Child of Cressus that was born dumb he seeing a Soldier readie to strike at his Father and kill him the affection to his Father brake the bars of his Tongue and he cried out Oh why will you kill the King Then he cried out thus though he never spake before but the stroke against his Father made him speak So thou man or woman shouldest have thy heart dead in other things and have no mind to speak yet when you see wretched men and women strike at God as they do as I have shewed in their sin if thou have any heart in the world any life in the world when thou seest this stroke at God now speak Oh that should burst all bars asunder Though thou beest never so meek in thy Familie and canst bear other things yet thou shouldest shew that thou canst not bear sin against God Oh I beseech you consider this and see how neer this comes to you How many if any thing be done in your Familie against you or among your neighbors that is against you you cannot bear it but you can bear that which is done against God and never be troubled at it As many a Master let the Servant neglect his work and displease him he cannot bear it but let his Servant be wicked and break the Sabbath denie God his time let his Servant perhaps swear or do such wickedness he goes away and saith it may be Why do you so or you should not do so or it may be takes no notice of it Certainlie that man knows neither God nor sin or hath little relation to God that takes so little notice of that done against God and yet that done against himself he cannot bear it Take this along with you If you have anie relation to God your hearts will be more troubled for the wrong done to God by your Children and Servants than when your selves are wronged by your Servants or Children Oh how manie men and women would go and wring their hands to their neighbors and friends Oh! never man or woman so miserable as I my own Child out of my bowels wrongs me and doth what hurt he can to me this is accounted matter of bitter lamentation But now why should not thy heart melt and lament when thou canst say Oh the Child out of my Loins and Bowels how doth he wrong the blessed God of all the world Oh that I should be so miserable to bear in my Bowels one an Enemie to the infinite blessed God! Oh that an Enemie to God should ever come out of my Loins My thinks this should move tender hearted Mothers to see that they should bring forth such that should go on in waies of enmitie against God himself Suppose one out of your Bowels should be a Traitor to the Parliament and do mischief to the State would not this trouble you that one out of your Bowels should be a Traitor to the Common-wealth this would be a grievous vexation Now is it not more if that thou hast a wicked Child one out of thy Bowels that strikes at God and is a Traitor to the God of Heaven these do more mischief than to destroy a whol Nation I say if a man should live to destroy to undo a whol Land for their outward estate there were not so much evil in it as in one sin against God You would say that were a Misereant that should be born to undo a whol Nation and wo to me that I should bear one that should live to do such mischief to undo a State Now if thou bear one that strikes against God and wrongs God in waies of sin this should trouble thee as much as the other therefore never be at quiet till thou see some work of grace till thou see the heart of thy Child called in I remember Augustine saith this of his Mother and I propound this for Mothers example he being verie wicked a while and his Mother godlie Oh it grieved her heart that she should have a Child go on in such wickedness against God and she praid and wept so that Augustine saith of her after God had enlightened his eyes to consider what she did for him saith he I perswade my self my Mother did as much labor and endure as much pain for my second Birth as ever for my first Birth this is his testimonie of her that by her prayers and tears for her Childs Salvation that was wicked he did verilie beleeve it cost her as much labor for the second Birth as for the first upon which when she comes and complains to Ambrose of her Child well saith he Be of good comfort surely a Son of so many prayers and tears can hardly perish and he did not indeed for he proved a worthie Instrument of Gods Glorie afterward in the Church Now is there anie Mother in this Congregation that can say I have labored as much and it hath cost me as much pain for the second Birth of my Child as ever it did for the first Certainlie did you know what sin were and how against God it would cost you a great deal of travail when you see your Children wicked and much prayer and cost that you might not have a Child an Enemie to God a Traitor to the Crown Scepter and Dignitie of Jesus Christ Oh Brethren doth it not pitie your souls to see that infinite blessed holy dreadful God so much wronged in the world as he is It should move us to pitie to see any Saint a man or a woman of an excellent gracious Spirit to see such a soul abused and wronged as Solomon saith there was a wise man in the City and not regarded though he delivered the Citie to see but one man of wisdom that hath but any excellencie in his Spirit to be wronged it should trouble any ingenious heart But then I reason thus if it would be and should be such a trouble to any ingenious heart to see any one man of a gracious Spirit wronged and abused then how should it trouble any ingenious any gracious heart in the world to see the infinite blessed glorious God to be wronged in the world by sin as I have alreadie shewed he is in everie sin when I discovered to you how sin is against God that I might possess your hearts with this Principle for I know no Principle of greater power through the strength of Christ to do good upon your Spirits than this CHAP. XXI A Seventh Corollarie If Sin hath done thus much against God then all that are now converted had need do much for God SEventhly Another is this If Sin have done so much against God and so much wronged God hence it follows That all those that have heretofore lived in a sinful way and God hath now been pleased to enlighten them and work upon their hearts had need now do much for God This follows cleerly thou didst heretofore live in waies of sin and what didst thou do in all this Nothing but
do not mean that it deserves eternal evil only but of it self it is eternal evil As thus Grace doth not only deserve eternal happiness but it is the seed of eternal happiness it is that principle that if let alone wil grow to eternal happiness So sin doth not only deserve eternal misery but it is the seed of eternal evil and sin it self will be executioner upon the soul and will prove an intollerable misery to the soul Though sin be the very element in which many men and women live and so delight themselves yet be it known That this sin doth not only deserve that God should bring his wrath upon thee for it but that sin will prove eternal torment to thee As thus The Fish that playes and leaps in the water the water is the element to the Fish that it delights in but if you put fire under this water if in a vessel then that water that was the element in which the Fish skipt and playd and delighted it self that water will be torture and torment to the Fish boyling hot So sin is the element where men play and delight in sinful wayes as the Fish in the water but when God comes and mingles wrath with sin then that very sin which was thy delight shall be torture and torment and so a principle of eternal evil it shall be to you Thus sin is another manner of evil than affliction as thus Afflictions though in Diseases they bring pains and sorrows to the Body the matter of this will wear out in time and so the Disease will fall but sin is such a principal evil and misery to the Creature as it will never go out but continues a principal of eternal misery Thus you have seen how sin is against our own good Somwhat I would fain say by way of APPLICATION in this work Vse 1. Sin is against our own good Hence all those promises that any sinful way hath to you to provide for your own selves in and your own good they be all deceitful and will deceive you The way of the wicked deceives them Certainly thou art mistaken if thou thinkest to make any provision for thy self in sinful wayes And the best way for any man or woman to provide for themselves is to abandon sin Wouldest thou provide for thy self for thy own good and be a true self-lover abandon sin for sin is against thy own good Vse 2. Again Hence you see That the Minestry of the Word is that that is for our good and that that makes for your good as well as for Gods glory God in sending the Ministry of the Word sends it for your own good as well as his own glory Why what doth it do Only seeks to get away your sins and make them bitter and grievous unto you I have in many particulars opened the nature of sin and how grievous and evil t is now what is the intendment of this but to get the Serpent out of your bosoms that which will do you mischief and all for your own good Certainly if ever God open your eyes you wil then desire with your faces upon the ground to bless God that ever he sent his Ministers to shew you what sin is Many times mens spirits rise against the Word and they take the Ministers as enemies Oh he speaks against me No it is not against any ones person but against thy sin man or woman that which wil do thee mischief and undo thee Again many cry out against the Minister as that man against Christ He comes to torment us before the time No it is against thy sin man it is to take away that which will undo thee Many are ready to say of the Minister as he to the Prophet Elijah What hast thou met me Oh my ennemy But as the Prophet saith Doth not my words do you good Certainly that which makes sin grievous to you doth you as much good as Creatures can be done to for the present Many have sin in their stomachs that rise against the Minister and the Word as the sick mans stomach against the glass or the pot in which the Physick is but when for that evil grief within he takes a vomit it makes him sick it may be for a while and the man casts up many filthy things and noysom stuffe and then he cryes out Oh! blessed be God though I had pain yet this takes away a great deal of that bad stuffe that would have bred Diseases So though our Ministry may put you to pain yet you will bless God when that is cast out that it hath to deal withal Many when they hear the Word their spirits rise against it but when it hath pleased God to get away their sins though upon hard terms they have blest God that ever they heard the Word that did trouble them or ever saw such a mans face I remember an expression of one to my self That when he sate and heard me he was perswaded every thing I spake was against himself though a stranger whom I never knew and he professed his spirit rose both against the Word and the Speaker going home and the Word working and working out sin he comes not long after and blessed God that ever he heard that Sermon And so certainly it will be I have shewed you in these thirteen Particulars how evil Sin is against your own souls know then if the Minister by the Word can but get away your sin Oh you will see it above the greatest good and happiness that ever you had in all your lives that ever you did understand that which would do you so much hurt Alas you will say I did not see sin would do me so much hurt wo to me if I had not heard the evil of sin if I had known the evil of sin by feeling what had become of me You have heard and read much of the evil of sin now think if these things be so grievous in the hearing or reading what a woful condition will that soul be in that must feel it that must have every one of these Particulars made good to the full Certainly such a soul must needs be in a woful condition Now the Lord so sanctifie and bless unto you the reading or hearing of all these evils that none of your souls may ever come to feel them CHAP. XXXVII XIV Sin is worse than affliction because it hardens the heart against God and the means of Grace THe opposition Sin hath to our own good It hath more evil against our selves than any Affliction for the manifesting that we have opened Thirteen Particulars Thus far we have gone There is two Particulars more to discover the evil of sin as against our good more than afflictions XIV Sin is worse than Affliction as against our selves For it is that which hardens the heart against God and the means of Grace more than any Affliction I do not speak now of hardening the heart against God in
Text saith Christ spake it because they said he hath an unclean Spirit Mark Christ casting out Devils the Scribes and the Pharisees attribute this to an unclean Spirit and therfore they sinned against the Holy Ghost meerly because they attributed that which Christ did by the Finger of God to an unclean Spirit and therefore Christ tels them they sinned against the Holy Ghost and they shall never be forgiven Now Brethren see how neer you come to this sin for the Scribes and Pharisees saw Christ cast out Devils they did it out of malice they could not but know and yet they say it was by the Devil You see one troubled in Conscience which is by the Holy Ghost and you say it is a foolish and a mad spirit and somtimes 't is an unclean spirit but it is worse when you say it is a foolish and melancholly spirit you do more blaspheme the Holy Ghost and come neerer this sin Oh take heed and be humbled your condition is dangerous that have had or have any such low thoughts about trouble of Conscience for Sin Object But we see by experience men and women troubled for Sin be very melancholly and heavy Answ To speak to this True sometimes God may be pleased to sanctifie even that humor of melancholliness so as to further such a work as this yea God may cause a work on Conscience to be furthered by melancholly and yet a great deal of difference between melancholly and this 1 As first God may make use of melancholly to bring in trouble of conscience as thus If it be not too prevailing to besot men and women as somtimes it doth but if it be no more prevailing but thus to make men seriously consider and ponder and weigh things then God makes use of a degree of melancholly to make men and women to know themselves and sin and the things of their Eternal Estate and such a melancholly is a blessed melancholly and you have cause to bless God for it Melancholly in some inferior things is very useful and the Phylosophers say That the most Eminent men in the world for great matters were melancholly because they were serious in their thoughts whereas othermen be of slight vain frothy Spirits Many that never had melancholly they conceive of things and it passeth and they never â—ay any thing to heart they never knew what it was for one half hour to be serious in their thoughts all their lives Many that be Sanguine be of a light vain spirit and it is a heavy Judgment of God to be given over to a light vain Spirit that considers nothing Now when God makes use of this Particular degree of melancholly to make men and women serious to consider what shall become of them another day what the terms between God and they are what if I were now to die and what if I were now to stand before God then it is a good help to this work But yet because this work is a work beyond any melancholly conceit we shal give you in the Differences But yet further it must be acknowledged when God comes with trouble of Conscience it may be so mighty and strong that it may alter the body and consume the very Spirits in the Bodies of men and women and alter the temper of blood it may be so strong and powerful and so there may come melancholly in afterward but yet there is abundance of difference between melancholly and trouble of Conscience and that will appear in these Six Particulars CHAP. LII Six Differences between Melancholly and Trouble of Conscience Diff. 1. Melancholly may be in those that are most grosly ignorant but trouble of conscience cometh with some enlightening work Diff. 2. Melancholly prevails on men by degrees but trouble of Conscience many times comes suddenly as lightning Diff. 3. Melancholly trouble is exceeding confused but troubles of Conscience are more distinct Diff. 4. The more melancholly any hath the less able are they to bear outward affliction but the more trouble of Conscience the more able to bear outward afflictions Diff. 5. Melancholly puts a dulness upon the spirits of men but trouble of Conscience for sin puts a mighty activity upon mens spirits Diff. 6. Trouble of Conscience cannot be cured the waies melancholly may FIrst Melancholly it is many times in men and women where there is most gross Ignorance of God and of Sin and of the things of their Eternal Estate it may consist with gross ignorance Many melancholly people are most ignorant and sottish and know nothing of the Principles of Religion but troubles of Conscience can never come without some new Light of God darted in and setled upon the hearts of men and women it comes alwaies with some inlightning work of the Spirit Melancholly is many times with a great deal of darkness within the mind is dark where melancholly prevails and many times gross ignorance but never any true trouble of Conscience but God comes in with some light And therefore if any man or woman be troubled and say it is for sin I put this to you What hath God discovered to you now more than before What Truths of God hath God setled upon their hearts more than before If they can give no further account of no other light let into them than before or further Truth let in upon their hearts than before then indeed it may be suspected not to be trouble for sin as many melancholly people have the name of being troubled for sin and they have fears of Hell because of dark thoughts But 't is not the true work of the Spirit upon the Soul except it be with convincement of some new Light or settling some Truth more upon the Soul than before Secondly Melancholliness comes by degrees upon men and women alterations of the Body are not sudden things the temper of men and womens Bodies cannot suddenly be altered to any extremity but gradually from one degree to another but trouble of Conscience comes many times as a flash of Lightning from Heaven Many men and women have come to the Congregation with scornful spirits prophane wicked and ungodly never knew what sin meant nor trouble for sin meant and God hath met with them in the Word and fastned some Sentence upon their hearts so that they fall down under the power of it that comes just as an Arrow struck into their Liver and they could never get out of it have gone away with horrors of soul and therfore this hath not been melancholliness Certainly the humors of the Body never so suddenly alters the Spirits of men but when God comes to work when the Spirit of God and Bondage comes to work it needs no matter before no preparative matter for the work of the Word is such as it works immediately without any preparation Therfore many men that understood as little of trouble of Conscience as ever any did in their lives and yet God lets some Truth reach them
pervers against their acquaintance neighbors family neerest friends we cannot imagine somtimes what is the reason Certainly this is one especial reason there is much guilt upon their consciences and spirits and this doth so disquiet and vex them that they fling out at God and his Word and every one they can have no quiet they be so vexed and gauled with that guilt upon their spirits there is a great deal of cause to suspect much guilt to be upon those that be so outragious and can bear nothing that have their hearts rise against the Word especially Brethren if you see any one that hath any light of Conscience and hath made profession heretofore if such an one shall frowardly flie out against the Word and those that be godlie you may conclude there is some woful guilt upon that mans spirit he is so froward and peevish and disquiet as he is And so we find it in Saul he was a man at first of a very quiet spirit and very moderate but after Saul being a man much enlightened and had forsaken God and had contracted abundance of guilt upon his soul he was a most froward perverse spirit as any we reade of in the Book of God then how froward was he with David and the Priests of God and so outragious as that he slaies them all a bloody man after he had contracted much guilt Do you see men so froward and outragious and bloodie Oh there is much guilt within upon their spirits great breaches between God and their souls and the guilt of sin within grates upon their hearts and that makes them so outragious as they are if guilt be upon the soul it takes away al the comfort of every thing that man or woman that hath an enlightened conscience and hath guilt upon them there 's little comfort such a one can take in any thing they enjoy No affliction in the world can take away the comfort of what we enjoy as guilt can do if you have afflictions one way you have comforts another if a man go abroad and meet with hard dealings he comes home and hath comfort it may be in his wife a comfortable yoke-fellow this rejoyceth him or may be he hath comfort in his Children or in such or such a friend But now let a man or a woman have guilt upon conscience abroad he hath no comfort at home he hath no comfort yea the more comfortable things he doth enjoy the more trouble there is in his spirit As thus Take a guiltie conscience and when he comes and looks upon a comfortable familie comfortable estate means coming in a sweet yoke-fellow good friends Oh but if I had not some guilt upon my soul I could rejoyce in these but that guilt that lies upon his conscience take away all the comfort of these and if he sees others that enjoy these Oh saith he this man may have comfort in a comfortable yoke-fellow children or friends and a good estate but he hath not guilt upon his spirit and that breach between his God and he as I have May be the world knows not where his â—hoo pincheth him and what sadens his spirit many men that have comforts about them though they cannot be said to enjoy them yet their hearts be troubled and disquieted and no bodie knows the matter Oh there is guilt upon their spirits they think within themselves Oh if it were with me as it is with such a one it would be well sure they have not that guilt I have if they had they could not but be disquieted as I am Again Guilt brings woful fear upon the Conscience no affliction can bring such fear upon the Conscience Though there should be never such troubles and fears and confusions in the world alas this is not so terrible and fearful as that fear the guiltie conscience hath Take a man or woman whose conscience is delivered from the guilt of sin such a one though Heaven and Earth should meet is not so much troubled Certainly Brethren in these great fears amongst us that you be skar'd at everything it is partly because you have not throughly made up your peace between God and your souls and some guilt lies upon your spirits and consciences and this indeed will make every thing terrible to you if that lie there Guilt upon the conscience makes God the thoughts of God seem terrible Now it is a greater evil for the creature not to be able to look upon God to have thoughts of God without being pierced with terror than to be under any affliction in the world sorrows fears and disgrace and persecutions are not so terrible as this that I am in such a condition that I cannot look up to God nor think upon God without having the thoughts of his Majesty to be terrible to me A guilty Conscience cannot endure to have a thought of God it is terrible to him and therefore he labors by going into company and sports and business in the world to take off the thoughts of God because the thoughts of God peirce his heart And so the presence of God is very terrible where guilt is upon the Conscience and the Conscience of such a one cannot endure to come into Gods presence nor into the Communion of Saints where Gods presence is And he cannot endure to pray the thoughts of that strike his heart to go alone to pray the presence of God when alone is extream terrible And this is a sader condition than to be under any affliction better be under any affliction than in such a case as that the presence of God is terrible the presence of God in Prayer and so the presence of God in his Word Oh the Word is terrible to such a one the Word of God speaks nothing but terror so long as guilt remains upon the Conscience This is worse than Affliction that that Word which is a treasure of sweetness and goodness and comfort to those that are gracious and godly should be filled with terror to the soul of one that is full of guilt Yea to such a one all the wayes of Gods Providence are full of terror if there be any Judgment of God abroad Oh the terror that this brings upon his foul Brethren Sin is committed quickly you have a temptation comes and you fall upon the Sin and act it the Sin the act of it is transient and quickly gone the guilt that sticks to you When a man or woman hath satisfied their Iust in a sinful way the guilt sticks behind may be the time is gone for the pleasure of it it was perhaps yesterday or such a night or time thou hadest the pleasure of it but now the sin is gone the pleasure of it but the guilt sticks and that abides upon thy Spirit to all eternity if thou look not to it Nay certainly it must stick upon the Spirit it is not in the power of any Creature in heaven or in earth to deliver
thee from it yea the guilt so remains that though thou feel it not now for the present it may stick terriblely many years after But Affliction is terrible only for the present not for afterward but guilt and sin laies a foundation of Mis◅ for many years after Nay many times it is grievous painful to the Soul long after it is committed as it was in Josephs Brethren we reade of them that they committed that great Sin against their Brother and it troubled them not a great while but twenty two years after when they were in an affliction then the guilt of their sin comes a fresh Oh then we sinned against our Brother when they were in prison there now it was twenty two years from the time they committed that sin to that time when they were in trouble there So you that have committed sin and think some slight sorrow may wash it away know the guilt may abide upon your spirits perhaps twenty may be forty years after And you that are yong take heed and know that sin is more evil than any affliction for the sin that you commit when you are yong in your Masters Families the guilt may abide upon you and youthful sins may prove ages terror It may be with you as with a man that gets a bruis when he is yong he feels it not but when he is old than it ach in his bones and puts him to terrible pain many times so many yong people feel not sin when their bloud is hot but afterward the guilt of sin abides upon them and is the torment of their souls when their bloud is cold Now what evil is there in sin that may do a man mischief perhaps twenty or forty years hence As it is with some poyson there are some poysons men have skill in that they can give poyson shall not work in three or four perhaps not till seven years afterward and yet they know certainly That if that man be not cut off before except God work extraordinarily he shall dye at the seven years end of that poison he took seven years before So sin is such a thing that it wil do a man a mischief many years after Again The guilt of sin hath this evil further in it which appears in that difference between men that come to suffer with guilt and those that come to suffer without guilt Take them that have come to the most grievous sufferings in the world and had not the guilt of sin upon their Consciences who had all cleer between God and their souls their sufferings be joyful and they can rejoice in tribulation and troubles as the Martyrs in Persecution how did they rejoyce and glory in their sufferings with what a Spirit of magnanimitie did they come to their sufferings But take those who suffer through guilt as Malefactors when they come to suffer what shame and confusion is upon them Thus Affliction is nothing to them that have no guilt but those that have the guilt of sin upon them when they come to suffer their guilt is a thousand times more than their affliction There is a great deal of difference between a man guilty of treason when he come to suffer for it there is shame and confusion and dismal darkness in the spirit where there is guilt but let one be accused for treason or any such horrible crime and no guilt upon the spirit such a one can go on with joy and comfort and peace whatsoever can be done to him is very little or nothing when guilt is removed The truth is there is no suffering can countervail the suffering that guilt makes The guilt makes the suffering evil otherwise not If one man come upon another man with suffering it is nothing without guilt so it is true when God comes it is nothing if God and we be at peace but now when God comes with any such affliction as the very affliction shall have the mark of the sin upon it and so shall stir up Conscience to accuse you for it then the heart is ready to sink when the affliction shall bear the name of the sin together with it I remember the difference of Davids Spirit at several times one time Though an Host incampe about me yet will I not fear and though I walk in the valley of the shadow of death I will fear no evil Psal 23. Another time he is afraid when he flies from Absolon and when there was a breach between God and his soul when he had brought guilt upon his spirit then David was quickly cooled and upon any occasion of trouble David was quickly frightened This is a seventh thing wherein sin appears to be a greater and more evil thing than Affliction because it makes the soul guiltie before God CHAP. XXXI Eighthly Sin is a greater evil to man than affliction because it 's that which put the Creature under the Sentence of Condemnation EIghthly Sin is a greater evil than Affliction Because it is that which puts the Creature under the Sentence of Condemnation and so makes more against the good of man than any affliction can do For a poor Creature to see himself stand before the great Judg of all the World and have the Sentence of Condemnation come out against him this is a greater evil than to have any affliction that all the Creatures of Heaven and Earth could bring upon him As now take a Malefactor that is to stand before Mans Judgment Seat and to receive Sentence of Condemnation is not this a greater evil unto him than if he should hear of loss in his estate than if he had sickness in his bodie any pain in his limbs to stand thus to receive the Sentence he looks upon it as a greater evil than possibly can befal him in this world otherwise But then when the soul shal see it self stand before the infinite glorious eternal first-Being of all things and looks upon God sitting upon his Tribunal passing Sentence of Eternal Death upon him this is another manner of evil than any affliction and suffering that can befal him But now know there is not any one sin that thou committest but if you look upon it as in it self God sits I say upon his Trone and passeth Sentence of death upon thee for it as really as ever he will do at the great day of Judgment it is done now as really and as truly in this world as ever it shall be at the day of Judgment only here is the difference then it is irrecoverable nay shall I say it cannot be recalled here no certainly it shall not only it may be transmitted to Christ he must bear it he must have the sentēce so that it is not properly recalled God doth not as a Judg that passeth Sentence and afterward nullifies it no but God passeth Sentence and condemns the sinner only Christ comes in and takes the Sentence upon himself so that the Sentence goeth on still only it is transferred from
and goodlie to look upon So that David for the Constitution of his bodie was of a sanguine constitution And then for the Valor of David he was a mightie man of Valor 2 Sam. 17. 10. And he was valiant whose heart â—as as the heart of a Lion This was the commendation of Hushay 2 Sam. 17. 10. concerning David And he was verie cheerful who made so manie Psalms and was so Musical as David 2 Sam. 22. 1. he is called the sweet singer of Israel and had such a sweet complexion was sanguine and a great deal of valor and the sweet singer of Israel And for Wisdom he was as an Angel of God as the woman of Tekoa spak to him And yet who ever in such anguish and distress for sin as David was this you shall find if you read his penitential Psalms I cannot mention all take but some few Psal 6. there he is in trouble of Spirit and then Psal 32. When I kept silence my bones waxed old through my roaring all the day long Mark David felt the weight of sin so upon his heart that his bones waxed old through his roaring all the day long he found not sin a light matter as many ordinary people do And Psal 38. there is notable expressions vers 2. Thy Arrows stick fast in me and thy hand presseth me sore there is no soundness in my flesh because of thy Anger nor rest in my bones because of my Sin Vers 3. and vers 4. My iniquities have gone over my head as an heavie burthen they are to heavy for me vers 5. My wounds stink and are corrupt because of my foolishness vers 6. I am troubled I am bowed down greatly I go mourning all the day long See what Sin cost David And I beseech you take this note along with you you that will make use of Davids Sin to incourage you and harden your hearts in sin you will say Why did not David commit Adultery Sin that was a man according to Gods own heart Yea but mark you that will make use of Davids sin make use of what David felt for sin you see David's sin cost him dear and made the arrowes of the Almightie stick fast in him and caused him to roar out in anguish and distress of Spirit all day long and he professes he watered his Couch with tears And that 51 Psal Restore to me the joyes of thy salvation that the bones that thou hast broken may rejoyce David 's bones were broken through the trouble of his Spirit that is the strength of his spirit not bones litterally as bones are the strength of the body so the strength of his spirit was overcome by the anguish and trouble of his soul for sin Thus it was with David that was such a sanguine such a pleasant and such a valiant man and such a wise man and yet he felt this trouble of Spirit trouble of Conscience for Sin You think slight and make a light matter of it Oh you have brave stout Spirits you will scorn to be so afraid What! afraid of every thing the Minister speaks I scorn to be such a fool you think you be Sermon proof and can hear all this dreadful evil of Sin opened without anie fear or trembling Well you that have so stout spirits know Davids spirit was as valiant as yours his heart was as valiant as a Lion and yet the weight of sin brok his heart and so it will yours too if God lay it aright upon your Spirits Oh! it is not timerousness that causeth this trouble of Conscience for let God come and lay Afflictions his afflicting hand on them they can bear that as nothing in comparison of sin I remember I have heard a storie of a Woman that had Nine Children and great pains with them all and yet having afterward trouble of Conscience Oh! saith she All the pains I have had with my Nine Children is nothing to that which I have felt in a little time in trouble of Conscience So certainly all pains are nothing in comparison of the pains of Spirit when Sin is settled by strong conviction upon your Souls So you have many that are troubled for sin that could bear outward affliction but can not bear that And you that speak of the valor of your Spirits that are so valiant that can bear trouble for sin so easily as you think and are so full of Courage when afflictions are upon you your hearts are down and are poor low spirits white liver'd and can bear nothing no cross and affliction this shews you have no true courage you have courage to resist Conscience and the motions of the holy Ghost and the Word but no true courage it may be you have impudent spirits And mark one example more One of the wisest men that ever lived upon the earth yet greatly troubled for sin all his days and this is the example of Heman such woful trouble of spirit had he on him for sin See Psal 88. reade the whole Psalm and you shal see the trouble of his spirit for sin especially the 7. vers Thy wrath lies harâ— upon me and thou hast afflicted me with all thy waves And the 14. vers Lord why castest thou off mâ— soul Why hidest thou thy face from me I am afflicted and ready to die mark from my youth up God was pleased to exercise him from a yong man it is a blessed thing when God begins with yong ones makes them knâ—w what sin means when they are yong as Heman did from my youth up While I suffer thy terrors I am distracted v 〈…〉 Thy feirce wrath goeth over me thy terrors even cut me off Well who was this Heman for this is not a Psalm of David you shall see in the Title it was a Psalm of Heman and you shal find that he was one of the wisest men that lived upon the Earth â— Kings 4. 31. there he speaks of Heman he was brought in in the Story among the most wise men that lived upon the Earth he is compared with Solomon it is said of him he was exceeding wise and of excellent wisdom More wise than the Children of the East Country for he was wiser than all men than Heman for he was one of the wisest of all though Solomon excelled him yet next him he was one of the wisest and how comes he to be thus wise it is like that was one means that caused him to be so wise he was afflicted and ready to die from his youth up he was troubled for sin all his daies What is the folly of yong people They go up and down and take liberty in wickedness and sin and never feel the weight of Sin but if God please to begin with them and make them to see the evil of sin rightly this is the way for them to come to have true wisdom if God train them up in trouble of conscience for sin it is the way to make them
affected and stirred but when they hear the severitie of Gods Justice against sin Oh then God forbid that there should be such hard things God forbid these things should be true Certainly Brethren you cannot have any true meltings of Spirit wrought in you nor work of Gods Sanctifying Spirit unless you find such a principle in your hearts as should cause you to fall down and tremble and yeild unto the Justice of God and the severity of the Word against sin except you find a willingness to justifie God and his Word in all the severity that he doth reveal against you in your own sins I his is the Fifth CHAP. LVII Use 6. If there be so much evil in sin it shew the miserable condition of those whose hearts and lives are filled with sin Use VI. ANother Use is this If there be so much evil in sin Then what a miserable condition are those in that be full of sin wâ—ose hearts and lives are filled up to the brim to the very top exceeding full of sin Is there all this evil that I have spoken of in the nature of Sin in one sin as you have heard such dreadful evil in the least sin Oh Lord what a condition are those in I say that are guilty of an infinite number of sins It is said Eccles 9. 3. The hearts of men are full of evil full of sin it is true of all the sons and daughters of men in the world that their hearts be full of sin A toad is not so full of poyson as the heart of every man and woman in the world is full of sin and that which thou art full of is such an abominable thing in the eyes of God as you have heard yea and as their hearts are full of sin so they be fully set to do evil Eccles 8. 11. Because Sentence against an evil work is not speedily executed therefore the hearts of the sons of men are fully set in them to do evil this is true of all in their natural condition their hearts are full of evil and their hearts are fully set in them to do evil All the actions that ever thou didst do all the thoughts of thy mind and the words of thy mouth all the actions of thy life ever since thou wert born hath been nothing else but sin if thou be in thy natural estate This we dare avow and speak as in the presence of God That every man and woman not yet converted had never any thought never spake word never did any action in all their lives but they sinned against God And if Sin be to evil what an evil case are those men in who be so full of sin in all that ever they did in all their lives yea their best actions how full of sin be those and how miserable is their condition in that regard who have given up themselves to follow Sin with greediness Are there not some of you before the Lord whose consciences cannot but â—el you that you have given up your selves to follow the lusts of your own hearts with greediness to satisfie them to the full and all your grief hath been that you could satisfie them no more this hath been the condition of many who have lived in a course of sin all their daies yea and it may be against conscience also who have been guilty not only of multitudes of sin but guiltie of such multitudes with woful aggravations as against light against means against vows Certainly if Sin be such an evil in its own nature though but any one if God should set but the least sin but of thought upon a mans heart as he may do he would â—ink the stoutest-heart down to the bottomless gulph of despair then what will become of thee if God come to settle all thy abominations upon thy heart altogether The Floods of ungodly men saith David Psal 18. 14. hath made me afraid The word Men there is not in the Original but translated by some The floods of wickedness have made me afraid Certainly if God discover the floods of those wickednesses that your consciences may tell you you have been guiltie of it cannot but make you afraid if God come and set all those sins in order before thy face it will be a most dreadful Object and Spectacle Let me make use of that Phrase Job 6. 12. Is my strength the strength of stones and my flesh of Brass So may I say unto those who have such woful guilt of sin upon them What is thy strength the strength of stones and thy flesh of brass that thou canst bear the weight and burden of so many and such horrible transgressions as thou hast been guiltie of when thou hearest that there is so much evil in one sin and that in the least Sin We reade Leviticus 16. 22 24. of the Scape Goat that when Aaron and his Sons the Priests should come and lay his hands upon it and put the Sins of the people upon him he was to go into the Wilderness into a desolate place among the wild beasts there to note the woful condition of a Sinner that hath the guilt of multitudes of Sins upon him when he is like that Scape Goat to go into the Wilderness among wild beasts readie to tear him Thy condition is worse except thou art delivered from the guilt of sin I speak of one under the guilt of sin it is like to be worse with thee thou art in a worse condition than if thou wert to live among Tigers and Bears and Dragons readie to tear thee Certainly thy estate is far worse If thy bodie were full of sores thou wouldest think thy condition very sad it would cause much dejection of Spirit but for thy soul to be full of Sin to have so much Sin is worse than if thou hadest plague sores upon thy bodie from head to foot If you should see a man all over from the crown of the head to the soal of the foot full of plague sores you would think that man in a sad condition Certainly the state of every man unconverted is far worse because he is all over full of Sin that hath so much evil in it As for that Doctrine of the fulness of Sin in the heart and life of man that will require another and larger Treatise by it self therfore I do not intend to fall upon that Doctrine how man is full of Sin in his heart and life that may be done hereafter but only for the present to present this Meditation before you If so much evil be in every Sin then the fulness of Sin must needs put a man or woman in an evil and sad condition Psal 73. 10. God saith He will wring out to the wicked a full cup of wrath to those full of Sin Job 20. 11. there it is spoken of the wicked and ungodly That their bones are full of the sins of their youth thy life is full of sin thy bones may be full of the
the contrary But now you have heard there is nothing contrary to God to speak properly but only sin and if sin be the only contrary that God hath then certainly sin doth seek the destruction of God so much as it can though it be true a sinner can never do God hurt nor cannot hinder Gods working or Being at al whatsoever become of this wretch though he be destroyed and perish to al Eternity God will remain blessed for ever But this is the Nature of sin to seek the destruction of the Eternal God of glory Oh charge your hearts with this do not stay till God come at the day of Judgment to charge you with this for many poor sinners that went on blind-fold all their daies and never saw sin what it was then comes God upon their death bed and chargeth them with this and then their hearts are full of horror And so at the day of Judgment when God comes to charge them with this then they will be amazed and will see the truth of this Therfore seeing God doth it now before the day of Judgment do you now charge it upon your own hearts that so you may be humbled This is the Third Particular It strikes at God Fourthly Sin wrongs God exceedingly It doth that wrong unto God that all the Angels in Heaven and men in the world cannot make up again Any one sin take but the least sin that thou dost commit I say it doth that wrong unto God that all the Angels in Heaven and Men in the World can never make up again if all the Angels in Heaven and Men in the world should come and say Lord God this poor wretched Creature hath committed this sin this day O Lord we are content to suffer ten thousand yeers torment in Hell to satisfie for that wrong that is done to thee by this man or womans sin God would say it cannot be done by all Men and Angels they can never make up this wrong and yet as I shall shew hereafter God wil have this wrong made up or thou must perish Eternally Many men plead thus Who can challenge me and say I have wronged them in al my life they think this enough well suppose thou hast lived so that thou hast not wronged man either in word or deed Oh but thou hast wronged God the Living Eternal God can charge thee though man cannot that thou hast done him that wrong that all the Creatures in the world cannot make it good It were a sad thing if a man had done that wrong to a Kingdom that all the Blood in his Veins and in ten thousand generations more could not make up again he would be weary of his life You have done that wrong to the God of Heaven that all the Angels in Heaven and Men in the World can never make up again Well to conclude Though the things be hard and sad to think on God knows I treat in tender bowels and compassion to you and I do not know that ever I spake to any people in the world with more compassion and that in this particular And know though I speak of these things now yet if God give liberty I shall be as glad and willing to be large in shewing you the riches of the grace of the Gospel in Christ and Gods mercy in Christ And I hope your hearts will be as free and large in this as I am in speaking of this And if I were now treating never so much of the riches of Gods mercy in Christ I could not do it with more Bowels of Compassion than I do this but I do this that you may come to know your selves that you may come to know Christ that Christ may be precious in your thoughts For the special end of Christs coming was To take away sin to deliver from sin therfore we must know sin and charge our souls with sin that Christ may be precious Therefore if any soul shal go away and say Wo to me what have I done yea then such a soul is fit to hear of the Doctrine of grace and mercy in Christ and that in due time if God give liberty may be declared to such a soul But now for the present I beleeve this is a necessary point for you to know and this is that though some may perhaps rise against it that thousand thousands wil have cause to bless God for to all eternity when it is preached home upon their Consciences by the Spirit of the Lord which convinceth of the sinfulness of sin CHAP. XI How sin wrong God 1 In his Attributes 2 Relation of Father Son and Holy Ghost 3 His Counsels 4 In the End for which God hath done all he hath done And First Sin wrong Gods Attributes 1 His All-sufficiency shewd in two particulars 2 It wrong his Omnipresence and Omnisciency 3 Sin wrong his Wisdom 4 Wrong his Holiness 5 Sin wrong God in setting mans will above Gods 6 Sin wrong Gods Dominion 7 Sin wrong Gods Justice 8 Sin wrong God in his Truth THis was that which we proposed in the third place but we shall handle it in this fourth place that we may enlarge upon it But how doth sin wrong God The wrong you do to God by sin is such wrong that if all the Angels in Heaven and Men in the World would be content to endure thousands of yeers of torment in Hell to make up that wrong it could not be any one sin that you commit doth such wrong to God How doth this appear To make it out I shal shew unto you four things 1 How sin doth wrong God in all his Attributes 2 How it wrongs God in his Personal Relations Father Son and Holy Ghost 3 How it wrongs him in his Counsels in that order he hath set in the World in all Creatures 4 How it wrongs God in the very End for which he hath done all that he hath done in the end of all his Works even his Glory First Sin wrongs God in his Attributes As thus First Sin doth hold forth this That there is not a sufficiency of good in God for the satisfying of a soul this language is apparant in every sin and it holds this forth so far as sin doth appear it holds this forth before all and speaks this language That there is not enough good in God That is the Blessed Glorious Al-sufficient Eternal Unchangable good and Fountain of all good yet sin makes this profession That there is not enough good in God to satisfie this soul or else why doth the soul depart from him in any sinful way and go to the Creature for any good if there be enough in God himself Now there is great wrong done to that blessed God who is goodness it self for any Creature to hold this forth That there is not sufficient good there but that the Creature must be fain to seek for it elswhere out of God So long as we seek comforts in the Creature in
condition if he have but divers thousands of men come to plead against him and these cry out for Justice justice upon him but if a man have a whol Kingdom and everie one comes and cries Justice Justice upon this man that hath wronged this Kingdom this man is in a woful estate but I speak of everie Sinner before God if that thy sins be not done away in Christ know it is not a whol Kingdom speaks against thee but all the divine Attributes al the Attributes of God be continuallie before the Lord crying out against thee Justice against this sin he hath wronged me saith one and me saith another and me saith another and thus and thus and thus and therefore thou art in an evil condition and it is much that thou shouldest sleep quietlie when all Gods Attributes plead against thee it is a hard case when the Devil pleads against a man and but accuse him and plead against him before God but when all the Attributes of God plead against him as I might shew you more at large how woful is his condition Object But you will say though all the other Attributes plead against me yet I hope Mercy will plead for me Answ But that pleads against thee too for thou wrongest his Mercie also Indeed there is no Attribute more wronged by Sinners ordinarily than the Mercy of God is The Mercie of God doest thou think that shall plead for thee That is wronged especiallie Why Because there is no Attribute abused to be an Abettor to Sin more than the Mercie of God is and it s abused and made to harden the hearts of men and women in Sin no Attribute so much abused The Justice of God thou thinkest that pleads against thee but Mercie thou thinkest pleads for thee Justice is not so much wronged by Sin as Mercie is The Justice of God is not made an Abettor of Sin Now that is the greatest wrong that can be for Gods Mercie to be made a means to abet Sin and to harden mens hearts in Sin It is a great wrong to make use of any Creature to be serviceable to our Sin if a man make Meat or Drink or Cloathes or anie Creature serviceable to his Lust it is a wrong to that Creature and to God the Creator of that Creature that thou makest serviceable to thy lust but if it be a wrong to the Creature what is it to make the Mercie of God serviceable to your lusts and who is there almost but makes the mercy of God in some degree or other Serviceable to his lusts It is a horrible thing thus to abuse mercie how doest thou think the mercie of God should plead for thee when thou doest it such infinite wrong when thou venturest upon sin because God is a merciful God Thus you wrong the Attributes of God by sin CHAP. XII How sin wrongs God in his personal Relations 1 The Father 2 The Son 3 The Spirit SEcondly Now for the Personal Relations of God Father Son and holy Ghost how they be wronged in way of sin First God the Father Consider of these in those operations most proper and especially attributed to them As now that attributed to the Father is the work of Creation now thou wrongest God the Father in this especial operation In that thou abusest the gifts God hath given thee that Body and Soul God hath made thou abusest it to Gods dishonor abusest his Creatures takest Gods own Creatures and abusest them to his dishonor yea thy own Members that God made thee to honor him withal thou takest them and with his own weapons fightest against himself not only fightest against him but with his own weapons faculties and gifts he hath given thee thou fightest against him Thus thou wrongest God the Father in his work of Creation Secondly Thou wrongest Christ in the Work of Redemption 1 Because the least sin thou committest if ever it be pardoned it is that which stab'd Jesus Christ to the very heart I say thy sin was that which pierced Christ and brought forth blood and water from him it was that which whipt Christ it was that which put Christ to death that shed the blood of Christ that crucified Christ I may say to every sinner that expects to be saved by Christ as Peter in the 2. Acts said to those Jews Whom you have crucified and the text saith that then they were pricked to their hearts Certain it is thou sinner man or woman whosoever thou art that dost expect to have part in the blood of Christ Thy sin crucified Christ made Christ cry out upon the Cross My God my God why hast thou forsaken me What dost thou think of thy sins now And if thou be such an one as hath never been affected with the Blood of Christ that was shed for thy sins then thou wrongest the Blood of Christ more for then thou dost trample the Blood of the everlasting Covenant under thy feet and accountest it a common thing Most men and women be such that live under the light of the Gospel that like Swine trample the very blood of Christ under their feet and make nothing of the Blood of Christ go to the Sacrament hand over head unpreparedly and so come to be guilty of the Body and Blood of Christ Certainly these be not strains of wit above the truth and reality of things there is a reality in it that thy soul is charged from God this day of wronging Christ the second Person Thirdly Thou wrongest the Spirit of God in defacing of the work of Sanctification what in thee lies in opposing the work of Gods Spirit in thy soul in resisting the motions of Gods Spirit Who is there but is guilty of resisting the motions of the Holy Ghost Who is there but at some time or other when they have been at the Word but they have had some stirrings of the Spirit of God within them when they have heard such and such truths of God But they have gone to company and laughed it away drunk and played it away talked it away What a wrong is this to the Holy Ghost thou wrongest the Holy Ghost by defiling thy Body which should be the Temple of the Holy Ghost CHAP. XIII Sin wrong the Counsels of God in setting that Order in the World that he hath set THirdly Thou wrongest the Counsels of God in setting that order in the world which he hath set To understand it know this God in his Eternal Counsel hath set a due order in all his Creatures they walk in an orderly way to fetch about that end that he himself did intend As a Workman that makes a curious work puts everie wheel and piece in a right frame and due order that so by that order his Art hath placed in the work the work may attain unto that end he made it for So God hath done he hath made all things by weight and measure in due order God made all things good very good and
sight of sin against God Oh what have I done against God what hath my life been against that infinite glorious eternal first-Being of all things When the soul comes to see that effectually then it falls down and falls down low too Certainly Brethren the heart is never humbled throughly till it come to feel the burden of sin to be heaviest there where it is heaviest mark I say till the heart feel the burden of sin to be heaviest where it is heaviest it is not brought low enough but the burden of sin it is heaviest as it is against God rather than as it is against the good of the Creature that though it be a wonderful burden yea if God put not under his hand an intollerable burden if the Conscience only apprehend sin as against the good of the Creature but the apprehension of sin as against God is a great deal more it doth shew the burden of sin and make the burden of sin to be far more weighty than the other can possibly be 2 The Apprehensions of sin any other way but this it doth not so sanctifie the Name of God as this doth When the soul shall be cast down before the Lord for sin as it is against himself as it is against his glory as it hath wronged him I say that this doth sanctifie the Name of God a great deal more than any other humiliation doth for other humiliation other trouble for sin for I will rather call it trouble for sin than humiliation if this be not in it there may appear in it much self-love and a forced perplexitie of spirit But now the Name of God is not sanctified so as when the heart shall fall down and be humbled because that God hath been wronged his Attributes wronged because he hath been opposed in his glory Now this humiliation doth especially lift up the Name of God and sanctifie the Name of God 3 Take any other humiliation and it is not such an abiding humiliation as this is this humiliation for sin will more abide upon the Spirit than any other doth many are troubled for sin have a great deal of horror and perplexity of Spirit in some fits in some moods at some times but this their trouble is but for a flash and it goes away vanisheth and comes to nothing when trouble is only from the apprehension of danger and miserie in it felf I say it usually vanisheth and comes to nothing why Because when there comes but any thing to make you to think that this danger may be in any degree over or that things are not so bad as I was afraid now the trouble presently vanisheth upon that In times of sickness the soul apprehends it self in danger of perishing I am now going I see my self at the brink of the Pit now the soul is troubled for sin but when the danger appeareth to be a little over the trouble for sin ceaseth But when the soul is troubled for sin as against God this trouble cannot but abide though afflictions be gone yet my trouble abide What 's the reason many people upon their sick beds be so troubled for sin as they think and cry out Oh! if God ever restore them they will never do as they have done and yet as soon as they are well they fall to their sin again here is the reason Because only their danger troubled them But now let the soul be kindly humbled for sin as against God Oh I have wronged God that infinite Deitie that infinite glorious First Being of all things let such an one be in sickness or in health whatsoever condition such an one is in the trouble abides upon the spirit yea Brethren it abides upon the spirit even then when the soul hath hope sin shal be pardoned yea when the soul knows certainly sin shal be pardoned yet will the humiliation abide upon the heart of such a man or woman There 's a great mistake in the world in the matter of trouble for sin they think Repentance or mourning for sin is but one act that if once they have been troubled for sin they need never be troubled any more It is a dangerous mistake for we are to know true sorrow for sin true repentance is a continual act that must abide all our lives and it is not only at that time when we are afraid that God will not pardon our sins when we be afraid we shall be damned for our sins but when we come to hope that God will yea when we come to know that God hath pardoned our sins yet then it will abide only working in another manner and it must needs be so if the heart be humbled for sin thus against God for suppose God come in and graciously tell the soul though thou hast wronged me yet through the Mediation of my Son I will forgive thee will this quiet the soul so as it will be no more troubled and sorrie for sin No. Now the sorrow comes in another way And is this the God I have wronged the gracious merciful God I have wronged that notwithstanding all the wrong I have done him that when he had my soul at an advantage and might justly have sent me down to the nethermost Hell and will he yet pardon though no goodness in me and yet will he have such thoughts of mercy as to send his own Son to make up that wrong and satisfie for the evil I have done Oh now the heart bleed afresh upon this and mourns more than ever it did before Many can say of this that after they have apprehended their sin to be pardoned then their souls have mourned and melted more than ever they did before in the apprehension of horror and fear of Gods wrath and all upon this because they did not see sin to be an evil only as it brings danger of punishment but they did see the evil of sin as against a God as I have wronged God stroke at the infinite glorious first-Being of all things and this will abide upon the heart therefore this is another manner of trouble for sin than the other and because this trouble for sin is so effectual and so good therefore it is that I have endeavored the more to open unto you how sin is against God Therefore when I come to the other to shew how it is against our selves I shal be but brief in that because I know that this is the Principal 4 The trouble for sin if it be apprehended evil any other way but this or if this be not chief cannot be so good because there is no trouble for sin but this that ever will make a devorce between sin and the soul all other trouble will not do it unless this come in And indeed it is to admiration to consider how strong the union between sin and the soul is and how hard to make the devorce that take a man or a woman that apprehends never so much the wrath of God against sin
of Gods working towards him 'T is thus with man There is no wise man that doth any great work manifests any great skill or layes out great cost but will do it for such an end as that end if ever it be attained shall be worth all his cost and skill and pains For a wise man to bestow much cost skill and pains upon a mean thing is absurd and ridiculous And no wise man but if he bestow much cost and pains and manifest much skill but he will be sure it shall be for that which if he attain to that he aims at it shall be worth all If a man be at a great deal of Charge in a Voyage he aims at such an end as may be worth his Charge So when God above all things layes out his wisdom power and mercy goodness faithfulness and sets at work all his Counsels to be laid out upon such a business as to get man to attain to his last end then certainly mans end and happiness must be worth it all And it must needs be a glorious thing God intends for the Children of men to make them happy withal when the great Counsels of God and wayes of Gods wisdom and power be so about this business of bringing man to happiness Now if there be such a glorious happiness for mankind then that which is most opposite to this great happiness must be very evil Now sin directly opposeth mans happiness the end man was made for and thus you see the evil of sin When God comes to awaken mans Conscience and inlighten mans Soul to see how sin crosseth their happiness more than any affliction they will chuse rather to be under the greatest affliction than the least sin Object I but it may be you will say it doth not sâ— cross mans happiness but that he may come to be happie for all sin Answ I Answer Of its own nature it directly crosseth mans happiness quite undoes man and if God by his Power fetch it about another way this is no thank to sin but to God CHAP. XXVIII Fifthly Sin is more opposite to mans good than Affliction because t is a defilement of the Soul 1 It defiles all a man medleth with 2 Sin is the matter the worm shall gnaw upon to all eternity FIfthly The evil of Sin against a mans good appeareth in this In that it is the defilement and corruption of the Soul a rottenness in the Soul Affliction is not the filth and corruption of the Soul the Soul may be as clear from filth and corruption notwithstanding Affliction as it was before man sinned Sin it is the rottenness of the Soul and therefore such a kind of defilement As 1 It defiles all things a man medles withal and al his actions it makes a man vile and defiles every thing that comes from him To the unclean all things are unclean and impure Tit. 1. 15. It defiles the Creature and every thing he hath to do withal and every thing he medles withal 2 And especially it appeareth in this That it is no other than the matter for the worm to breed in that shall gnaw upon the Soul of the wicked to all eternity You reade in Scripture That the damned shall be punished with fire that shall never go out and the worm that shal never dye What is that worm that shall never dye The worm of Conscience that shall gnaw upon their Spirits to all eternity Now what breeds this worm and supplies it with matter No other but the corruption of sin in the soul For as with worms as the Holy Ghost makes use of that Meatopher that breed in the corruption and filth in a mans body there are some worms that breed in the body which are deadly But out of what do those worms breed Out of the filth and corruption of the Body and the corruption of the body supplies matter for the worm to gnaw upon And so in Trees and Timber there breeds worms upon what do they breed but upon the corruption of the Timber when it begins to rot So then worms breed out of corruption and live upon Corruption so that worm of Conscience that shall lye gnawing upon the souls of those that perish to al eternity is nothing else but that which breeds from the filth of their hearts while they live here the worm breeds Therefore you that live a long time in sin old sinners gray headed sinners though you do not feel the worm gnaw for the present yet ever since you were born the worm was breeding and it will be a great and a dreadful worm hereafter and know you supply abundance of Corruption for to feed that worm that will gnaw another day You feel it not now but the longer you be before you feel it the dreadfuller will it be then All those that have corrupt hearts and have this worm breed if God would make the worm gnaw now it would be wel for them for there be wayes to kill it here to kill the worm of Conscience If it gnaw there is a Soveraign Medicine the bloud of Christ And certainly there is no Medicine in the world to kill this worm but the bloud of Christ and those that God doth intend to kill this worm in and those that shall not have it gnaw to all eternity God lets it gnaw now the Ministery of the Word makes it gnaw and pain them and they feel such pain that wheresoever they go or whatsoever they do yet the worm lies gnawing upon their hearts they cannot sleep or eate their meat Alas what should I eat and have my worm gnaw there And they can never be at rest till God apply the bloud of Christ and then they void the worm as it were How will you rejoyce when your Children if the worms be great and put them to pain if the Physitian give them that which makes them void them how do you rejoyce to see the worm that would have been the death of your Child It might have grown bigger and bigger if it had not been taken away So I dare say there is never a Soul here before the Lord but hath or had a worm in their breasts I say There was a time you had this worm in your breasts that without it were cured would lie gnawing to all eternity it is that which breeds of the filth and corruption of your hearts Suppose a man had a little dirt on his face this endangers not the life of the body but when there is corruption within and defilement of the Body within that breeds diseases and will breed worms it may be it wil breed the wolf that lies gnawing at their breasts many women have had it in their breasts that lies gnawing upon their flesh but know your sins breed another manner of worm or wolf that will gnaw worse than ever that did And this is the evil of sin it is not only the defilement of the soul but such a defilement that
one person to another Christ comes in and he puts on the Sentence of Condemnation for thee that hast it passed against thee so that the Sentence is not properly nullified but transferred to Christ Eccles 8. 11. saith the text there Because Sentence against an evil Work is not speedily executed therefore the heart of the sons of men are fully set in them to do evil Mark the Sentence against an evil work is not speedilie executed so that it appears there is a Sentence against every evil work The Sentence is out Brethren thou goest and art drunk or to the commission of such a sin I say presentlie the Sentence of death is clapt upon thee the Sentence is out against all sinners You see men go on and live in prosperitie a great while in the world but they be under the Sentence all the while sin is not removed by the blood of Christ and all the comforts I beseech you observe that that any man or woman have in the world that are in their natural condition and are not delivered from Condemnation by Christ they are all but just as meat and drink and some refreshments that are grantnd to a condemned Malefactor before Execution Suppose a Malefactor is condemned but now Execution is not till two or three daies after in that space of time he hath granted unto him libertie to have meat and drink and friends come to him and he may refresh himself in those two or three daies but he hath forfeited all his Estate and the tenure now upon which he holds any comfort it is not the same which he had before but meerly through the bountie of the Prince it is that he hath comforts So here wicked men have committed sin and the Sentence of death is out against them and they have forfeited all the comforts of their estates and of their lives only God in patience grants unto them some outward comforts here a few daies before Execution and upon this tenure do all wicked men hold their Estates I will not say that every wicked man is an Usurper of their Estates as some perhaps have held that they have no right at all before God some right he hath as you cannot say a Malefactor hath no right when he is condemned to meat and drink before Execution he hath right to what is given to him of Donation and Bountie but not that right which he had before So I say for wicked men that have Estates in this world they have a kind of right to that they have but how Just that right that a condemned man hath to his dinner or supper before Execution this is the right of wicked men to their Estates that is God of his bountie grants a little while before Execution they shall have a few comforts to them in this world And this is the evil of sin and the least sin there is not any one sin but the fruit of it is Condemnation And Brethren you must not mistake to think that wicked men are never condemned until they come before God in the day of Judgment they be condemned here mark that John 3. 18. He that beleeves not is condemned already now condemned not hereafter but a condemned man already this is a sad condition indeed If a man had the Sentence of death so past that the whol Parliament could not help him you would think that man in a sad condition Now let me speak it and God speaks it to the conscience of every sinner I say thou that standest before God in any one sin and not delivered through the blood of his Son Christ thou standest so under the Sentence of condemnation as all the Creatures in Heaven and Earth cannot help and deliver thee thou must have some help beyond the help of all the Creatures in Heaven and Earth to deliver thee When Paul would comfort the Saints against all troubles and afflictions they meet withal Rom. 8. he begins thus There is no condemnation to them in Christ Jesus as if he should say this is the comfort no Condemnation If I know I am delivered from the Sentence of Condemnation let what will fall out I am well enough but this be sure of there is Condemnation to those that are not in Christ I remember Luther had this Speech when he had got assurance of pardon of sin that he was freed and absolved by God he cries out Lord strike Lord now strike for I am absolved from my sins thou hast delivered me from sin now strike now let any affliction befal that possibly can let never so much trouble attend I am absolved from sin now Lord strike This is the Eighth Sin is more opposite against the good of man than Affliction for it brings them under the Sentence of Condemnation CHAP. XXXII Ninthly Sin is a greater Evil to man than Affliction because it breaks the Vnion between God and the Soul NInthly Sin is a greater evil than Affliction in this In that it is the very thing that breaks the Vnion between God and the Soul It is that doth it and no Affliction doth it Now Brethren this I confess might seem to be less than that of Hatred and might have come before it but now I bring it in here That it breaks the Union between God and the Soul Isa 59. 2. Your Sins have separated between you and your God! We are to know The Souls of men are capable of a very near and high Union between God and them the more spiritual any thing is the more power hath it to Unite and the more neer the Union As thus The beams of the Sun because they be very spiritual they can Unite a thousand of them into one Point as it were but grosser things cannot so Unite themselves together So Brethren God being a Spirit and our Souls being Spirits they come to be capable of a most neer Communion one with another And the Souls of men are neerer a glorious Union with God in this regard more neer than any Creature but the Angels Because the Object of mans Understanding is not any particular truth but Veritas truth in general truth it self in the whole latitude is the Object of mans Understanding So the Object of mans Will Is not this good or that good in particular but Bonitas good in general in the full latitude of it It is not so with other Creatures they have their Objects in some particular thing in such a limit and compass and they can work no further nor higher But it is otherwise with mans Soul God hath made man in such a kind that the Object of his Soul should be Truth and Goodness in the full latitude in the infinitness of it take it in the utmost extent that can be yet still it is the Object of the Soul of man Now hence it is that the Soul of man is of such a wonderful larg extent even capable of God himself of enjoyment of Union and Communion with God himself
which otherwise could not be No other Creature hath to do with infiniteness nor can have to do with it but men and Angels and upon that ground because God hath made them of such a nature so large that their Faculties should be of so large a nature Now hence it is that man being capable of the enjoyment of God in such a glorious manner We have these Expressions in Scripture He that is joyned to the Lord is one Spirit 1 Cor. 6. 17. Made one Spirit with God A most strange expression that the soul of a poor Creature should be made one Spirit with God and yet so it is And so John 17. 21. we have two or three notable expressions That they may be all one as thou Father art in me and I in thee and that they may be one in us Christ prayes that the Saints may be one in him and in the Father as the Father is in him and he in the Father so they may be one with them And Vers 22. And the glory which thou gavest me I have given them that they may be one even as we are one Christ hath given the Saints the same glory God the Father gave him And to what end what was the effect of that glory Christ gave to the Saints It was that they may be one with the Father and one with the Son So that you see mankind is capable of a wonderful neer Union with God Oh consider this to raise your spirits You that look after such low things and think there is no higher good than to eat and drink and to have your pleasures in the Flesh know that the meanest and poorest in the Congregation are capable to receive that glory God gave his Son Christ that you may be one with God the Father and the Son as God the Father and the Son are one not every way but know there is a likeness Christ himself hath exprest it Therefore you that have your hearts so low that mind nothing but these things below know that you have more noble things to mind if your hearts consider it But here is the evil of Sin Sin breaks the union between God and the soul it separates between God and the Soul it keeps off God that infinite eternal glorious fountain of all good it keeps him off from you it makes you lose God and all the good in God By Sin you depart from God which is the Curse of the Damned at the day of Judgment Depart from me you Cursed you here for the present in every sin do begin to have that dreadful Sentence executed on you Depart from me ye Cursed You do it your selves while you live in sinful waies there is a real actual departing from God and executing of that dreadful Sentence Depart you Cursed You think there is little evil in sin but if you knew that God is an infinite Good and then knew the Union you are capable of with God and then see sin break this Union this would make you see sin the greatest evil in the world CHAP. XXXIII Tenthly Sin is more against mans good than Affliction for that it stirs up all in God to come against a sinner in way of Enmity TEnthly The Evil of sin as against our good consists in this It stirs up all in God to come in way of Enmity against a sinner and this is another manner of business than to suffer affliction A most dreadful place of Scripture we have for this Levit. 26. verse 24. 28. If you walk contrary to me I will walk contrary unto you What is that All my glorious Attributes shall work against you as if God should say Is there any thing in me can make you miserable you have it if all my Power or Wisdom can bring evil upon you you shall have it I will walk contrary in all the working of my Attributes and waies of my Providence And a most dreadful place we have Psalm 34. 16. there God saith The face of the Lord is against them that do evil Mark the face of the Lord What is Gods face The manifestation of himself and his glorious Attributes the face of the Lord is against them that do evil Oh that thou wouldest consider this thou that dost evil whose conscience cannot but tell thee thou dost evil know the face of God is against thee and is this nothing to have the face of God against thee The face of God is terrible in the world when he meets with a sinner one sight of the face of God against a soul cannot but overwhelm the soul and sinke it down to the bottomless Gulf of eternal despair if God hold him not by his mighty hand there is so much terror in it and yet the Scripture saith the face of God is against them that do evil Another Text very remarkable we have in the 2 Sam. 22. 27. With the pure thou wilt shew thy self pure and with the froward thou wilt shew thy self froward or unsavory But it may be translated With the perverse thou wilt wrastle so that those that be froward and perverse and will walk on in a sinful way God wrastles it out with them God puts forth his Power to wrastle and certainly if God wrastle with thee he will lay thee upon thy back It is a dreadful thing that God should use such a speech that he will wrastle with man for all men in sin as I shewed before they wrastle with God as if they would have the day God will have his will and thou shalt have the fall thou wrastlest and God wrastle you know Wrastlers put forth all their strength against one another and know God puts forth all his strength against every sinner And that I may bring it more full to your sences consider this From whence hath any Creature power to bring evil upon thee or to torment thee Surely it hath somwhat of God in it as thus Fire hath power to torment the Bodie and it is only one spark of God let out through the power of that Creature otherwise it had no power And again another Creature Swords and Weapons they have power to gash and wound the Body whence have these Instruments their power it is but some drop of Gods power through these Instruments So one Disease hath power to torment one way and another another way whence hath any Disease power to torment only there is some little of Gods power let out through that Disease Now if all Creatures tormenting hath only power through Gods letting out his power then what a dreadful thing will it be when Gods Power shal be infinitely let out against the Creature so that take all Creatures in their several powers to torment and put them all together one Creature in one kind and another in another and put them all together this would be great torture Now all the Power of God is the several powers of all the Creatures put together in one and infinitely more
turns them into devils These be the Six Particulars of the evil of Sin in the Reference it hath to the Devil From these Six follow these notable Corollaries and Consequences to shew the dreadful Evil in Sin beyond all Affliction Corollaries and Consequences from all the former Particulars CHAP. XLIV The First Corallarie It s worse for a man to be sinful than to be turned into a beast FIrst Hence then it is worse for a man to be sinsul and wicked than if he were turned into a beast It is worse to be like the Devil to fulfil his will to be a servant to him to be turned into a devil than to be turned into a beast And yet we should account it a great misery if God should put any one under such a punishment to turn your bodies into beasts I remember I have read out of Lactantius of a place he quotes out of Tully Who would not rather die saith he than have his body the body of a man turned into the shape of a beast though he should retain the mind of a man under this condition As if God by his power should turn the fashion of a mans body to be just like a Dog or a Swine and yet he should have the mind of a man the soul should be kept within such a body of such a forme of a dog or a swine and he should go up and down in the world as a dog or a swine with the mind of a man Now this Heathen saith A man had rather die than be so then how great an evil saith he is it for a man to have the soul of a man turned into the fashion of a beast though his body continue still in the form of a man this a heathen could say By this it appeareth Though we see not God work such miracles as to turn the bodies of men and women by his judgements into the fashion of swine or dogs or such Creatures as he might do if he pleased but this we see ordinary that the souls of men and women be turned just into the very fashion and shape as I may so speak of the sensitive souls of bruit beasts as a drunkard or a glutton his soul is justlike to the sensitive soul of the swine And those that do rail against Religion their souls be turned just like the sensitive soul of a barking dog and they do bark like nay a great deal worse than a dog And those that are wickedly subtile they are like to Foxes And the Scripture speaks of men cruel like to Wolves their sins do turn their souls to be like the very spirit and sensitive souls of the bruit beasts So that they are in a worse condition than if their bodies were turned into the shape of bruit beasts But when their souls be turned to be like the Devil this is worse a great deal than if they were like bruit beasts This is the First CHAP. XLV The Second Corollarie It s worse to be Sinful than to be Afflicted with Temptation from the Devil SEcondly From the Reference sin hath to the Devil it followes That for any man or woman to be wicked it is worse a great deal than to have the greatest trouble and affliction by any temptation from the Devil There be many men and women exceedingly pestered with hidious and horribl temptations by the Devil and so troubled with them that they be even weary of their lives and know not what to do Many send up Papers to the Minister in Publick desiring to be prayed for because of that sore Affliction upon them those dreadful temptations of the devil whersoever they go whersoever they be whatsoever they be adoing when a hearing a reading and if they go to prayer still hidious temptations of the devil comes upon them and this wearies their lives They had rather indure any misery in the world I dare appeal to you that be troubled with hidious temptations of the devil which dog and follow you had you not rather indure loss of estate sickness poverty and shame and disgrace rather than have these hidious temptations follow you Oh you should have many quickly make their choice rather let any thing befal me than have such hidious temptations pursue pester me Now if such hidious temptations be a greater evil in your account than all Afflictions that can befal your body than much more evil are your sins than all afflictions for sin hath greater Reference unto the devil than temptations and make you more like the devil than temptations do for temptations may be no other but such as did befal the Son of God himself Christ was pestered with temptations hidious temptations temptations to deny God and to tempt God and to worship the devil himself As hidious temptations befel Christ as could befal any one yet the Son of God beloved of God therefore your temptations are no other no greater than might befal Christ and therefore not so great evils as Sin They make you not so like the devil as sin if temptations come from the Devil if not entertained though they be afflictions yet not Sin Now in that Sin hath such reference to the devil it appeareth that Sin is worse than all the Annoyance you can have by any temptation CHAP. XLVI The Third Corollarie It s Worse to be under Sin than to be haunted by the Devil THirdly Hence it follows That Sin is worse than to be continually in the presence of the Devil It is worse for a man or woman to be under the power of any Sin than to be continually haunted by devils and to have the sight of devils before their eyes and be in company with them If God should lay such a judgment upon a man or woman that wheresoever they should be they should see devils before them to be under the power of any one sin is worse than if God should lay such a judgment upon thee Many be mightily terrified in the dark Oh! there is the devil in the room and Oh! he comes to them and there be apparitions of devils this they be troubled with Oh! these men and women haunted by devils and houses haunted by devils this is a miserable condition Now art thou haunted by any wicked lust and sin certainly thou art in a worse condition than any man or woman haunted by devils or house haunted by the devil Is there any house in your parish where there is Blaspheming and Oaths and railing at goodness and Sabbath breaking and such things this house is worse than any house haunted by devils For Sin is worse a great deal than the meer presence of the devil I remember I have read of a Tyrant one Maxensius in Hetrusia he invented this torment to put men to death he would have a dead mans Carkass tyed about their bodies and so let them go wheresoever he would but he still carried the dead Carkass about him and at length the stench put them to death this
was his Tyrany If you should have a dead man or woman tied about your bodies may be the face of a dead man is hidious to you but if they should be tied about you so that when you lie in bed and when you rise when you sit at meat it should be alwaies with you and you should indure the stink and putrefaction what a sore evil would this be now if in the presence of a dead Carkass there is so much evil than in the presence of the devil there is much more Now sin any one sin tied close to your hearts that you carry about with you wheresoever you go know there is in that a greater evil upon you than if a dead Carkass should be tied to you yea than if the devil should haunt you wheresoever you go because the presence of the devil is not so much as turning of the souls of men and women into the nature of the devil and making the Souls of men and women so like to him CHAP. XLVII The Fourth Corollarie It s worse to be given up to any way of Sin than to be given up to the Devil Quest How the Delivering up to Satan can be for the saving the Soul A Fourth Corollarie hence is this That for any man or woman to be left to one Sin it is worse than to be given up to the Devil I say it is a greater evil a greater judgement for any man or woman to be left to any way of Sin than to be given up to Satan is thy soul given up to the power of any one Sin I dare here as I stand in the presence of God To speak the truths of God I dare avow it you are in a worse condition than if you should be given up to the devil I make that good thus In Scripture 1 Cor 5. 5. we have an example of one that was given up to the Devil and that in a right way there is an Incestuous person that committed that horrible wickedness not named among the Gentiles that had his fathers wife and committed Incest with her the Apostle commands him to be delivered to Satan for the destruction of the flesh that his spirit might be saved in the day of the Lord Jesus He was delivered to Satan but for the destruction of the flesh but to the end that he might have his Spirit saved in the day of the Lord Jesus So that the delivering up to Satan was a means appointed by God to save his soul But to deliver up any one to the power of Sin is no means to save his soul that is a means to damn the soul and not to save it So then you see the reason grounded cleerly upon Scripture That it is worse to be delivered up unto any sin than to be delivered to the Devil for he that was delivered to Satan it was for the saving of the soul but he that is delivered to Sin it is for the damning of his soul This requires a little opening Quest You will say How can the delivering up to Santan be for the saving of the soul Answ It will be needful for cleering of this to tell you what this delivering up to Satan was and the truth is this delivering up to Satan or excommunication from the Church this was a most dreadful thing when done in a right way it was done when the Church was gathered together by the power of Jesus Christ As certainly where there are a company of Saints that at least outwardly so appear a Church that in a solemn manner is gathered together through the power of Jesus Christ having their Elder going before them the Officer of the Church when they in a solemn manner in the power of Christ shall cast out any one deservedly from Church Communion this is a delivering a man or woman to Satan this is another manner of business than ordinarily we were wont to have by the Ordinary or Commisâ—ary and Dean in the Prelates Courts certainly they were but wooden Daggers in comparison of this dreadful Sword to cut off from the Communion of the Church it was when the Church was Assembled not the Commissary and Officers but when the Church was gathered together to cut such a one from the Church of Christ for some vile act not for not paying of their Fees or the like these things only scared people but if this Censure of Excommunication were in a right way executed it were the most dreadful thing in the world it is that which hath awed and terrified the most proud and stout sinners the very sight of anothers Excommunicating it hath terrified the conscience of those that have been by It is a delivering them to Satan and putting them from under the protection of God giving them up to the devil to take power over them except they come in and repent and this is a way to save the soul because if there be any way in the world to cause men to see their sin and repent and be humbled and come in this is it and when no other way would do it this many times hath done it And therefore those people that live in such a condition that want this Ordinance of Excommunication in the right way want an especial means to keep off sin both to keep them from sin before they are fallen and of delivering of them from sin when they have fallen into it But to be given over to the power of sin is a greater evil than to be delivered to Satan CHAP. XLVIII The Fifth Corollary It is worse to be given up to one sin than to be actually possessed by the Devil FIfthly Shall I say further and this will make it plaâ—â—ly appear what abundance of 〈◊〉 â—ere â—s iâ— Sin more than in Affliction for though â—…oken abundance of it yet all this 〈…〉 draw the Point higher and higher and â—…ve the nail deeper and deeper that this Truth of God might settle upon your spirits and therefore a Fifth is this which follows from this reference sin hath to the Devil That it is worse to be given up to any one Sin than to be actually possessed by the Devil than for the Devil to come and actually possess us as those poor Creatures were in the Gospel and this is worse than to be given up to Satan There is a spiritual possession of Satan as in Judas and that is a spiritual possession of their hearts to rule them but there is a temporal possession spoken of in the Gospel and that is of their bodies that the Devil possest them and caused them to rage and foam at the mouth and rend and tear and the men we reade of in the Gospel that lived among the graves and dead people and cut themselves with knives and stones this was a grievous thing to see men thus possest Many men have extraordinary fits of the Convulsion and the like and men think they be possessed we ordinarily mistake and it is but a meer fit of
wiser than their Teachers rhan their Fore-fathers and to bring them to the wisdom even of the most wise CHAP. LI. The former Vse further prosecuted First Against those that have slight thoughts of trouble of Conscience which ariseth either from gross Ignorance or Atheism or desperate slighting of God Secondly Trouble of Conscience is the beginning of Eternal death Thirdly Those that have slight thoughts of trouble of Conscience can never prize Christ Fourthly Those that have slight thoughts of trouble of Conscience now shall one day alter their opinion Fifthly It were just with God to let those sink under the burden of Conscience that have slight thoughts of it now Sixtly Those that have slight thoughts of trouble of Conscience those very thoughts do take away a chief restraint from sin Seventhly Slight thoughts of trouble of Conscience for sin are 1 A high degree of Blasphemy 2 And a degree towards the unpardonable sin WE have entred upon the Application of all that hath been said concerning the evil of Sin And you may remember I have only named one Use that do arise from all that hath been said about the evil of Sin and that we shall now prosecute The Use is this If there be so much evil in sin as you have heard opened unto you beyond all the evil of any affliction Hence then we see that the wounds and trouble of Conscience for sin certainly it is no melancholly conceit it is not a fancy or imagination as many in the world think of it Many men have very slight thoughts about the trouble of Conscience for sin and when they hear of men or women troubled for their sin they think it is nothing but melancholly or temptation or some kind of frenzy or madness or folly or weakness of spirit or timerousness These be the thoughts men have of trouble of conscience and according to their thoughts that they have of it such are their Cures that they seek for it I spake som what of it in the last Chapter but now certainly if these things be true as verily they are the Truths of God that have been delivered concerning the evil of sin then we are not to wonder at men and women that have troubles of conscience for sin I shewed by some examples that trouble of conscience was not melancholly especially in the example of Christ himself that had the burden of sin troubles of spirit I cannot so properly cal it trouble of conscience for there is a substantial difference between the wrath upon his soul that he felt and the wrath of God that others feel upon their consciences but in effect the wrath of God is the same that was upon him by imputation of sin and upon others by reason of their own proper guilt and it was not melancholliness in him nor in David as I shewed in the last Chapter Now to proceed There be two things I desire to proceed in And First I have many things to say unto those that have slight thoughts of trouble of Conscience for sin somwhat to say to those and if there be any in this place that have wondred at men and women that have been troubled in their conscience for sin let them attend to what they read I have divers things to say unto them Secondly I am to shew you some difference between melancholly distempers and trouble of Conscience for sin First These thoughts of thine they certainly eome from either abundance of Ignorance or Atheism or Desperate slighting of God One of these three Causes 1 Ordinarily these thoughts that men have of trouble of Conscience to be no greater matter than such melanchoby conceits they do come from gross Ignorance thou knowest not God thou knowest not what it is for a soul to have to deal with an infinite Deity thou never yet hadest a real sight of an infinite Deity with whom thou hast to deal And it is a sad thing to think that men and women should live a long time and never in all their lives come to have a real sight of that infinite Majestie and Deitie with whom we have to do It comes from ignorance of the nature of sin thou dost not know what sin is God hath yet blinded thine eyes that thou shouldest sin but not know what sin is Certainly thou dost not know the Law of God the Spiritualness of it and the dâ—eadfulness of the wrath of God revealed against sin thou dost not know what Eternty means thou dost not apprehend what it is for a soul to be in hazard of miscarrying to all Eternity It was the Speech of Francis Spirâ— as I opened in the former Chapter I shall make use of that example further because a notable ezample Oh saith he If I might endure the heavy wrath of God but for twenty thousand years I should not think it much but it must be Eternally Eternally I must endure the Eternal wrath of God that lay heavy upon his spirit Let any man or woman in the world the stoutest proudest spirit that lives upon the face of the Earth think what it is to miscarry to Eternity and this will make his spirit be troubled Therefore its gross Ignorance in men that makes many have such slight thoughts of trouble of conscience for sin 2 Again If not from Ignorance yet from Atheism For many men that seem to have excellent Parts and are not ignorant Sots and yet have slight thoughts of trouble of conscience for sin It is not so much to be wondred at to see a company of ignorant Sots that know nothing of God and the Principles of Religion that they should have such slight thoughts and wonder what men mean to be troubled for sin But men that have good Parts perhaps men of great Gifts and pregnant Wit and great Schollers and yet they have slight thoughts of trouble of Conscience for sin Now in them Vsually the cause is Atheism or slighting of God Woful desperate Atheism is in the hearts of many great Schollers many pregnant Wits many that wâ—ll speak much of Religion yet they are desperate Atheists in their hearts therfore from thence it comes Therefore when you see learned men understanding men go on in such and such sinful waies and slight all that is said concerning the evil of sin do not wonder at it for woful desperate Atheism lies under abundance of Knowledg a great deal of knowledg learning wit and parts and yet slight sin this is the Cause the Atheism in their spirits Compare these two Scriptures together Psalm 14. 1. The fool hath said in his heart there is no God and in Prov. 14. 9. Fools make a mock of sin that is those fools that do say in their hearts there is no God those fools make a mock of sin and they think lightly of all that hath been said of the evil of sin and what need so much ado about the evil of sin they can slight it and make light of it well it is such
have slight thoughts of Sin and the troubl for it these thoughts of their hearts shall be altered You must come to know Sin in another manner than now you do you must come to feel what Sin is in another manner than now you do I remember I once heard a credible Relation of a Scholler that was in jovial Company and very merry and yet one that had some inlightnings of Conscience and being very prophane there was occasionally one in the Company speaking of a wounded Conscience he presently claps his hand upon his brest Well saith he One day this breast of mine must know what a wounded Conscience means He being Conscious to himself of abundance of guilt in him for he had light and yet was prophane and his Conscience told him though now he was merry yet one day that breast of mine must know what a wounded Spirit means So I say to you is there any prophane person this day before the Lord that hath had or stil hath slight thoughts of the evil of Sin and trouble of Conscience for Sin Well Go thy waies and lay thy hand upon thy breast and say to thy self One day this breast of mine must know what a wounded Spirit is and must have other manner of thoughts about a troubled Conscience for Sin If thy heart be not yet troubled for sin if thou feelest not the weight of sin now it is a dangerous sign that thou art reserved to feel the weight of sin in torment to know what the meaning of sin is in the burthen of it in torment If now thou hast slight thoughts concerning trouble for sin I say take it as from the Lord this day as spoken to thee it is a fearful sign a brand upon thee that thou art reserved to feel trouble for sin eternally God hath time enough to trouble you for Sin hereafter and therefore it may be he lets you go on in these slight thoughts for the present and you do bless your selves in your own conceits and God doth not now convince you because he hath time enough hereafter A Fifth thing I would say to those that have slight thoughts about trouble for sin is this That if ever God should in this world come to awaken your Conscience and lay the weight of sin upon your souls it were just with God then to let you sink under the burthen I say it were just with God so to wound you for sin as to see you sweltring in your wounds and deny compassion Why Because you have had slight thoughts of such a wound Certainlie brethren observe what I say unto you the very Reason why men and women are so long in anguish of Spirit for their sin and under such sore troubles and distress of Conscience by reason of their sin and can have no comfort it is because heretofore they have had such slight thoughts of trouble of Conscience Perhaps when they were in their jollitie and mirth they made a mock of it made nothing of it heard dreadful threats against sin and made light of it and thought people were troubled more than needs Well you once had such slight thoughts of trouble of Concience for sin now God comes upon you for it and this hand of God lies upon you and it is just with God you should feel it to purpose that you should have smart enough that God might instruct you and convince you of your error and might now come and teach you after another manner What do you think now of trouble of Conscience for sin you had such and such thoughts of it heretofore what be your thoughts of it now I remember there was one not far from the place where I ordinarily lived and it was a yong Maid hearing of many troubled in Conscience for Sin she in a kind of scorn and contempt of it would feign her self troubled in Conscience for sin and ô she was mightily troubled and in scorn of the Ministers Oh these and these Ministers must be sent for to comfort her meerly out of contempt and scorn but afterward God laid on in good earnest upon her Conscience and then she was troubled to purpose and so that she was at the very brink of making away her self and it was very much feared by al her friends indeed she would have made away her self and atempted it many ways if God had not wonderfully hindred it So those that have light thoughts of perplexities of conscience for sin when it comes indeed it may be just with God it should be so heavy that they should not be able to bear it but sink under it then it will be so strange a thing to such as have slight thoughts of it that the very strangness of trouble of Conscience for sin will amaze them that they wil not know what in the world to do This is a Fifth thing When trouble comes upon them God may justly leave them under trouble A Sixth thing I would say to such that have slight thoughts about trouble of Conscience for sin is this These thoughts of yours do take away a chief restraint of sin and causes you to disregard all the Authority of the Word There be these Two fearful Evils that do follow upon your slight thoughts of trouble of CONSCIENCE for SIN 1 They take away that which is the chief Restraint of Sin There are many outward restraints to keep men and women from sin but all outward restraints from sin are nothing to the restraints of Conscience a man that hath a tender Conscience hath the greatest restraint of sin that can be no restraint like to that but one that is so far from a tender Conscience that he thinks trouble of Conscience is a melancholly conceit such a man hath no restraint to purpose from sin he may have restraints from outward and gross sins but from close secret sins he hath none Now it is a great evil to a man that the hinderances to secret sins be taken away and he gives himself liberty in secret sins 2 And then for the Authority of the Word It is a great mercy for men and women to be in such a condition that their heart should be continually under the authority of the Word howsoever you think it a brave thing that you can get your hearts above the Word but certainly it is one of the greatest mercies of God upon the earth for God to keep the hearts of men and women under the authority of the Word But that man or woman that thinks lightly of troubles of Conscience such a one can slight the Word regards it not let what will be spoken he can easily put it off because the main hold that the Word hath upon the heart of a man or woman it is upon their Conscience the Word takes hold upon their Conscience and brings down the heart under the power of it but if the Word take not hold upon conscience it takes not hold at all But let a man or woman
come to know what trouble of conscience for sin is and what the power and authority of the word is and how then doth the soul prise the word no man or woman ever comes to prise the word tell they have felt the powâ—er of the word troubling their conscience then they come to prise the word You have a famous place for this Job 33. 16. Then he opens the ears of man and seals their instruction That is God coming upon men in times of affliction opens their ears and seals their instructions that is makes the word come with power and authority As a thing sealed comes with more authority than a blank or a writing not sealed Sealed that is when the word comes with power That I may with-draw man from his purpose and hide pride from man That is Having Sealed instruction â—he humbles the heart First he causeth the word to come with power and then he humbles the heart He keepeth back his soul from the pit and his life from perishing he is chastened also with paine upon his bed and the multitude of his bones with strong pains and so forth And in vers 23. If there be a messenger with him an interpreter one among a thousand to shew unto man his uprightness Then he is gracious unto him and saith Deliver him from going down unto the pit That is when God comes to â—eal Instruction and to humble the heart â—and to cause pains to be upon the man and so make them sensible of their sin then let a messenger an Interpreter be found one of a thousand such a one doth account a Messenger and Interpreter that shal be able to declare the way of Righteousness and shew him a ransom how to be delivered from sin he accounts him a man of a thousand Oh he is a man of a thousand wheras if he should come thus before â—he were no body and the Word nothing a meer silly business but now he is a man of a thousand Oh such a Messenger let such a one come and welcome And therefore you shall have many men slight a consciencious Minister in their health and prise those that preach slightly but in their sickness when conscience is open they will not send to a slight vain Minister that preach and never touch conscience but they will have those that have preached most to Conscience they shall be most prised by them upon their sick and death beds when Conscience is awake such a one will be one of a thousand then This is the Sixt. Seventhly and lastly and indeed one of the Principallest and I desire all those that have had slight thoughts of trouble of conscience for sin to attend to it it is this Those slight thoughts of thine about trouble of conscience for sin they are a high degree of blasphemy against the Holy Ghost If I make this plain that they be guilty of a high degree of Blasphemie against the Holy Ghost this should â—…we the hearts of men and women and make them take heedâ— what they do in giving way to these vain thoughts about trouble of Conscience yea such a degree I will not say it reacheth the highest degree of blasphemie yet I shall make it out to you that they come neer it It is a high degree of blasphemie against the Holy Ghost it appeareth thus Because trouble of Conscience for sin it is an especial work of the Spirit of God upon the Soul of a man or woman wheresoever it is such a work of the Spirit of God as from thence the Spirit of God the Holy Ghost hath the denomination so as he is called the Spirit of Bondage no God hath no denomination from any light and slight work there must be some especial and great work of God in which God doth much glorie that he hath a denomination from it now Rom. 8. 15. the Spirit of God hath this denomination it is called the Spirit of Bondage For you have not received the Spirit of Bondage again to fear but you have received the Spirit of Adoption crying Abba Father Ye have not received the Spirit of Bondage again to fear as if the Holy Ghost should say there was a time when you had the Spirit of Bondage and what was this Spirit of Bondage It was no other but the Spirit of God discovering unto and setting upon the heart of a man or woman that bondage that they be in under the Law and corrupttion and Satan This is the Spirit of Bondage when Gods Spirit shall come to enlighten a man and convince the Conscience and so lay this upon the conscience of any man or woman thou art by reason of sin a bond-slave to the Devil under bondage of all the Curses of the Law by reason of sin yea a bond-slave to thy Lusts this the Spirit discovering and making the Soul sensible of this bondage is that which causeth this denomination to the Spirit of God to be called the Spirit of Bondage Now for thee to attribute that to foolish melancholly conceits that is one of the especial works of the HOLY GHOST in the SOUL and is the Spirit of Bondage Is not this Blasphemie against God This is Gods work and it is a work of Gods glory for all the works of God be his glory and that which the Spirit of God glories in as that work proper to him thou saiest it is but folly and melancholly conceits and the like is not this blasphemie and reproach to the Spirit God Certainly it is no other but reproach and blasphemy against the Holy Ghost in attributing the trouble of conscience to these conceits 2 Nay further It is a great degree towards the unpardonable sin if ye do it out of malice and knowledg by it you come to the unpardonable sin Take for that this one place of Scripture Mark 3. compare the 22. verse with the 24. 30. Verse 22. when Christ cast out Devils the Text saith of the Scribs and Pharisees that came from Jerusalem that they said he hath Belzebub and by the Prince of the Devils casts he out Devils they attributed the work of Christs casting out Devils to the power of the Devil he casts out Devils by the Devil But now it was by the Finger of God well Christ calls them to him and said How can Satan cast out Satan There he convinceth them Satan could not cast out Satan and told them it was by the Spirit of God they were cast out Mark how he goeth on in the 28. verse Verily I say unto you all sins shall be forgiven unto the sons of men and Blasphemies wherewith soever they shall blaspheme But he that shall blaspheme against the Holy Ghost hath never forgiveness but is in danger of Eternal Damnation Because they said he hath an unclean Spirit Christ tells them other blasphemies shall be forgiven but the blasphemies against the Spirit of God shall never be forgiven Why doth Christ speak of this how comes it in Mark the
fitted to their hearts and dispositions that he finds his own sin come to be discovered and the man is smitten as he in 1 Cor. 14. 25. the ignorant man that comes into the Church and hears there the Saints prophesie He is convinced and falls down and saith verily God is among them of a truth God is in them it is a remarkable Text what ever he thought before it may be he heard strange Stories of the Church of Christ of prophane Meetings That Gods People when they met together they blew out the Candles and committed Uncleanness and Wickedness As there be notorious lies reported abroad of such Sects in the world for certainly there is no such Sect in the world but such reports are raised meerly to make the Meettings of Gods Saints odious in the esteem of others As the Jesuite said Do you but Calnmniate strongly somewhat will stick though nothing be true Well what ever thoughts they had of the Assemblies of the people of God for it is like the Heathens had strange thoughts but when he came in and heard what was done he is Convinced and Judged and the secrets of his heart came to be discovered the text saith The man falls down and Worships God and reports God is among them So many people hear great Relations of such Men and such Preachers and Sermons and they go to hear what they can say and what they do and may be go with an intention to scorn as I have known some come and sit close to a Pilar and with an intention to jeer and scorn but before they have been gone God hath darted some truth into their Conscience and they have been struck with the word and gone away with terrors in their Conscience this cannot be melancholly As Paul when God converted him God comes and meets him with light from heaven and strikes him from his horse and he stands trembling and cries out Lord What wilt thou have me to do There is a great deal of difference between this and melancholly A Third Difference is this Melancholly is exceeding Confused they are exceeding Confused in their thoughts and the trouble of their Spirit And many times they have troubles and sinkings but they can give no account of it at all yea their troubles be beyond their ground the grounds that they be troubled about are very confused that they understand them not themselves but troubles of Conscience are a great deal more distinct and there the soul seeth ground for the trouble beyond the trouble As in Melancholly the trouble is beyond the ground of trouble so in affliction of Conscience the ground is beyond all trouble I am troubled indeed but I see cause to be troubled more and this is a great part of many mens trouble That they can be troubled no more A Fourth Difference is this The more melancholly there is in any man or woman the less able are they to bear any outward affliction that befals them but the more trouble of Conscience the more able shall they be to bear afflictions that befals them Those who feel the trouble of Sin heavie do account all other afflictions light but melancholly people do feel all Afflictions heavie they cannot bear the least cross their hearts are ready to sink upon any thing and the more melancholly increaseth the more weak are their spirits and the less able to bear any cross But now trouble of Conscience the more sin and the heavier the butthen of sin lies upon the Soul the more slight thoughts hath the soul of outward crosses Alas it may be he hears of some that have some grievous diseases in their bodies Oh saith he that is troubled in conscience Oh if it were no worse with me than so it were but a flea bite but it is another manner of matter if God would change my trouble I could easily bear that As Francis Spira hath this expression Oh! saith he were I but released and set free as before from trouble of spirit my thinks I could scorn all the threatnings of cruel Tyrants and with undaunted resolution bear all torments So that the height of this trouble makes the other less It was a good Speech of a reverend Divine of our times when he heard any impatient under afflictions he used to say thus Surely the Reason why Affliction is heavie upon you is because Sin is light Those that be impatient under Afflictions it is aâ—sign Sin is light because Afflictions are heavie troubles of Conscience would make all Afflictions light Melancholly wil not Fifthly A principal Difference above all that hath been named is this Melancholly doth mightily dull the spirit of any man or woman wheresoever it prevails it makes them heavie and dull and unapt But now trouble of Conscience for Sin it puts a mighty quickness in men it puts an activity another manner of activity and stirring in the spirit than ever was before You shall have many men and women sit dully under a Minister many years under the word and never act but when God comes to stir and awaken Conscience for Sin their Spirits be active and stirring then in another manner than they were before Whereas poor people overwhelm'd with melancholly they sit moping and heavie and dull and lumpish and no activity of spirit at all but trouble of Conscience for sin is as fire in his bones As Jeremiah said He would speak no more in the Name of the Lord but the word of God was as fire in his bones and made him active and stirring so trouble in Conscience makes them active and stirring now they can pray they could not pray before now they be active and working As Acts 9. When God troubled Paul the text saith Behold Paul Prayes Go saith the Lord to Annanias to Saul Behold he prayes as if Paul never prayed in all his life before Certainly you that cannot pray that never prayed but read a prayer or prayers your mothers taught you you cannot Pray but if ever God troubles your Consciences for sin then you will Pray as if you were in heaven Oh mighty Prayers then Oh for Christ Oh Pardon of Sin and Peace then there is another manner of acting and stirring of his spirit in Prayer than ever was before But melancholliness will not do it but makes a man heavie and dull in the very act of Prayer There is a notable example of the actings of Spirit in troubles that come from Sin whereas the other makes them dull 't is that in the Book of Ezra Chap. 9. vers 3. and 5. Verse 3. And when I heard this thing I rent my garment and my mantle and pluckt off the hair of my head and of my beard and sate down astonied This you will say made him dull mark what follows Verse 5. And at the evening sacrifice I arose up from my heaviness and having rent my garment and my mantle I fell upon my knees and I spread forth my hands unto the Lord my
God and said Oh Lord my God I am ashamed and blush to lift up my faee to thee my God for our iniquities are increased over our heads and our trespasses are grown up to the heavens c. There mark the Prayer Ezra makes at the evening Sacrificed when the time was come that he should stir and seek God then his Spirit was mighty active and stirring though he were astonished before If it had been melancholly his heart would have sate still then so that trouble of Conscience puts life into the Soul in Prayer And so it makes the soul active in meditation and contemplation melancholly people be dull and heavie and know not how to meditate nor what to meditate on Those troubled in Conscience Oh what quick thoughts have they about God Christ and eternity and the law and sin and their souls work about such objects that they can have no help unto from their bodies and senses and yet their spirits are raised higher than before in their workingsâ—… And so when they come to hear the Word Oh how active be their spirits in catching of the word and at every truth I appeal to you that are troubled what difference there is between your spirits now and what they were before you were troubled for sin before you came to the Congregation to see and be seen and wondered what men meant to be so earnest and now you mark every truâ—h and catch hold of every sentence and mark the mind of God and understand what is said before you came and heard and never understood what was meant by such and such things you saw the Minister earnest but you could not conceive what the man meant in his earnestness but now you see what he means in his earnestness and understand what weight is in those truths you hear revealed this is somâ—what like when the spirit is thus â—…ed and acted in Prayer and Pearing And in Conference when you were in Conference with good men before Conference about good things was dry and a dull thing and you savored not the things confered on but presently were asleep but now if you come where there is Conference of God and his Word and Christ and the like your mind closeth with this If you were only melancholly this would make you more dull and heavie but this makes you more lively and active therefore there is a great deal of difference Lastly Trouble of Conscience cannot be cured as Melancholly is Melancholly many times is worn out with time and Physick cures that and outward comforts and contentments cures that but trouble of Conscience is a wound of a higher nature As Francis Spira said when they brought Physitians and thought it trouble of body Alas poor men they think to cure me by Physick Ah it is another manner of malladie and must have another manner of medicine than Plaisters and Drugs to cure a fainting Soul and Spirit for Sin Conscience must have Gospel Antidotes therefore you that thought you had trouble of Conscience for Sin and you are now eased or perhaps not so much troubled now as before look back what cured you how comes it to pass you be less troubled than before hath time worn it away such a Sermon and such apprehensions of such a truth darted into you mightily and troubled you you had such troubles but what hath cured you many times one can give no account but this Sure time hath worn it away if so then it was not a right trouble So it may be you took Physick your body was troubled before now it is lively and more blood in your veins more spirit now and may be now your affliction is taken away and this hath â—ured you if there be no other trouble than this certainly you know not what trouble of conscience means at least not in a saving way either it was not trouble of conscience at all or else it is not cured aright but as the thorn that lies rotting and rankling in the flesh a thorn when it first gets in puts one to a great deal of pain perhaps if it be let alone the pain will be over for the present but it lies rankling and will put you to pain afterward if it be not cured So of trouble of Conscience for Sin and if nothing have cured it but these things it is like the thorn in the flesh and will trouble you afterward There is another manner of Cure for it is the greatest thing God can do to comfort a troubled Conscience it must be the bloud of Christ applied by the holy Ghost it must be a plaister made of the bloud of Jesus Christ and applied by the holy Ghost to Cure this And therefore I beseech you consider what hath been said about this Argument and as the Psalmist saith Blessed is the man that wisely considereth of the poor so I say blessed is the man and woman that wisely considereth of these troubles in this dont cast it upon your children friends Oh they be froward or mad-men or melancholly Oh do not say so You that are acquainted with storms and tempests you think them dreadful it may be some of your friends have lately known what dreadful storms there have been now if any of them should make relation of it and another should saâ— this is but a conceit and a fancy and no reallity but a dream would you think these men spake like wise men Certainly if any storm you have met withal at Sea hath terror in it know stroms in Conscience hath a thousand times more than storms at Sea Therfore when you see any troubled in Conscience for sin fear and tremble let your Conscience shake at it and make use of their trouble I remember a story of one Vergerius that came to comfort Francis Spira and he came to comfort him as other men did but he saw such dreadfulness upon Francis Spira that it struck terror in his Soul that he left his Bishopprick and went to Basil and became a famous Protestant Thus when we hear of troubles of Conscience slight it not but let the fear of God be upon you go and renounce Sin Oh if some of our friends did know what slighting of a troubled Conscience were it would make them do as he did though he had a rich Bishopprick he renounced all And thus we have done with this First Use CHAP. LIII A Second Vse from the whol Treatise shewing that a man may be in a most miserable condition though he be delivered from outward affliction First If a man be prosperous by sin if a man raise himself to a prosperous condition by any sinful way let such men consider three things 1 What is got by sin it cost dear 2 What is got by sin is accursed to thee 3 What is got by sin must be cast away or thy soul is cast away Secondly When men come to be more sinful by their prosperity explained in three Particulars 1 When prosperity is
you have wronged are dead you must not keep it if they have anie heirs or executors suppose you know not them then you must give it to the poor you must be rid of it So much stain and evil is in sin that anie thing that comes by way of sin must not be kept And this is not so strange a thing but that the heathen have been convinced of it I remember a storie of a heathen that did but owe to a Shoomaker for a pair of Shoos and no bodie knew he owed it when the Shoomaker was dead he thought to save it but his Conscience was so troubled though the man was dead and no bodie could charge him with it that he could not sleep or rest and be quiet but riseth with amazement and trouble in the night and runs to the Shoomakers house and throws the Money in and saith Though he be dead to others yet he is alive to me If a heathen had such convictions of Conscience that he must not keep that which was gotton by sin if he could see sin so sinful that what was gotten by sin must be cast out surely you Christians must be so wise Oh consider this you are a multitude come together is there never a man or womans Conscience now in the presence of God that tells them That there is something that they have gotten by such a sinful way Now this is the charge of God to you upon your spirits That as ever you do expect to find Mercie from God that you do forth with and immediatelie restore that which you have gotten by anie sinful way it will be your bane and your ruine you will venture your souls else that must be restored or your souls must go for it and all your sorrow and trouble will not do ezcept these be restored these be restored to your power either that or some other thing in lieu of it you must not think to live upon sin It may be servants in their Masters service pilfered and purloined whatsoever you got for your selves perhaps you have spent it but hereafter either your souls must perish or else you must if God have made you able restore it though it be all your estates you be bound to cast up those sweet morseâ—s you have taken There was once one that had wronged a man in five shillings and it was fiftie years after that wrong was done that he sent to these hands of mine those five shillings and desired me to restore it Conscience now did so sting him that he could not injoy it So though it be fortie fiftie or threescore years ago when you were yong that you did the wrong you be bound as you do expect mercie from God to restore what you have wronged because there can no prosperitie come in by sin no good there is so much evil in sin This is the First when a man comes to be prosperous by Sin then he may be miserable notwithstanding his prosperitie Secondly When a man comes to be sinful by Prosperity As when a man comes to Prosper by sin so when Sin comes in by Prosperitie And for this Three Considerations likewise Sin sometimes comes in by Prosperitie a man is more sinful because more Prosperous certainlie this man may be miserable notwithstanding his Prosperitie As First When Prosperitie is fuel for sin Secondly When it gives them further license and liberty to sin Thirdly When it more hardens them in sin Certainlie this man though he be freed from Afflictions all his daies yet is a most miserable man because he is delivered from Afflictions 1 He comes to have Prosperity fuel for sin That is matter for sin to work upon so that Prosperitie nourisheth and fattens up sin As manie men because they have Prosperitie their sins grow to a mightie height by Prosperitie Prosperitie is fuel for Lust fattens your malice and oâ—asions pride Were it not he had such an estate as he hath and a healthful lustie bodie then he could not be guiltie of so much Lust uncleanness drunkenness pride so much malice and revenge the more God doth deliver them from Afflictions sickness povertie the more feuel hath he for sin wickedness and the lusts of his heart to burn upon and grow up to a flame As it is with a bodie those humors of the bodie are matters for the disease to grow upon and feed the disease they be no good to the bodie but mischief to it some men have great big arms and legs but what bigness is it a bigness that comes by disease by dropsies such humors their bodies being full of them they feed the disease of the bodie now be these humors anie such things as that we should rejoice in do they make for the good of the bodie they make for the bigness but not the goodness of the bodie So anie mans estate that makes matter to feed lust upon and nourish and grow upon this such a man is so much the more miserable by how much the more Prosperous he is as usuallie wicked men through the malignitie in their hearts they do make all their Prosperitie to be nothing else but nourishment for lust to breed on As it is with a gracious heart it will turn al things he doth injoy to be matter for his grace to work upon and to further the work of grace so a wicked heart will turn all he doth injoy to be matter for his lust to work upon and to further his lust the excellencie of grace appears in the one and the malignitie of sin appears in the other Now if sin be so great an evil then whatsoever a man injoys if it be a furtherance of sin and nourish sin it makes him the more miserable a miserable creature though a prosperous man yet this man is miserable because his Prosperitie makes him more sinful 2 If his Prosperitie doth give him further liberty in Sin As thus Manie men that be poor be quicklie restrained they have manie restraints alas they be afraid the Law will get hold of them if they be drunk or unclean he is quicklie restrained may be he dares not for fear of the displeasure of some friend he depends upon a hundred things keeps in men in affliction from taking their libertie in Sin which otherwise his heart would have committed whereas a man Prosperous in the world takes libertie and who shall controule him he will be drunk and unclean and break the Sabbath and who dares controule and speak to him and I beseech you observe this manie men account that the greatest happiness of Prosperitie that by this means they may come to have their wils their sinful wills that they shall live without controul in the satisfying their sinful lusts this they account the happiness of Prosperitie This is a most abominable cursed happiness to account the good of Prosperitie to consist in this That it gives more libertie to sin Oh it is a most Pestelentious Power that inables to do mischief
when they seek to make one another drunk or swear and speak wickedlie and rejoice in it 't is just like that sport 2 Sam. 14. Abner saith to Joab Let the yong men arise and play before us and observe what play this was then there arose and went over twelve men of Benjamine which pertained to Ishbosheth the Son of Saul and twelve of the servants of David and they caught every one his fellow by the head and thrust his sword in his fellows side so they fell down together and this was their play So it is with yong men many times when they come into companie yong prophane men they come to play and make sport but it is in the furtherance of Sin one in another and they do but as it were take the sword and thrust it in one anothers bowels and what in them lies to be their ruine and eternal destruction for ever CHAP. LIX Use 8. If there be so much Evil in sin than every soul is to be humbled for sin Use VIII IF there be so much Evil in sin as you have heard Hence the Consideration of what hath been delivered should cause al your hearts to be humbled for the sins your Consciences tels you you be guilty of not onlie those that are so full of sin but everie womans Child hath cause to apply what hath been said and to be humbled in their souls before the Lord for that woful guilt they have brought upon themselvs And now I speak to every soul for there is none here but have much sin they be guiltie of Now Oh thou sinner whosoever thou art charge upon thy soul what thou rememberest concerning the evil of sin charge it upon â—hy own heart labor to bring it with power upon thy own spirit bring thy sin with all the aggravations of it that possible thou canst and lay it upon thy heart and labor to burden thy heart to make thy spirit sensible of it open thy conscience and let in all these Truths thou hast heard suffer the Law to come with power and though it doth slay thee as Paul saith when the Law came sin revived and I died though it slay thy soul open thy bosom and let it come go to the verie pits brink that sin endeavors to plunge soul and bodie in eternallie be willing to go to the pits brink and see what there is in the verie pits brink and upbraid thine own heart for the hardness of it and think with thy self thus Lord what a heart have I I can be troubled for everie little loss and affliction but Oh the hardness of my heart for sin I cannot be affected it yeilds and stirs not for anie pettie loss or if anie cross me what a disturbance is there in my spirit then but little or nothing for my sin Oh what shall become of this heart of mine what shall I do with this heart of mine thus hardened from the fear of the Lord what wil sin bring confusion upon the whol Creation what shall then become of my soul if ever I come to answer for my sin my self Certainlie my Brethren God must have glorie and therefore we must be humbled for Sin seeing there is so much evil in it it cannot possibly be but that God must expect to see all his poor Creatures that have been so guiltie to lie down abased and humbled as poor wretched miserable forlorn undone Creatures by reason of sin It is a mightie dishonor to God that ever we have sinned thus against him as we have done but that we should not be sensible of it this ads as great dishonor unto God as the former Sin did When a man or a woman commits Sin they dishonor God in that but being not sensible of it after committed is a greater dishonor to God than the commission of it was and the longer they continue unsensible of their sin the more desperate their Sin against God grows for if thou hast not anie sence of Sin but goest on in a little time thou maiest come to be past feeling as the Scripture hath the Phrase being past feeling So manie men and women first they begin not to be troubled for sin and put it off at length they come to be past feeling and if thy heart be unsensible of the evil of it then sin grows exceedingly So saith the Scripture Being past feeling they give up themselves with greediness to all lasciviousness and wantonness What is the reason men and women give up their souls to sin to lasciviousness and wantonness with greediness Because they be past feeling Oh the hardness of the heart in Sin the stone in the heart is worse than the stone in the bladder Object But you will say If I labor to bring the weight of sin upon my soul you have told us there is so much evil in sin that if God should but bring and set it upon my heart it would sink my heart and bring me to despair we had need labor to put off the weight and burden of it then and yet now after you have told us the heavy weight of it do you labor now to bring the weight and burden of it upon our souls Answ Yes Brethren To bring the weight and sence of Sin is that I labor for not to bring more guilt but the sence and burden of sin and this is not the way to bring you to despair But first learn what I mean by this that you may learn not to be so shie of bearing the weight of Sin as before you have been but to be willing to take up the burden for there is no danger of despair in this If there come despair it is rather when God shall force the burden of Sin upon your souls but if God see a man and woman free and willing to lay the weight and burden of sin upon themselves to that end that they may be humbled before the Lord and give glorie to God Certainly God will take care of that soul it shall never sink under the burden of sin This now as in the name of the Lord I pronounce to you everie soul that is willing to bring the weight of Sin upon himself to that end that it may be humbled and give glorie to God my life for that soul that soul shall never sink under the burden of sin certainlie God will take care of such a soul that it shall not sink under that burden therfore be as willing as you will to let as much weight of Sin as will be upon your heart and the more willing you be the greater is the care of God over that heart that it shal not perish But 't is the way to despair if you upon the hearing of these things come to be shie of meditating upon sin and be loth to entertain those meditations that may work the weight of Sin upon your own souls Now it is just with God when he shall come and force the weight of sin upon you
thou art deceived the refore return return Oh Shulamite return return Oh that the Truths delivered in this Point might be as that sudden amazing â—igh that came to Saul when he was going oâ— iâ— courses of Sin Acts 9. there was an amazing Light came and stopt Saul in his course Oh that God would cause the light of these glorious Truths delivered concerning this Argument to be as an amazing light to thy soul to stop you in the waies of Sin Object Oh but you will say We cannot stop you put that upon our power that God must do Answ 1 First For that act I have told you what power God gives though you have none of your own God gives power for the bare outward act and do not say you cannot do this you know what convincements you have had of that therefore say no more you cannot And though you cannot yet God useth to convey power through the Word while God calls upon Sinners to stop and mend Gods way is then to convey power But in the mean time though there be no saving work of grace come in yet thus much by an ordinarie and common work of Gods Spirit may be done God may cause a Sinner to resolve whatsoever come of it that way of sin I dwelt in I will never meddle withal and so there may be a sequestration of the heart from sin though not a full possession of Gods Spirit come into the soul As thus It is many times with God and the Sinner as with man and man A man in debt and not able to pay an Arâ—est comes on his Goods and there is a Sequestration of the Goods but so as they are to lie in other mens hands so as though they be not quite take â—…way from the Debtor yet they be out of his power he can have no use of theÌ„ for the present til the debt is paid but whosoever wil come pay the debt he shal have the goods So w th the heart when the siner comes to venture on Christ for pardon of sin the sinner seeth I cannot over-rule my self sanctifie my heart overcome my lusts however God sequesters the heart for the present so far from them that I will not go on in these waies again I will not follow that Company again there is a forbearance of those acts of Sin that though the heart could not sanctifie it self yet it lies thus before the Lord Oh Lord do thou pardon do thou come in and Oh let Christ pay the debt for my Sin and let him take possession of my heart but in the mean time Satan shall not use it as before and the waies of Sin those gross waies I will forbear though I die for it I will rather sit still all my daies and never stir off my seat than go to such wicked Companie and I will rather never open my mouth again than swear and speak so filthilie but Oh Lord do thou discharge my soul and take it to thy self and then comes in a sanctifying work of God to sanctifie the soul and save it But Oh! that I might prevail thus far That there might be but a Sequestration of the Soul from sin this day though Sanctification come not in though the holy Ghost come not to rule in thy Soul yet that there might be a Sequestration that the heart might come and lie down and say Lord come thou in and take Possession but for those delights and contents I took in sin before I am resolved though I perish for ever I will not go on in them hereafter Here would be a good stop in the waies of sin for a man that goes in a dangerous way he must make a stop before he turns and consider Oh Lord where am I and whether am I a going and is this my way and then he turns Now this I endeavor if possible to make a stop in sinful waies that you might consider Oh Lord where am I what am I a doing what will become of me Oh! that you might go away with such thoughts in your bosoms And then followes the next CHAP. LXI Use 10 11. If there be so much Evil in Sin than turn to Christ and bless God for Christ Use X. TO labor to drive your hearts to Christ Oh then flie to Christ Here you have revealed to you that which one would think would terrifie the hearts of men and women and make them flie to Christ One would think that revealed concerning the Evil of Sin should make heaven ring with cries to God for Christ Oh! none but Christ none but Christ what would become of all your souls if it were not for Jesus Christ were it not for that glorious Mediator sent to be a Propisiation for sin and to make an Attonement to the Father for Sin Christ is set up as that Brasen Serpent that al those stung in Conscience with the venom and poison of sin might look up to the Brasen Serpent and be saved Is there anie soul that by all I have said of the Evil of Sin finds it self stung with the poison of Sin Know Christ is that Brasen Serpent that is set up for thee to look upon If thou find Sin as the avenger of blood pursue thee Oh now run to Christ If thy heart burn and scorch in the apprehensions of sin as the Hart brays after the water brooks so let thy heart bray after Christ there are cooling and refreshing waters then indeed shal that I have delivered be useful for the souls of poor creatures When the Soul hath been before the Lord crying mightilie to heaven for pardon and part in Jesus Christ if so be after I have Preached all these Sermons if God shall hear of Souls getting alone in their closets and crying out Oh Lord I never understood what the meaning of Sin was Oh what a wretched creature have I been all my daies now Lord except thou have mercie in thy Son in the mediation of Jesus Christ through his blood his heart blood that was shed for sinners I am a lost and undone Creature for ever Oh Lord that wch is done can never be undone Oh Lord let me find favor in thy Son here I am do with me whatsoever thou please onlie a pardon a pardon in Jesus Christ to deliver me from the guilt and uncleaness of my sin Yea now will God say here is somewhat done when sinners cries come up to heaven what hath been doing in this Congregation what is the matter you come crying for Christ heretofore your hearts were never stirred after Christ what is the matter why stir you so who hath told you anie thing As God said to Adam when God called and he hid himself when he comes out he saith I was afraid because I was naked saith God Who told you that you were naked So when poor souls cry to heaven for Christ God may say to the poor soul Why what is the matter who hath told thee any thing As
do good to the souls of their Children for know according to the nature of the wrong must the Restitution be One text is observable for this to shew that according to the nature of the wrong must the restitution be to the utmost that can be Exod. 22. 5. If a man shall cause a Field or Vinyard to be eaten and shall put in his Beast and shall feed in another mans field of the best of his own field and of the best of his own vinyard shall he make restitution This is the scope of the holy Ghost in this text of Scripture That if anie one shall wrong another in his vinyard or his field he shall make restitution and mark what the text saith not in anie slight manner but of the best of his field and vinyard he must not say I warrant my Cattel did not do any hurt but eat a little of the worst and I will make restitution of the worst no but must make restitution of the best of his field and vinyard he must not think to get off with a barren peice of ground but with the best must he make restitution This shews what a full restitution God will have So then if a man hath wronged his neighbor in his vineyard t is not enough for him to say I will make restitution in my barren ground no but out of his vinyard must he make restitution so if he have wronged his neighbor in his field he must not go and say I will give a part of the Common but of the best of his field must he make restitution so if he have wronged another in his estate he must give of his estate and if the wrong be to the soul the restitution must be to the soul according to the wrong must be the restitution And I beseech you be convinced of this All the sorrow in the world is not sufficient without you make restitution this is so cleer out of the word and even by the light of nature and of Conscience that they may easilie convince themselves whosoever doubts of the thing nothing in Religion more cleer than this is therefore restitution is required by God of thee as ever thou wilt expect to find mercie This Argument if God be pleased to set it home will make many men and women who when they were yong were ring leaders to wickedness to others Oh how forward would they be to good now they would be ring-leaders to good to others now I pronounce it as in the name of God you can have no assurance of the truth of Repentance except there be some indeavor in some degree to be as forward for God now as thou hast been in the waies of sin before if you have been Ring-leaders to the sin of Sabbath breaking you must be Ring-leaders to draw others to keep the Sabbath and if you have been Ring-leaders to ungodlinesse you must be forward to draw others to godlinesse Oh take heed of this it is a woful thing to draw others to sin seeing there is so much evil in sin as there is CHAP. LXIV Use 14. If there be so much Evil in Sin than there ought to be no pleading for sin Use XIV IF there be so much Evil in Sin as you have heard hence then surely there ought to be no pleading for sin there is too much evil in it for any one in the world to plead for it to make any excuse or any Plea for it As if there be a notorious wicked house where there is much evil done in it we account it a great disgrace for any to Plead for it If it be in Question and any Justice of Peace plead for wicked Ale-houses it is a blot to him If there were no sin committed in it it were not much but if it be a notorious house for sin to Plead for it is accounted a great blot And now you that have heard of the great evil of sin will you ever open your mouths to deminish and excuse sin and yet how ordinarie is this in the world Some go to evil wicked company and when they spend their times in drinking Plead Why they must have recreation I pray what work do they tire themselves withal that needs so much recreation what service do they do for God wherein they spend their Spirits and the strength of their Souls in serving God that they need so much refreshing And so when they spend whole daies in drinking and eating why they do but rejoice in the use of the Creature and may they not keep Companie with such men that be honest men and so anie kind of sin wicked ribaldry talking is but mirth and notorious covetousnesse but providing for their Familie and horrible pride but handsomnesse somwhat they will have to say Pleas and Excuses for almost anie sin Certainlie brethren if we understood the nature of sin we would say as Jerubael Let Baal plead for himself So let sin plead for it self never be heard to open thy mouth to plead for sin in others excuse it in others much lesse in thy self Those that be so full of excuses and pleas for sin it is an evident argument God never discovered the evil of sin yet to them never caused the weight and burthen of sin to lie upon their Conscience nor what we have mentioned of the evil of it Oh! know thou hast to deal with the infinite God it is a matter of thy soul and eternal estate and think not to put it off with vain pleas and excuses but set thy self in the presence of the eternal infinite God Indeed if you have to deal with your Mothers or Friends you may put them off with excuses for sin but if you would set your selves as in the presence of God and there set sin before your eyes you would not so easilie put it off with excuses as you do CHAP. LXV Use 15. If there be so much Evil in Sin Then of all JVDGEMENTS spiritual Judgements are the greatest Use XV. IF there be so much Evil in Sin as hath been delivered then above all Judgements spiritual Judgements are the greatest Oh! what a dreadful thing then is it for God to give men or women up to sin this is the most fearful Judgement that can befal anie man or woman in the world except God should send them quick down to hell Yea it may be if God should send them quick down to Hell and cause Hells mouth to open presentlie it would not be so great a Judgement as to give them up to sin And yet this the Scripture speaks of much of Gods wrath burning this way God hardened the heart of Pharaoh God gives up to a Reprobate sence he that wil be filthie let him be filthie still he gives men up to their own Counsels I might shew you divers texts of Scripture for this but there are Two Things in this POINT that requires large discusion 1 How can God that is so infinitly good have a hand in
from thy self 4 Thou art not like to hold out Also two Answers to an Objection of those that think they avoid sin for fear of Hell 1. Thy Sensitive part may be most stirr'd by fear but yet thy rational part may be most carried against sin as sin 2. Those that avoid sin meerly for fear never come to love the Command that forbid the sin 3 They are willingly ignorant of many sins 4. Those that avoid sin and not out of fear even when they fear God will destroy them then they desire God may be glorified 5. Those that avoid sin out of fear do not see the excellency of Godliness so as to be inamored with it Thirdly It reprehends those that will sin to avoid affliction Fourthly It rebukes such as when they are under affliction they be more sensible of affliction than of sin Also there is five Discoveries whether mens affliction or sin trouble them Fifthly It reprehends those that get out of Affliction by sinful courses and yet think they do well Sixthly It reprehends those that after deliverance from affliction can bless themselves in their sins Use XVII COme we now to the last thing The last Use is this I wil but shew what might have been said and so wind up all There are six sorts of People that from this Point are reprehended You shall see all Naturally follow from the Point in hand that there is greater Evil in Sin than in Affliction First Such kind of people as be more afraid of Affliction than of sin There be many people very â—hy of Affliction and solicitous to prevent Affliction but not to prevent Sin Many reason thus I had need be a good Husband and lay up somwhat I know not what I may meet withal before I die I may want before I die many are penurious and covetous and will not enlarge themselves to good uses when God calls because they be afraid they and their Children may want before they die who knows what we may meet withal and thus they are careful to prevent Affliction But for Sin they do not lay up to prevent that whereas we should be very solicitous least we should be drawn into temptation and therefore we are taught to pray Lead us not into temptation as well as Forgive us our trespasses True God keeps me from such and such sins but what if God should leave me to temptation what a wretched Creature should I be if ever this corrupt heart of mine should prevail against me as I have cause to fear I find such wickedness boyling and bubling up and such pronenesse to such and such sin if the Lord be not infinitely merciful to me I shall break out to the dishonor of his Name scandal of Religion and wounding of my Conscience and this God knows causes the most solicitous care that I ever had least my heart should break out against God to the scandal of that holy Profession I have taken upon me Oh is it thus with you Oh this were a happy thing indeed As when men hear of one that is broke they wil inquire what is the reason he had such an Estate what is the reason he broke One may be saith he trusted Servants too much and that caused him to break Oh this will cause him to look so to it that he will never trust his Servants too much Another may be saith Because he lived above his means and this makes him that he will not live above his means And another He will have his Country House and his Servants riot at home when he is abroad And another He trusted too much and such like Reasons Now we will be wise to take heed of that which brings others to afflictions So it should be with us when we see any fall into sin Professors that made a shew of Religion and afterwards fall foully inquire now what is the matter this man broke he broke his Conscience what is the matter one that had such admirable gifts and made such a Profession Oh may be all the time he had a proud heart therefore I will keep my heart humble Oh he had Excellent Gifts and enlargements in Prayer but he had a slight vain Spirit Oh let me take heed of this root of bit ternesse in my Soul He is broke now but what is the matter Oh he began to be sluggish and cold in Closet work and such duties in his Family Oh let me take heed and keep up communion with God in secret in my Closet and in my Family He broke indeed but how Oh some secret sin he kept in his bosom there was some secret sin he let his heart hanker after and now God hath left him to it now by Gods grace I will look to my self I will by the grace of God take heed of secret sins Thus Brethren if we were sensible of the evil of Sin we would be thus careful to prevent the evil of sin as well as the evil of affliction And so many for their Children Oh they will be providing for their Children that they may live like men and have somwhat to take to but if you were apprehensive of the evil of sin you would provid for their Souls as well as their Bodies and therefore Oh let me put him in a good Family and there he may learn to prevent sin This is the First To reprove those that labor to prevent Affliction but not Sin Secondly It serves to reprove those that be careful to keep themselves from sin but 't is meerly for fear of affliction only upon that ground as if there were not evil enough in sin it self but all the evil were in affliction Certainly these men and women understand not this That there is more evil in Sin than in Affliction if thou didest understand and wert sensible of this Point I have treated upon thou wouldest find Arguments enough from sin it self to keep thee from sin though no affliction should follow Thou abstainest from sin what is the reason not because of any great evil thou seest in sin but because of affliction thy Conscience tells thee it will bring thee to trouble and into affliction and this keeps away sin 'T is true it is good for men and women to avoid sin upon any terms and this is one motive God propounds to avoid sin by but this is not all or the chief motive because of affliction and trouble Conscience tells thee God will be even with thee and the wrath of God pursues thee very few come so far to have such apprehensions of the evil consequences of sin and to avoid sin upon them grounds But you should labor not only to avoid sin from the evil consequences of sin but for the evil of sin it self for if thou avoid sin only from the evil consequences of sin Know 1 This may be without change of Nature a man or a woman may be in such an estate as they may not dare to commit some sin out of fear
Sea brought their names into disgrace lost such a friend are pincht with poverty and then come and lay all upon sin whereas it is the affliction that lies in the heart this pincheth them most Many men and women account it a kind of shame to complain of Affliction this they think a disgrace and therefore that they might not have the disgrace of complaining of Affliction they turn all upon sin and t is sin troubles them Now I would find them out thus 1 You shal find many that come and complain of Sin who do they complain to to strangers that know little of them and their condition rather than to others that are acquainted with al their wayes and their whole-courses though able to help them for there is a great deal of Suspition in that for certainly if your heart be right you will make complaint to those that know most of your waies and courses but those that be strangers you can go and complain to in some general way and perhaps to some that may be some way able to help and relieve you in Affliction but wil not complain to those that may help you against Sin if they be not able to help otherwise 2 Another is this Those that make complaint of Sin and indeed not true it is affliction not Sin you may know it by this Though they complain of Sin it is in general terms Oh! they be vile sinful Creatures but never come to rip up the secrets of their hearts to those that they complain unto But now any secret sins that might cause shame they be kept in and never opened But that is their general complaint That they be vile sinful Creatures whereas if it were sin that lay upon thy heart thou wouldest come and open all thy secret sins to those that are faithful and willing and able to help thee if thou judgest them faithful if thou dost not judge them so why complainest thou to them if thou thinkest they be thou wilt be willing to open all thy sins to them But if thou art all upon general terms it is a dangerous sign it is Affliction and not Sin 3 Again Many complain to others but very little between God and their own Souls in secret their complaints be more large when they come to them than when they are between God and their own souls in their Clossets now if it be for thy sin thou complainest then though thou dost complain to them that through Gods blessing may help yet thy chief complaint will be to God at the throne of grace and there thou wilt pour forth thy soul in the bitternesse of thy heart Many come to the Minister and complain That they be wretched sinners but scarce go to God in secret or content themselves with some Prayers just as they are in the Book or the like but never pour forth their souls in secret for sin This is another Note that it is rather for Affliction than for sin 4 Another Note is this If it be for Affliction more than for sin any one that hath grief upon them according to that grief that is upon them they be ready to aggravate that grief As thus suppose a man or a woman troubled for the death of their Father or Husband or Wife Oh such a ones dear friend is dead father dead or husband or wife is dead well they be mightily troubled and perplexed for this Now if any come and speak any thing to aggravate their sorrow they close with it presently as thus You complain of sorrow for your father I he was a loving father and they presently close with it and this aggravates their sorrow and so you have lost your husband Oh! never woman lost so precious a husband as I so that which is spoken to aggravate that which lies upon the spirits of men and women they be ready to close withal So now if you would know what lies upon your spirits when men and women be troubled for tryal what they be troubled for here is the art of a Minister or a Christian to find out what lies upon the spirits of men or women some say sin well but it may be it s not that how shall we find it out Thus Whatsoever lies upon the heart that troubles them they will be very willing to acknowledge any thing said to agravate it that lies upon their Spirits most If any come and tell them of the Evil of Sin and agrravate it and say This is an evil condition and you must be humbled for it and throughly apply the Word of God to them to shew how deeply they are to be humbled and lay sin before them in its right colours if sin trouble them they joyn with it and say It is evil indeed the Lord humble me and shew me more of this Evil of Sin and they like that Word of God that layes home the Evil of Sin most But if it be not Sin that they are troubled for by these speakings against Sin their hearts be hardened and their hearts rise against the aggravation of sin but if it be Affliction come and pitty and condole them and say Alas you have such sorrows and troubles and Oh! poor Creatures it is pitty but some others should help you I they take this and this aggravates their sorrow 'T is observable in David when he fled from Absalom how ready he was to entertain any thing that might aggravate his sorrow When Ziba came and accused Mephibosheth though it were very unlikely he presently embraceth it So when a man is under Affliction he will readily hear and embrace what may aggravate it and a man under trouble for Sin will readily embrace that which will aggravate his Sin this is an excellent Note to come to know where the burthen pincheth whether it be Sin or Affliction 5 The last Note to try whether Sin or Affliction trouble thee is this There is according to the trouble of the heart for sin a favorinesse of Spirit to the contrary good thy heart will in some measure have a love to and a favor and relish of that spiritual grace contrary to that sin of thine that thou complainest of But now you have many that complain of sin they say but yet their hearts be still as unsavory and they do no more relish spiritual and heavenly things contrary to that sin that they complain of than ever they did before Therefore the burthen and weight lies not upon sin but affliction Take heed examine thine own heart there is much deceitfulnesse in the spirits of men and women Thou takest the name of God in vain when thou comest and complainest of sin and the truth is thine affliction is upon thee and if thine affliction were gone thou wert well enough perhaps thou art crost in thy family if that were taken away thou wert well enough for all sin Therfore be sure thou beest faithful with God and thine own Soul A Fift sort of people to be reprehended
are such that get out of Affliction by sinful wayes and think they do well But if there be more Evil in Sin than in Affliction Then it must be a woful getting out if by way of Sin Many people in straits if they can get out any way by hook or by crook so they get out they care not how What! hast thou gotten out of prison by sin thou hast broke prison Just like a Malefactor that hath broke prison but then there is Hue and Cry sent after him and the Constable pursues him and if he be taken he is laid in the Dungeon and Bolts put upon him and is used more hardly So I say if thou art in any Affliction thou shouldest lie there till God let thee out but if you break out before God let you out Hue and Cry follows you and you will be certainly â—ver taken the Remedy is worse than the Disease this is to skip out of the Frying-pan into the Fire Like a man in a burning Feaver should he drink a pint of cold water to ease himself this may ease him a while but he is scorched and parched with heat afterward This is like as if a man should run from a little Cur that barks at him and he runs into the mouth of a Lyon Are you in Affliction and to prevent it run to Sin This is just as if some little Whelp should come at thee and thou runnest from it to a Lyon So much difference there is between Sin and Affliction Just as if you should say God will not and therefore the Devil shall every man that takes sin to help him doth as much as if he should say well I see God will not help therefore the Devil must For what God doth he doth by Lawful means and if thou must not have it by Lawful means thou must say well this way I shall not have help and yet thou wilt have it and therefore thou wilt to the Devil for it Certainly if thou knewest all thou wouldest have little comfort in this Wilt thou break thy bounds in sinful waies to get out of affliction As many Apprentises because their Masters chastise them run away into many hardships So many men and women because they have crosses in their yoke-fellows break away and will not live together and a hundred other particulars I might shew how men break from affliction by sinful waies but I must hasten only take that place for this in Jeremiah 28. 13. Go tell Hananiah saying thus saith the Lord Thou hast broken the yokes of Wood but thou shalt make for them yokes of Iron When God sent a yoke of Wood to declare what affliction the people should bear Hananiah breaks it yea saith God hath he broke them go tell him he shall have a yoke of Iron Thou breakest off the yoke of affliction know from God thou shalt have a yoke of Iron Sixtly This reprehends those that after deliverance from affliction can bless themselves in their sin though they be not delivered from that There was such a sickness thou hadest and there thou laiest in anguish of Spirit and every one thought thou wouldest die then thou thoughtest thou shouldest to Hell well thou art delivered and art as bad as ever as unclean as ever as covetous as ever as malicious and prophane as ever Oh know thy condition is woful I remember Austine hath this Speech of one Thou hast lost the benefit of affliction as well as thou hast lost the affliction Oh it is a heavy loss to lose affliction without profit for this is the last means God usually useth and therefore thou art worse than before thou wert it may be thou wert troubled with the stone and thou art cut of the stone but hast as hard a heart as ever What is the stone gone from the bladder and the stone in the heart still Oh! God it may be sent this to cure thy heart and thou art delivered from the one and thou art glad of that Oh know that thou art in a woful case for sin by this means hath gotten firmer root because it hath withstood affliction as if the Arrow were taken out and the venom still remains Now all I shall say is this The Lord seal all these Truths about the Evil of Sin upon your hearts all I have said of the Evil of Sin I must be brought at the day of Judgment to avouch and justifie what I have delivered and know every one of you here at that great Audit Day must be brought to answer what and how you have heard and what effect it hath had upon you all Consider what hath been said and the Lord give you understanding in all things FINIS The Names of several Books Printed by Peter Cole in Leaden-Hall London and are to be sold at his Shop at the sign of the Printing-press in Cornhill neer the Royal Exchange Eight Books of Mr. Jeremiah Burroughs lately published As also the Texts of Scripture upon which they are grounded 1 The Rare Jewel of Christian Contentment on Phil. 4. 11. 2 Gospel-Worship On Levit. 10. 3. 3 Gospel-Conversation on Phil. 1. 17. To which is added The Misery of those men that have their Portion in this life only on Ps 17. 14. 4 A Treatise of Earthly-Mindedness on Phil. 3. part of the 19. vers To which is added A Treatise of Heavenly-Mindedness and walking with God on Gen. 5. 24. and on Phil. 3. 20. 5 An Exposition on the fourth fifth sixth and seventh Chapters of the Prophesie of Hosea 6 An Exposition on the eighth ninth and tenth Chapters of Hosea 7 An Exposition on the eleventh twelfth and thirteen Chapters of Hosea being now Compleat 8 The Evil of Evils or the Exceeding Sinfulness of Sin On Job 36. 21. latter part Twelve several Books of Mr. William Bridge Collected into one Volumn viz. 1 The great Gospel Mystery of the Saints Comfort and Holiness opened and applied from Christs Priestly Office 2 Satans Power to tempt and Christs Love to and Care of His People under Temptation 3 Thankfulness required in every Condition 4 Grace for Grace or the Overflowing of Christs Fulness received by all Saints 5 The Spiritual Actings of Faith through natural impossibilities 6 Evangelical Repentance 7 The Spiritual-Life and In-Being of Christ in all Beleevers 8 The Woman of Canaan 9 The Saints Hiding-place in the time of Gods Anger 10 Christs Coming is at our Midnight 11 A Vindication of Gospel Ordinances 12 Grace and Love beyond Gifts Six several Books by Nich Culpeper Gent. Student in Physick and Astrology 1 A Translation of the New Dispensatory made by the Colledg of Physitians of London Wherunto is added The Key to Galen's Method of Physick 2 A Directory for Midwives or a Guide for Women Newly enlarged by the Author in every Sheet and illustrated with divers new Plates 3 Galen's Art of Physick with a large Comment 4 The English Physitian being an Astrologo-Physical-Discours of the vulgar Herbs of this
Striking Sin is a striking at God 50 Spirit Sin wrongs the Spirit of God 71 Sweat Christs sweat 128 Strictness Strictness of Gods people justified 448 Stubbornness Stubbornness distinguished from from Conscientiousness 452 Separate What separates men for God 291 What separates men from God 292 Slave vide Subject Soul Christs Soul sufferings 401 Sorrow Christs sorrow 125 Sin More evil than any misery 3 c. A heavie Thing 7 A Non-Entitie 11 No good in the being of it ibid It is cause of no good 12 It comes not from good 13 No good annexed to it 14 No good of Promise ibid Of Evidence ibid Of Blessing 15 Sin is Opposite to all good 319 Sin in its self is misery 354 Sin sells the soul to the devil 367 Turns the soul into a Devil 368 Sensible Some more sensible of affliction than sin 528 Sinner Every sinner guilty of all the sins in the World 362 Succession Of Sin 362 363 Subject Difference between a Slave and a Subject 366 T Temptation To avoid 98 Edward the 6th avoids it with tears 101 No sin if not entertained 372 Terror What causeth terror 273 274 Thoughts Thoughts of God terrible to some 273 Time Time spent in sin is lost 28 Truth Sin wrongs God in his truth 67 Truth in its Latitude the object of mans understanding 283 Turns Sin turns all good into evil 321 Exhortation to turn from sin 476 V Venture No good should be ventured for sin 26 Venome Of sin 43 Vile A wicked person is a vile person 141 144 Useless Wicked men useless men 29 Undo Man doth undo himself by sin 140 262 Union What breaks Union 282. 284 Spiritual things Unite 282 Why mans soul is capable of Uuion with God 283 284 W Wisdom Sin wrongs God in his wisdom 63 Weapons Sinners fight against God with his own weapons 77 Way Of the godly and wicked difference 441 Worse No man is worse for Affliction but for Sin 141 Worth All the men in the world not worth one Christian 143 145 The end is worth the means 260 261 Work Sin is not the work of God 25 Sin opposite to God in its working 41 World Sin would destroy the world were it not for Gods wisdom 74 Wrong What wrong sin doth to God 54 They who have wronged God must do much for God 109 110 111 112 Sin wrongs the Soul 309 Wrath Of God 125 Christ drinks the Cup of Gods wrath 129 What the wrath of God is 343 Will A Sinner exalts his will above Gods 64 65 Fulfils the Devils will 363 364 365 Walk How God walks contrary to sinners 286 Word The Word must be prized 406 407 The Word justified for threatning 455 456 Worm Sin is the matter whereon the worm breeds 263 Wayes to kill the worm of Conscience here 26 The Blood of Christ cures the worm here 264 Weight Of Sin what 132 God weighs out Afflictions to Saints 334 335 It is good to bring sins weight upon our selves 474 Y Youth It is good to be godly in Youth 488 FINIS THere are these several Books of Mr. Jeremiah Burroughs that will shortly be published viz. His Sermons on Job 36. 21. The second of Peter the 1. and 1. The first Epistle of John 3. 3. The second of Corinthians 5. 7. Matthew 11. 28 29 30. The second of Corinthians 5. 18 19 20. There are also in the Press Seventeen Books being the substance of many Sermons Preached at Harford in New England By Mr. Thomas Hooker somtime Fellow of Emanuel Colledg in Cambridg in England which are Discourses on Seventeen several Scriptures Reader â—…is Treaâ—ise was first Preached at Stepney neer London on the Lordsday mornings â—t was begun Nov. 29. 1641 and finished Feb. 27 1641. It is thought good â—o give the Reader Notice hereof in espect to â—ome Expressions â—…d in 〈◊〉 Treaâ—…e Doct. * This was written in the Year 1641. 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 Praepositio 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 auget significationem declarat animum undique maerora obsessuÌ„ circum vallatum 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 significat attonitum esse ex significationem auget ita ut sit animo corpore per horrescere Medici vâ—cant horripilationem Gerrh in Harm 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 of 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 Beza Hesychius dicit significare palaestrum bellum proprle est timor quo corripi solent in certamen descensury Stephan in Thes * This was preached on the 2. of January * This was 23. of January * This was Preached at Stepney the 26. of February