ignorantly therefore there was hope of mercy there was place for mercy and the more the light is of education and example the greater the sin it is a great advantage to have good education Pro. 22.6 Train up a Child in the way he should go and when he is old he will not depart from it and so Pro. 31.1 it was that which his mother taught him and Timothy knew the Scriptures from a child and examples do aggravate sins Isa 26.10 In a Land of uprightness will he deal unjustly c. and Dan. 5. Thou Belshazzar hast not humbled thy heart though thou knowest all this to have a light within a man as well as example without to have been once enlightned and tasted of the heavenly gift and then fall away it 's impossible to renew them unto repentance for a man to turn away from professed light and cast up his vomit and lick it up again and as a washed Sow return to the myre again and after many years enquiring of God return with Saul the Witches This is a dreadfull state and such a one had better never to have known the wayes of God c. Secondly When a man resolves to reserve to himself any way of sinning Joh 20.12 Some sweet Morsell and the man hides it see it in Herod he did hear John Baptist gladly and did many things but there was a Herodias that he did reserve and was resolved he could not part with it so there is a way of wickedness that men will not turne from as there are fundamentals in faith and errours in these are most dangerous to destroy the foundation so there are some fundamentals in practise and they will subvert all and this is one of the main that a man deny himself in every known sin pluck out the right eye and cut off the right hand and there is no man that is more polluted in the sight of God than he that spares a right eye or a right hand for there is no sin that this one evil reserved will not draw him to Luke 8.13 in the time of temptation he will fall away 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 as Herod try him in his darling and he will turn a persecutor of that way that before he professed and Judas in his covetousness turn'd Devil and betray'd his Master Thirdly When men fall often into the same sin see it in Sampson and Peter that the Lord lets them fall so fouly at the Last being insnared by carnal confidence so often and Jonas was angry again and again and justified it when a man makes a sin his meat and drink the comfort of his life comes in by it from day to day it 's a sad sign Fourthly with the more hardness of heart and with the less relenting sin is committed and the longer he can lye in it unrepented of as we see it in Judas he was told of the evil and danger of it it had been good for him if he never had been born and yet he goes out and saith What will you give me and some good men as David and Solomon yet lay long in a way of sinning the sooner a man riseth after falls and a mans heart smites him as Davids did the more pure is that mans Conscience in the sight of God to be past feeling and for men to give themselves up to uncleanness Eph. 4.19 it 's a sad sign of a sear'd Conscience 1 Tim. 4.2 c. Fifthly When a temptation takes speedily with a man John 13.27.30 Christ did give Judas a Sop which was a signal to give Satan a farther possession of him and he follows the temptation but after that he went immediately out there was no more consultation so the sooner also that motions to duty prevail with a man the more pure his Conscience is when the Lord sayes seek you my face the Soul presently answers thy face Lord will I seek the spirit sayes come and the Bride sayes come and the sooner motions to sin take with a man the more impure and defiled is his Conscience Pro. 7.23 He no sooner saw a Harlot but he went after her straight way their hearts are hot as an Oven c. Sixthly The more a man plots iniquity and dothdeliberate it before hand makes pro vision for the flesh the adulterer waits for the twy-light Rom. 13.14 and he doth lye in wait at his neighbours door when men dig deep for wayes how to accomplish that that is evil the more men exercise their wits in sin and the more devilish wisdom is in it to commit iniquity by counsell and advice is the wisdom of the flesh ingeniose nequam as Pharaoh men will destroy the just by cruelty and yet deal wisely and Julian by clemency yet deal wisely let them enjoy their liberty by corrupting them by liberty and in peace destroy them God abhors plotted wickedness and surely God will bring it to nought and confound men by it Seventhly When men watch oppertunities of sinning and be glad ofthem and be sorry
charge parents have the souls of their children committed to their charge and Ministers of their people and Magistrates and Masters in their places also and of the Talents that God has committed to your trust in this World next to your own Souls are the Souls of others the more any loves his wife and child and friend c. The more he will labour to bring them in love with grace and the ways of of God Prov. 4.3 He was beloved of his Father he taught me also c. Prov. 1.1 Tender and onely beloved of my Mother The words of King Lemuel the Prophesie that his Mother taught him and 1 Pet. 1.1.2 That if any obey not the Word they also may without the Word be won by the conversation of the wives c. The more the Wife loves the Husband the more she endeavours to win him c. It is possible the great cut unto Adams conscience was that by sin he not onely destroyed himself but his posterity Bern. non parentes sed peremptores a sad parting to hear a child say when he is lanching into eternity a cruel Father hast thou been to me in neglecting to instruct me for the salvation of my soul and for a Wife to say a bloody Husband hast thou been to me and a bloody Minister hast thou been to me for thou hast sold souls for gain Ezech. 13.10 Because they have seduced my people Rev. 18.13 saying peace and there was no peace and one built a Wall and loe others daubed it with untempered morter c. They made souls of men their Merchandise c. Indeed there be many men that gain by the loss of souls as Act. 19.24 When the Devil was cast out they were highly offended to hear souls should be saved because the hope of their gain was gone Secondly If you would keep a good Conscience towards all men do not bear sin for them either by not mourning for them or by not reproving them when they sin against God First By not mourning for them It was an excellent frame in the Psalmist my eyes gush out rivers of water because men keep not thy Law Secondly By not reproving them Lev. 19.17 Thou shalt in any wise rebuke thy neighbour and not suffer sin upon him c. It is sad to bear the sins of other men remember thou hast enough of thy own ab alienis meis libera me Domine Aust It may be thou shalt be counted morose and unsociable but malo famam boni viri perdere quam Conscientiam and which will be better at the last day when men shall say euge bone socie or Christ bone serve But men think they shall get ill will for their pains and there is little good like to come on it and so men shift off their Duty â—ut hear what Job says of himself Job 31.34 Did I fear a multitude 〈◊〉 did the contempt of families terifie me that I kept silence There is a sinful and cursed silence that all good hearts should be afraid of when the glory of God and the good of souls is in danger then is the season specially for all the upright of heart to rebuke for sin those that God has puâ— under their care and to mourne for what they cannot help Though we cannot be reprovers of all sinners yet we may be mourners for all sinners Thirdly Do not get an estate unjustly by falsisying of publick trust or else by secret defrauding or going beyond thy brother for the issue of it will be the rust of the silver you so get shall be a witness against you Joh. 5.3 and the cry of the oppressed enters into the ears of the Lord c. Woe to him that builds a town with blood Job 31.38 the Stones out of the Wall shall cry out against him and that hath the labour of the hireling without wages and makes a prey upon the necessities of men c. Naboths Vineyard stuck in Ahabs Conscience and Judas Thirty pieces also it being the price of blood it terrified him so that he chose strangling rather then bear the guilt of it he had lucrum in crumena but Gehennam in Conscientia Fourthly If you have wronged any one restore it for that unjust gain lyes upon thy Conscience and God will make thee vomit it up he will pluck it out of thy belly Conscience will never be at ease till then for as long as a man retains it he does justifie his sin and does every day commit it Nâ—h 5.11 therefore make haste and restore whatever thou hast got unjustly and by indirect means Zacheus restored it four-fold go you and do likewise Herod could not repent keep his Herodias non remittitur peocatum c. Mic. 6.10 And God takes it ill that men do not and what doth the Lord require of thee but to shew mercy c. Are there yet the treasures of wickedness in the house of the wicked I will punish all those that leap on the threshold which fill their masters houses with violence and deceit c. Zeph. 1.3 Fifthly Take heed of the neglect of doing good to others rich men have an oppertunity of doing good to others and look you do it for riches do not always last they are this worlds goods and take to themselves wings and fly from one place to another make therefore friends of the unrighteous Mammon c. And great men have an opportunity to lift up their hand for the fatherless and to restore the needy to their right and oh that it were more the aim of great men that are so ambitious of honour and high places in the world that they may be restorers of breaches and a help to the needy and helpless that justice and righteousness may take place then there would not so many have contempt poured upon them as now there is and God will still overturne overturne till there be no complaint in the midst of us and how bitter will the remembrance of them be that have had a hand to do good and yet wanted a heart as it was in Jehu's time he took no heed to walk in the way of God with all his heart so many a man may say time was when I might have reformed Religion had not my Policy given Laws to my Piety and my desire to set up my self hindred me from exalting God Phineas was zealous for God and a covenant of peace was made with him Nehemiah did reform profaness and the Lord remembred him in goodness c. Now when men will not use their authority for God but he is dishonoured and the souls of men are destroyed and the needy are sold for a pair of Shooes and their possessors slay them and think themselves not guilty and every man does what is good in his own sight and there is none to put them to shame the the Lord will remove the Diadem c. and cast down the mighty from their
created so if a mans miseries after this Life were only in the creatures all created miseries would never make Hell but still the Soul would live under them all But it is only under the wrath of the great God that the soul dies Fourthly Consider the torments of the Devils whence is all their Torments now For Jude tells us they are reserved in everlasting chains under darkness unto the judgment of the great day c. And they are not wholy freed Now Doth God apply any creature to this work Mar. 8.29 Doest thou come to torment us before the time There was nothing tormented them but his presence and power c. And this wrung from them this great complaint Now they do not torment themselves though they have a Conscience yet this is not the great tormenter and we do not read that they are executioners one of another or that God doth use the ministry of the good Angels in the punishment of the evil though the good Angels strive with them for the preservation of the Saints now what Creature has power enough to torment the Devils such great and mighty Creatures as they are surely it is nothing else but the wrath and indignation of the great God which is the fire that is reserved for the Devil and his Angels to be made objects of and lye under for ever this the Lord doth suspend here in this life by the Kingdom of Christ because now there is a time of patience and the Lord has service to imploy them in as vessels of dishonour which if they should lye under the wrath of God perfectly poured out they would not be able to perform and therefore the Lord doth forbear them that at last wrath may come upon them to the uttermost Fifthly Consider the first fruits and inchoations of Hell in this life and that either in wicked men or in the Saints in wicked men Heb. 10.27 there is 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 some sparkles of Hell a certain fearfull looking for of Judgment and fiery indignation c. As the people of God have here some sparks of Heaven by the Spirit of adoption some earnest and glimpses of Heaven see it in Cain Gen. 4.13 and Judas his Soul is filled with horror and amazement that they would rather chuse all the miseries of the Creatures and to lye under the whole Creation call to Mountains to cover them to be freed of it and therefore they cry out it is too late for me to repent is' t possible for me to be pardoned I know God will never have mercy upon me and therefore their soul chooseth strangling any thing to put them out of this torment what did Judas aise who did hurt him he had money in his purse there was no evil of the Creature upon him he gratified the high Priests and many of that crew only there was a secret touch of Gods own finger upon him an immediate drop of wrath let in upon his Conscience c. And not only in wicked but in godly men as Job and Heman Job 6.4 The arrows of the Almighty stick in me and the terrors of God do set themselves in array against me and surely inward terrors are the most terrible and there are no medicines in the whole creation that can heal a wounded spirit all friends estates honours relations will be to a man as the white of an Egge in the day when the terrors of Gods wrath do compass a man about as if God speak peace to the Soul none can speak terror no not all the Creatures and the most exquisite miseries that can be inflicted by them â—s appears by Martyrs so if God speak terrors there is none can speak comfort nothing in the Creature can help or ease as appears by men that have had all things the world can afford and yet their spirits were 〈◊〉 wounded in them they had â—or he least relief thereby so 〈…〉 Heman Psal 88.5 We know of no pressure that was upon him by the Creatures and yet he complains he was free among the dead as a man in Hell already while I suffer thy terrors I am distracted there was something beyond what all the Creatures could inflict Now there is joyes that the Saints receive here from God under Heaven joy unspeakable and glorious and of the same kind though they differ in degree with those in glory so the terrors here are of the same kind only they differ in degree from the torments of Hell they have a taste of the Cup which in Hell they shall drink of it a full drought and therefore as the one is joy unspeakable and full of glory so is the other torments unspeakable and full of sorrow and in this God uses the ministerie of no Creature neither doth the hearts of men discerne any thing but the wrath and terrors of the Almighty Sixthly It doth more fully appear in the suffering of Christ if we look upon him as in the Garden he was in an agony Mat. â—6 38 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 his soul was invironed and compassed about with sorrow now all the misery that can come from the Creature can never compass the Soul about there will be some door open but here he sees no way our and therefore Mark 14.33 he was 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 sore amazed under the apprehension of wrath and 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 his Spirit failed within him Psal 40.13 His heart in the middle of his body was melted as wax and this anguish of spirit so wrought upon his body that it made him to sweat drops of blood whence is all this affliction that was upon Christ we read of no Devils that were let loose upon him to torment him his very presence was their tormenter here and his wrath shall be their tormenter hereafter we read of no Angels that had commission to afflict him nay we read of an Angel that appeared from heaven to comfort him Luke 22.43 which would have been enough to have raised up a mans Spirit under the greatest afflictions of the Creatures nor was it from any inward unquietness in his own Spirit for there was no seeds of such fearfull distempers in him for he knew no sin there was no guile in his mouth it could not be from any bodily pain for in the Garden the Jews had not laid hold upon him there was no evil upon him and it could not be fear of a bodily death for it was for this cause that he came into the world and it was that which he did desire and long for with desire have I desired to eat the Passeover with you I have a baptism to be baptized with and how am I straightned till it be accomplished but the cause was the sence of the wrath of God lying upon his spirit Isa 53.10 it pleased the Lord to bruise him he hath put him to grief to beat him to pieces and to grind him to powder as his Soul was made an