Christ inuiteth all them that labour and are laden Implying that where sinne is rightly felt it is a heauy and a wearisome lode And no doubt this was it Luke 18.13 that made the poore Publicane expresse such tokens of griefe and shame for his sinnes when hee durst not lift vp so much as his eies to heauen but smote his breast saying O God be mercifull to me a sinner Aug. de vera falsa poenit c. 14. And indeede if a man shall consider the quality of his sinne and aggrauate it by the circumstances of time and place and by his continuance in it and shall call to mind vpon how light temptation he was brought to commit it and how oft hee hath iterated the same he cannot choose but euen groane in godly sorrow vnder the burden thereof a Non laborat exonerari peccato cui non videtur nimium Aug. ibid. cap. 2 Quanto magis quis intelligit mala sua tanto amplius suspirat gemit Aug. de contritione cordis Otherwise if a man be not thus conceited of his sinne he will neuer sorrow for it nor sigh to be disburdened of it Hee that shall thinke his time to be as light as a feather and neuer seeth any hurt that commeth by it no maruell if it neuer grieue him Secondly without sorrow for sinne there can bee no true repentance It is in vaine for men to say they repent euery day they rise and yet neuer shew any token of remorse It may bee vpon some occasion they may cease the committing of sinne but till their hearts bee broken with sorrow Gen. 37.28 42.21 they neuer repent of it Iosephs brethren had left their cruelty towards their brother for many yeares yet they neuer repented of it indeede till by his rough handling of them in Egypt they were brought to the sight of their sinne Sam. 11. 12 and touched with sorrow for the same And Dauid though hee had giuen ouer his adultery yet hee neuer repented of it before Nathan awaked him by denouncing the iudgement of God against him Yea such as are destitute of godly sorrow are so farre from repenting of their sinnes that whensoeuer any occasion is offered they are ready to fall into them againe though in some carnall respect for a time they haue forborne them Thirdly without this sorrow there can be no sound comfort we must neuer looke to feele comfort in the forgiuenesse of our sinnes vnlesse withall we haue our hearts possessed with sorrow for committing of them The Lord will not impart the least droppe of his mercy to any which haue not first beene baptized with the baptisme of their owne teares There were neuer any of Gods children throughly comforted but they were first humbled For God is not like a foolish Phisitian that will apply a medicine where there is no disease nor like a foolish Surgeon that will lay a plaister where there is no sore But the conscience must first be wounded with a sense of sinne Hos 6.1 before the Lord will powre in the Oile of his mercy to heale the same Mat. 9.12 For as our Sauiour saith They that bee whole neede not a Phisitian but they that are sicke And therefore he promiseth ease and refreshment only to such as are weary and laden with the burden of their sinnes Et 11.28 Dauid first with bitternesse of heart confessed his sinnes before Nathan gaue him any hope of the pardon of them 2. Sam. 12.13.14 And they that were conuerted by Saint Peters Sermon were first pricked in their hearts with remorse for their sinnes before the Apostle ministred one word of comfort to them Zech. 13.1 12.10 The Prophet Zechariah saith that there shall bee a fountaine opened for sinne and vncleannesse But who are they that shall haue the benefit of it only such as doe mourne exceedingly for their sinnes As there is no sinne so great but by repentance and godly sorrow it is pardonable so there is no sinne so little but without repentance it is damnable y Aut continui dolores cruciabunt poenitentem vitam meam aut cruciatus aeterni vexabunt puniendam ammam meam Necesse est peccatorem flere vel hic vel in futuro Aug. de contrit cordis in oratione Psal 51.17 Either continuall sorrowes must afflict a mans penitent life or else eternall torments shall vexe his damnable soule And of necessity a sinner must weepe either here or elsewhere Last of all this godly sorrow for sinne is most pleasing and acceptable vnto God as Dauid saith The sacrifices of God are a contrite spirit a contrite and a broken heart O God thou wilt not despise Whereupon St. Augustine saith z Intucamur que madmodum vbi Deum dixit nolle sacrificium ibidem Deum ostendit velle sacrificium Non vult ergo sacrificium trucidati pecoris sed vult sacrificium contriti cordis De ciuit Dei lib. 10. cap. 5. Isa 66.2 Psal 56.8 Apoc. 21.4 Let vs consider in what sense where he hath said that God will haue no sacrifice in the same place hee sheweth that God will haue sacrifice He will not then haue the sacrifice of a slaughtered beast but hee will haue the sacrifice of a contrite heart And indeede this is the chiefest sacrifice of all other And therefore the Lord hath promised especially to haue respect to him that is of a contrite heart Yea the Lord taketh such pleasure in a man thus affected as there is neuer a teare falleth from his eies in remorse for his sinnes but presently hee putteth them in his bottle and at the day of iudgement he will wipe all teares from the eies of his children And therefore wee must labour to bee sorrowfull and not suffer any sinne to escape vs without some remorse Secondly this doctrine serueth to reproue them that are Vse 2 so hard hearted and b Siccoculum genus pumiccos oculos habent nequeunt lachrymam exorare vt expuant vnam modo Plaut in Pseudolo Act. x. scae 1. so drie eyed that they cannot grieue for their sinnes nor wring out one teare of true repentance for their misdeedes Howsoeuer in other matters they haue teares at command and in any worldly crosse or calamity they take on and weepe as Rahel did for her children and will not be comforted Mat. 2.18 Isa 22.4 yet in this case when they should mourne for their sinnes euery teare is as bigge as a milstone there is no remorse no compunction nor touch of heart at all c Deucaliō va cuum lapides iactauit in orbem vnde homines nati durum genus Virg. Georg. lib. 1. No their hearts are as strong as a stone and as hard as the nether milstone as Iob speaketh of Leuiathan Iob 41.15 they cannot sorrow d Gualt in Zech. 7.12 homil 14. As the Adamant is of such an inuincible hardnesse that it cannot be softened neither with the
ibid. The droppes of raine are but little in quantity and yet they make great shoures and cause mighty floods which beare down all before them f Parna saepe scintilla conteÌ„pta magnum excitauit incendiuÌ„ Qu. Curt. lib. 6. Wee see that many times a little sparke of fire neglected causeth a great burning and a little fire as S. Iames saith kindleth a great matter Iam. 3.5 And therefore if wee desire to preserue our selues from comming to the height of sinne to commit all vncleannesse with greedinesse as the Apostle saith Ephes 4.19 g Mens christo dicata sic caueat minora vt matora quia a minimis incipiut qui in maxima proruunt Bera de ordine vitae Non solum grauia sed leuia peccata cauenda sunt Multa enim leuia vnum grande efficiunt Bern. de conscâ—aedâ—s cap. 46. Wee must not onely take heede of grosse and hainous sinnes but euen of small sinnes Yea wee must as well beware of the least as of the greatest for according to the prouerb Many littles make a great and they that begin with little sinnes we see by experience do often rush into greater Secondly wee must be carefull to preuent the first beginning of sinne and labour to kill it in the first sprouting h Principijs obsta sero medicina paratur Dum mala per longas invaluere moras Ouid. de remed c. Opprime dum noua sâ—nt subita mala semina morbi Nam mora dat vires Ibid. Phisitions giue vs counsell in the diseases of the body to stop the beginnings least by continuance of time they grow inueterate as wee see by experience Many a disease that might easily haue been cured at the first and many a wound that might soone haue beene healed if it had beene looked to in time afterward beeing suffered to continue ouerlong Vse 2 doe prooue incureable So should we doe in the diseases of the soule euen labour by all good meanes to preuent them when we perceiue them growing vpon vs at the first Men are carefull to kill serpents in the shell and rauens in the neast and cubbes in the earth before they begin to run and all to preuent the danger which otherwise might grow by them if they were let alone g So must wee doe with our sinnes labour to strangle them euen in the birth that they may be like an abortiue fruit and neuer come to perfection The fire when it is newly begun to burne is easily quenched with a little water i Cura in ipso vtero pâ—ssimae matris praefocari germen Bern. de consider lib. 3. Gual in Hos Homil. 21. but if by negligence and delay it gather strength it rageth exceedingly and can hardly be extinguished In like manner sinne at the first beginning might easily be ouercome but if it be suffered to grow to any height it will be a most hard matter to suppresse it As the Crowe being about to breed first gathereth little sticks and other matter to make a neast and then layeth egges which by her heat she cherisheth til her yong ones be hatched brought forth So the Deuill being about to produce sinne first hee gathereth a great many vaine and idle thoughts whereof he maketh his neast in the heart of man and there layes delights as it were his egges which hee so long nourisheth fostereth till his young brood of sinne bee hatched by consent and after brought foorth by operation as S. Iames liuely describeth the beginning and birth of sinne Euery man saith hee is tempted when he is drawne away by his owne concupiscence and is entised Then when lust hath conceiued it bringeth forth sin and sinne when it is perfitted bringeth forth death Iam. 1.14.15 Now as hee that would hinder the breeding of the Crowe doth either pull downe the neast as soone as it is made or breake the egges or at least killeth the birds before they can flie so if we desire to stay the birth of sinne we must resist it in the very first thought of it not giuing entertainment thereunto and if the Diuell doe buzze ill thoughts into our harts against our wills we must take heede wee yeeld not consent vnto them at the least if we haue consented let vs vse all good meanes to preuent it before it come to action And the rather because the longer we giue entertainement to any sinne the harder it will be to ouercome it The spreading of sinne is like the spreading of the pestilence which first infecteth the aire the aire beeing infected corrupteth our breath and that conuaieth the infection into the vital spirits and the bloud and so it ouer-spreadeth the whole body and is past recouery so sinne by little and little and by degrees getting hold in the heart disperseth it selfe into all the parts both of body and soule so as without the grace of God there is no meanes to bee freed from it The longer that the Diuell or any sinne hath had possession in the heart the harder will it bee to dispossesse them Wood that hath long laine soaking in the wette will bee long before it receiue fire so the longer that any mans heart hath beene soaked or steeped in sinne the longer will it be before it receiue any impression of grace a Quae praebet latas arbor spatiantibus vmbras Quo posita est primum tempore virga fuit Tunc poterat manibus summa tellure reuelli Nunc stat in immensum viribus aucta suis Ouid. de remed Nil assuetudine maius Oâ—id de arte amandi A young plant may easily be pluckt vp by the roots but if it grow till it be a great tree it can hardly be remoued So long as there is nothing but dust in our floores a light broome will serue to sweepe it away but if it be stiffe clay a broome will doe no good there must bee a spade to spittle it out In like manner so long as our sinnes are young they may with little labour be rooted out but if once they be confirmed in our hearts wee shall finde it a very hard matter to displace them Hence it is that the prophet Ieremy saith Can the blacke Moore change his skinne or the Leopard his spottes then may you also doe good that are accustomed to doe euill Ierem. 13.23 Giuing vs thereby to vnderstand that it is the most difficult thing in the world for a man to leaue a custome or an habite of sinning euen as for a blacke Moore to be made white who is naturally so blacke as there is no meanes to alter his hewe Though a man should wash him with nitire and much sope yet it would not preuaile And therfore it is grown to a prouerb that when a man vndertaketh any impossible thing which cannot bee effected bee is said to wash a blacke Moore b Ars sit vbi a teneris crimen condiscitur annis Ouid. Epist Difficulter reciduntur vitia quae
neither from men nor by men Wee see in the matter of Husbandry that the seede ordinarily fructifieth in the earth by the labor of man and the influence of the heauens and yet experience doth teach vs that though the husbandman be neuer so skilfull in plowing and tilling of the earth though he obserue the most fitte seasons and opportunities that may be and though he be neuer so carefull in making choice of the best and purest seed yet many times the earth deceiueth his expectation Isa 24.5 So that as the Prophet saith they sow much and bring in little Hag. 1.6 Yea the heauen and the earth the common parents of all things become barren and the Sunne and the Moone doe loose their operation vnlesse the Lord by his diuine power doe giue to euery seede his owne body 1. Cor. 15.38 Heereupon wee read that Isaak sowed corne in the land of Gerar and had by estimation an hundreth fold encrease but it was not his owne endeauour that caused it but as the reason is there rendred so the Lord blessed him Gen. 26.12 And therefore Dauid saith that it is God that visiteth the earth and maketh it very rich and fruitfull It is he that by his owne appointment prepareth corne for men it is he that maketh the earth soft with shewers and blesseth the bud thereof it is he that crowneth the yeare with his goodnesse and couereth the vallies with corne so as men shout for ioy and sing Psal 65.9.10.11.13 So is it with the ministery of the word though the Ministers bee Gods husbandmen and though they haue neuer so much both skill and will to discharge their duties as hath beene saide though the seed which they sow be none other but that immortall seed of the word of God 1. Pet. 1.23 yet vnlesse it please God to make it effectuall it will bring forth no fruite at all And therefore the Apostle saith to this same purpose Paul may plant and Apollos may water but it is God and God onely that must giue the encrease 1. Cor. 3.6 It is one thing to minister visible obiects to the eyes another thing to cause the eyes to see It belongeth to the outward teachers to minister matter to their hearers but it appertaineth to the inward Master to open the heart to vnderstand As it is said of Lydia that God opened her heart that shee attended to the things that Paul spake Act. 16.14 And as the eye and the obiect are not sufficient to cause actuall seeing vnlesse the eye be enlightned so besides the instruction of the outward teacher it is necessary that the blessed Sunne of righteousnesse Mal. 4.2 doe shine in our hearts by the gratious beames of his holy spirite a Non quicunque ostendit viaÌ„ praebet etiaÌ„ viaticum itineranti Aliud illi exhibet qui facit ne deuiet aliud 〈◊〉 praestat ne deficiat in via Ita nec quivis doctior statim dator erit boni quodcunque docueâ—it Porrò duo sunt mihi necessaria doceri iuuari Tu quidem homo recte consutis ignorantiae sed si verum sentit Apostolus spiritus adiuuat infirmitatem nostram Bern. de gra lib. arbitrio He that sheweth a man the way as Bernard saith hee doth not by and by furnish him with necessaries for his iourney It is one thing to direct a man that he goe not out of his way and another thing to helpe him that he faint not in the way So neither is euery Teacher by and by the giuer of the good that hee teacheth Moreouer two things are necessary for me to be taught and to be relieued Thou O man dost indeede prouide well for my ignorance but if the Apostle think aright it is the spirit that helpeth our infirmities And therefore it is said that when the Apostles by vertue of Christs commission went forth preached euery where the Lord wrought with them and gaue a blessing to their endeauours Mar. 16 20. b Joanne operante dabat Deus qui dando non defuit Et nunc operantibus cunctis humana sunt opera sed Dei sunt munera Optatus in Donatist lib. 5. Where hee intreateth largely on this point Non potest munus ab homine dari quod diuinum est ibid. We are onely instruments in the hands of God hee striketh the stroke and worketh the effect making our labour effectuall in the hearts of our hearers There must bee two Preachers to the working of grace in the heart The Minister to preach to the eare and the spirit of God to apply it and blesse it to the soule And hence it is that the preacher is not called the giuer but the Minister of grace Who is Paul saith the Apostle or who is Apollos but Ministers by whome ye beleeued euen as the Lord gaue to euery man 1. Cor. 3.5 It is the Lords prerogatiue which he hath reserued to himselfe to be the giuer of all grace as S. Peter saith 1. Pet. 5 10. c Ita plane conuersio animarum diuinae vocis est non humanae Simon piscator hominum in hoc ipsum vocatus constitutus est a domino incassum tamen ipse laborans tota nocte nil capiens donec in verbo domini rete iactans comprebendere possit multitudinem copiosam Bern. de conuers ad Schol. So then we see that the conuersion of soules belongeth to the voice of God and not of man As the Apostle Peter laboured all night in fishing and caught nothing but when as in the word of Christ hee let downe his net he straightway inclosed a great multitude of fishes Luk. 5.5.6 So the Ministers of the word whome God hath called to bee fishers of men Mat. 4.19 may long let downe their nets and make but a bad draught vnlesse the Lord vouchsafe his blessing vpon their labours This doctrine serueth first for the Ministers For Ministers and secondly Vse 1 for the hearers of the word For vs that bee Ministers first it serueth to abate that pride and high conceit that might arise in our hearts when it pleaseth God to worke by our Ministerie Wee must acknowledge that it was not our painefulnesse but Gods blessing that brought it to passe 2. Cor. 2.16 if any good be effected thereby For as the Apostle saith Who is sufficient for these things 2. Cor. 3.5 There is no man that of himselfe is able sufficiently to discharge his dutie in the worke of the Ministerie much lesse is hee able to make his Ministerie effectuall No all our sufficiency in this case is of God And this the Apostle confesseth where speaking of his great paines in Preaching the word namely that he laboured more abundantly then all the rest of his fellowes hee straight way correcteth himselfe as if hee had arrogated more then became him Yet not I saith he but the grace of God which is with me 1. Cor. 15.10 And in another place he saith