A Key Opening Mysterious Texts of Scripture, Collection of sermons 5 · Sermon 56
THE DANGER OF RELAPSE. THE LVI SERMON.
EZEK. 18.24.
But when the righteous turneth away from his righteouſneſſe, and committeth iniquity, and doth according to all the abominations that the wicked man doth ſhall hee live? All his righteouſneſſe that hee hath done ſhall not bee mentioned: in his treſpaſſe that hee hath treſpaſſed, and in his ſin that hee hath ſinned, in them ſhall hee dye.
Right Honourable, &c.
SAint Jerome maketh a profitable uſe of theaGen. 28.12. And hee dreamed, & behold a ladder ſet upon the earth, and the top of it reached to heaven: and behold the Angels of God aſcending and deſcending on it. Angels aſcending and deſcending upon the ladder which Jacob ſaw in a dreame, reaching from the earth to heaven. The ladder hee will have to bee the whole frame of a godly life, ſet upwards towards heaven, whereupon the children of God, who continually aſpire to their inheritance that is above, ariſe from the ground of humility, and climbe by divine vertues, as it were ſo many rounds one above another, till Chriſt take them by the hand of their faith, and receive them into heaven. They are ſtiled Angels in regard of theirbPhil. 3.20. heavenly converſation: theſe Jacob ſaw continually aſcending and deſcending upon that ladder, viz. aſcending by the motions of the ſpirit, but deſcending through the weight of the fleſh; riſing by the ſtrength of grace, but falling through the infirmity of nature: and hereby (ſaith that learned Father)cHieron. ep. 11. Videbat ſcalam per quam aſcendebant Angeli, & deſcendebant, ut nec peccator deſperet ſalutem, nec juſtus de ſuâ virtute ſecurus ſit. wee are leſſoned not to deſpaire of grace, becauſe Jacob ſaw Angels aſcending; as they fell ſo they roſe: nor yet preſume of their owne ſtrength, for hee ſaw Angels deſcending alſo; as they roſe ſo they fell. Preſumption and deſperation are two dangerous maladies, not more oppoſite one to the other, than to the health of the ſoule: preſumption overpriſeth Gods mercy, and undervalueth our ſinnes: and on the contrarie deſperation overpriſeth our ſinnes, and undervalueth Gods mercy: both are moſt injurious to God; the one derogateth from his mercy, the other from his juſtice, both band againſt hearty and ſpeedy repentance; the one oppoſing it as needleſſe, the other as bootleſſe: preſumption ſaith thou maiſt repent at leaſure, gather the buds of ſinfull pleaſures before they wither, repentance is not yet ſeaſonable: deſperation ſaith, the root of faith is withered, it is now too late to repent. The learned diſpute whether of theſe two be the more pernicious and dangerous; the anſwer is eaſie, preſumption is the more epidemicall, deſperation, the more mortall diſeaſe. Preſumption, like the Adder, ſtingeth more; but deſperation, like the Baſiliske, ſtings more deadly: many meet with Adders, which are almoſt found in all parts of the world; but few with Baſiliskes. Preſumption is more dangerous extenſivè, for it carrieth more to hell: but deſperation intenſivè, for thoſe whom it ſeizeth upon it carrieth more forcibly and altogether irrecoverably thither: and finall deſperation never bringeth men to preſumption, but preſumption bringeth men often to finall deſperation. To meete with theſe moſt pernicious evils, God hath given us both the Law and the Goſpel; the Law to keepe us under in feare, that wee riſe not proudly and preſumptuouſly againſt him; and the Goſpel to raiſe us up in hope that the weight of our ſinnes ſinke us not in deſpaire: the threats of the one ſerve to draw and aſſwage the tumour of pride; the promiſes of the other, to heale the ſores of wounded conſciences: and the Scripture (as Saint Baſil rightly calleth it) is foreign, a common Apothecaries ſhop, or phyſicke ſchoole, wherein are remedies for all the diſeaſes of the ſoule. In theſe verſes, as in two boxes there are ſoveraigne recipes againſt both the maladies above named: againſt the former, to wit, deſperation, verſ. 23. againſt the later, viz. preſumption, v. 24. And it is not unworthy your obſervation, that as in the beginning of the Spring when Serpents breed and peepe dAdrianus Chamierus in ep. dedicat. Eccleſ. Gal. Paſtor. Sicut ineunte vere cùm primùm è terrae cuniculis prodeunt ſerpentes ad nocendum parati, fraxinum adverſus venenatos eorum morſus praeſens remedium laturam educit.out of their holes, the Aſh puts forth, which is a preſent remedie againſt their ſtings and teeth: ſo the holy Ghoſt in Scripture for the moſt part delivereth an antidote in, or hard by thoſe texts, from whence libertines and carnall men ſucke the poyſon of preſumption. The texts are theſe: God hath raiſed up an horne of ſalvation for us, that we beeing delivered out of the hands of our enemies, might ſerve him without feare. fRom. 5.20.Where ſinne abounded grace did much more abound. gRom. 8.1.There is no condemnation to them that are in Chriſt Jeſus. *Gal. 5.13.We are called to liberty. Now ſee an antidote in the verſes following. Leſt any man ſhould ſuck poyſon from theſe words in the firſt text, Serve him without feare; it is added in the next words, in holineſſe and righteouſneſſe before him all the dayes of our life. Leſt any man ſhould abuſe the ſecond, the Apoſtle within a verſe putteth in a caveat, What ſhall we ſay then? ſhall we continue in ſinne that grace may abound? eLuk. 1.69, 72, 74.God forbid: how ſhall wee that are dead to ſin, live any longer therein? verſ. 1, 2. Leſt any ſhould gather too farre upon that generall ſpeech of the Apoſtle, There is no condemnation to them that are in Chriſt Jeſus, hLuk. 1.75.there followes a reſtriction in the ſame verſe, who walke not after the fleſh, but after the ſpirit. Leſt any ſhould ſtumble at thoſe words of the ſame Apoſtle, Ye are called to libertie, he reacheth them a hand, and giveth them a ſtay in the next clauſe; onelyonly uſe not liberty for an occaſion unto the fleſh. Leſt any preſumptuous ſinner ſhould lay hold on the hornes of the Altar, and claſpe about that gracious promiſe,iTit. 2.11. The grace of God that bringeth ſalvation unto all men hath appeared, he beateth off their fingers in the next verſe: teaching us, that denying ungodlineſſe, and worldly luſts, wee ſhould live ſoberly, righteouſly, and godly in this preſent world. In like manner, leſt any ſhould*2 Pet. 3.16. wreſt the former verſe of this Prophet, as they doe the other Scriptures, to the building forts of preſumption, but to the apparent ruine of their owne ſoules, the Prophet forcibly withſtandeth them in the words of my text, But when the righteous turneth away from his righteouſneſſe, &c. The life of a Chriſtian is not unfitly compared to a long and dangerous ſea voyage; the ſea is this preſent world, the barkes are our bodies, the ſailers our ſoules, the pylot our faith, the card Gods Word, the rudder conſtancie, the anker hope, the maine maſt the croſſe of Chriſt, the ſtrong cables our violent affections, the ſailes our deſires, and the holy Spirit the good winde which filleth the ſailes and driveth the barke and marriners to the faire kAct. 27.8.haven which is heaven. Now in our way which lyeth through many temptations and tribulations, there are two dangerous rockes, the one on the right hand, the other on the left; the rock on the right hand to be avoided is preſumption, the rock on the left threatning ſhipwracke is deſpaire; betweene which we are to ſteere our ſhip by feare on the one ſide and hope on the other. To hold us in a ſolicitous feare that we touch not upon preſumption, let us have alwayes in the eye of our minde,
1 The glorious and moſt omnipotent majeſty of God.
2 His all-ſeeing providence.
3 His impartiall juſtice.
4 His ſevere threatnings againſt ſinne.
5 The dreadfull puniſhments hee inflicteth upon ſinners.
6 The heinouſneſſe of the ſin of preſumption, which turneth Gods grace into wantonneſſe.
7 The difficulty of recovery after relapſes.
8 The uncertainty of Gods offer of grace after the frequent refuſall thereof.
To keepe us in hope, that wee daſh not upon the rocke of deſpaire on the contrary ſide, let us ſet before our troubled and affrighted conſciences theſe grounds of comfort:
1 The infiniteneſſe of Gods mercy.
2 The price and value of Chriſts blood.
3 The efficacy of his interceſſion,
4 The vertue of the Sacraments.
5 The univerſality and certainty of Gods promiſes to the penitent.
6 The joy of God and Angels for the converſion of a ſinner.
7 The communion of Saints, who all pray for the comfort of afflicted conſciences, and the eaſe of all that are heavie laden with their ſinnes.
8 The examples of mercy ſhewed to moſt grievous ſinners.
Upon theſe grounds the contrite penitent may build ſtrong forts of comfort after this manner. My ſins though they be more in number than the heires of my head, yet they are finite, whereas Gods mercy is every way infinite: if my debt bee as a thouſand, my Saviours merits are as infinite millions. And not onelyonly Gods mercy, but his juſtice alſo pleads for my pardon: for it is againſt juſtice that the ſame debt ſhould be twice paid, to require a full ranſome from my Redeemer, and expect it from my ſelfe. I l… Joh. 1.9.confeſſe my ſinnes, and therefore I know he is faithfull and juſt to forgive mee my ſinnes, and cleanſe mee from all my unrighteouſneſſe. One drop of the blood of the Sonne of God was a ſufficient price for the ranſome of many worlds, and ſhall not ſuch ſtore of it ſpinning from his temples, dropping from his hands, guſhing out of his ſide, and trickling from all parts of his body, both in the garden, and in the High Prieſts Hall, ſatiſfie for one poore ſoule that preferreth his love even before heaven it ſelfe? All my ſinnes are either originall or actuall: the guilt of originall is taken away in baptiſme, and as often as I have received the bleſſed Sacrament a generall pardon was tendred unto mee for all my other ſinnes, and the ſeale delivered into my hands. What though God will not heare the prayers of ſuch a ſinner as I am? yet he will heare the prayers of Jeſus Chriſt the righteous, who is the propitiation for my ſinnes. I acknowledge (to my hearts griefe and ſorrow) that neither faith nor hope, nor any other divine vertue beareth any ſenſible fruit in mee for the preſent; yet the ſeed of my regeneration remaineth in mee. And as the blind man knew that his ſight began to be reſtored to him, even by the defect he found in it when he thought hemMark. 8.24. ſaw men walke like trees: ſo even by this I know that I am not utterly deſtitute of grace, becauſe I feele and unfainedly bewaile the want of it. If there were no heavenly treaſure in mee, Satan would not ſo often and ſo furiouſly aſſault mee: for theeves beſiege not, much leſſe breake open thoſe houſes where they are perſwaded nothing is to be found. The greater my ſorrow is for my ſinne, and my ſpirituall deſertion, the greater is my hope: for the ſpirit maketh interceſſion for the ſonnes of GodnRom. 8.26. with groaning which cannot be expreſſed. None were cured by the brazen Serpent, which before had not beene ſtung by the fiery: neither doth Chriſt promiſe eaſe unto any but to thoſe that feele themſelves heavie burdened.
But to confine my meditations to the letter of my text. Before ye heard, Repent you of your ſinnes and you ſhall ſurely live. God pawneth his life for it, therefore deſpaire not how grievous ſoever your ſinnes be. But now I am to tell you plainly, if you repent you of your repentance, and turne from righteouſneſſe to ſinne, and end your dayes in that ſtate, you ſhall ſurely die eternally: therefore preſume not, how compleate ſoever your former righteouſneſſe ſeeme to have beene. In theſe two verſes are implyed a double converſion:
1 From evill to good.
2 From good to evill.
To turne from evill, is good; from good, is evill: the former is repentance, upon which I ſpent my laſt diſcourſe: the later is relapſe or apoſtacie, againſt which I am now to bend all my forces.
But when the righteous turneth away from his righteouſneſſe, and committeth iniquity, &c. in the tranſgreſsion which he hath tranſgreſſed, and in the ſinne which he hath ſinned, in them hee ſhall ſurely die. The contents of this verſe are like the Prophet Jeremies figges, of which wee read that the bad were exceeding bad; for in the antecedent or fore-part we have apoſtacie, & that totall: and in the hinder part or conſequent, death, and that finall. The words divide themſelves into (firſt) a ſuppoſition, When, or, if the righteous forſake: ſecondly, an inference, his former righteouſneſſe ſhall not be remembred, &c. The ſuppoſition is dangerous, the inference is pernicious.
To eſtabliſh you in the truth of this ſuppoſition, or rather hypotheticall commination, it will be needfull to lay downe certaine grounds.
1. That the certainty of the end no whit impeacheth the neceſſary uſe of all meanes for the attaining it. For the end and meanes are coordinata, and both involved in the ſame decree. As the meanes are appointed for the end, ſo the end is decreed to bee attained by ſuch meanes; for example, the propagation of mankinde by marriage, the maintaining our temporall life by food and ſuſtenance, the recovery of health by phyſicke, the reaping the fruits of the earth by manuring and tillage, the governement of the world by lawes, the calling of men to the knowledge of the truth by the Word and Sacraments, the keeping the children of God from preſumptuous ſinnes by admonitions and comminations. The heathen themſelves ſaw a glimmering of this truth: for the Stoicke Philoſophers, who taught the foreknowledge of God, and thence inferred inevitable neceſſity of all events according to that foreknowledge, yet moſt ſtrictly urged the performance of all morall duties and vertuous actions; and generally, the uſe of all meanes for the attaining that end any man propoſeth to himſelfe. Bee it thy deſtiny (ſay they) to have many children by thy wife, yet thou muſt not neglect conjugall duties; be it thy deſtiny to recover of thy diſeaſe, yet thou muſt not neglect the preſcriptions of the Phyſician; bee it thy deſtiny to conquer thine enemy, yet thou muſt not forget to bring thy weapon with thee into the field; bee it thy deſtiny to bee a great Profeſſour in Philoſophy, yet thou muſt not neglect thy ſtudy; bee it thy deſtiny to dye a rich man, yet thou muſt not be careleſſe of thy eſtate.
2. That this and the like comminations in holy Scripture are ſpoken generally to all, Elect as well as Reprobate: and they are of ſpeciall uſe to both; to terrifie the Reprobate, and keepe them within ſome bounds, or at leaſt to convince their conſciences, and debarre them from all excuſe at the day of judgement; and to ſtirre up the Elect to watchfulneſſe over all their wayes, and diligence and conſtancy in the uſe of all ſuch meanes as by Gods grace may keepe them from backe-ſliding and dangerous relapſes, to hold them in continuall awe, and excite them to make their calling and election ſure, and work out their ſalvation with feare and trembling, as Saint Auſtine declareth at large through his whole booke de correptione & gratiá.
3. That all Iſraelites are not true Nathaniels, all converts are not abſolutely ſo, nor all penitents throughly cleanſed from their ſinnes; many are regenerated but in part, they repent of their ſinnes, but not of all, they keepe a ſweet bit under their tongue, they have a Dalilah in their boſome, or an Herodias at their table, or a Bathſheba in their bed; though they bee healed of all other diſeaſes, yet not of the plague of the heart, ſome ſecret ſinne hath a kinde of predominancy in them. Now as the Peacockes fl…ſh, if it hath but an ordinary ſeething, growes raw againe, cocta recrudeſcit; and wounds that are not perfectly healed, though they may be skinned over, breake out againe, and bleed afreſh; ſo a man that is not perfectly regenerated in all parts, though hee hath a taſt of the heavenly gift, and may beleeve with Simon Magus, and tremble at Gods judgements with Felix, and heare the Word gladly with Herod, and doe many things; yet becauſe the ſeed of the word hath not taken deepe root in him, it is poſſible for him with Demas to forſake the Goſpel, and embrace this preſent world; with Himeneus and Philetus, to make ſhipwracke of faith and a good conſcience; with Julian to become an Apoſtata, and a perſecuter of the truth.
4. The Prophet Ezekiel in this place ſpeaketh not of Evangelicall righteouſneſſe, but of legall: for he ſaith not ſimply when a man turneth from righteouſneſſe, but from his righteouſneſſe. And verſ. 5. hee defineth a juſt man to be he That doth that which is lawfull and right, and hath not eaten upon the mountaines, nor defiled his neighbours wife, &c. Now whatſoever may be alledged for the ſtability of evangelicall righteouſneſſe, and their permanency who are engraffed into the true Vine, Chriſt Jeſus; daily experience ſheweth that the moſt righteous on earth may and ſomtimes do remit of their ſtrict obſervance of their duty; & that it is not only poſſible, but very facile for them to let looſe the reines to ſenſuall deſires, and to follow the gainefull, or ambitious, or voluptuous courſes of the world, at leaſt for a time. For the way to heaven is up-hill, but the way to hell is down-hill, and thither the weight of our ſinfull fleſh forcibly tendeth. —Facilis diſcenſus averni. A man may without any paine ſlip downe to the place of everlaſting paines and torments: Yea (ſaith Seneca) aſDe mort. Clau. Caeſ. Omnia proclivia ſunt, facilè d… ſcenditur, it… que qu…mvis poda gricus momento temporis pervenit ad januam ditis. gouty man may get thither in a trice:
Sed revocare gradum, ſuperaſque evadere ad auras,
Hoc opus, hic labor eſt.
But ſaith the Poet, all the labour is to come backe from hell, and get up out of the deep pit: ſo hee. But the truth is, no labour can worke it, no skill compaſſe it: for from hell there is no redemption. Wee know there is great ſtrength required to bend a bow of ſteele, which will unbend it ſelfe, if the ſtring breake or but ſlip. Our motions to God-ward, and proceedings in a ſanctified courſe of life, are like the rowing of a ſmall boat againſt a ſtrong wind and tide (the blaſts of the evill ſpirit, and the propenſion of our corrupt nature) much labour and ſweat is required, and very little is done with much adoe; and if wee ſl…cke our hands, and miſſe but one ſtroake, we are carried downe with the ſtreame, and caſt further backe than wee can fetch againe with many ſtroakes. Did not Solomon turne away from his righteouſneſſe, and commit iniquity, and doe according to all the abominations of the wicked, when he defiled his body and ſoule with ſpirituall and corporall fornication? Did not David likewiſe, when he ſpilt the bloud of Uriah, that hee might more freely ſtay in the bed of Bathſheba? I ſpare the reſt (becauſe I would be loth with my breath to ſtain the golden and ſilver veſſels of the Sanctuary) and come à Theſi ad Hypotheſin, from the indefinite to the ſingular, from the hearers at large to this preſent auditory.
Ye heare out of the Text how incommodious and dangerous a thing it is for a righteous man to degenerate, and turne away from his righteouſneſſe; it depriveth him of all the benefit of his former travells in the way to heaven: it blaſteth all the fruits of his labours, & without a ſecond return to God, daſheth all his hope of reward, & leaveth him in a fearfull expectation of eternall death. I doubt not but that ſome of you were pricked in heart with this ſharp reproofe of ſinne, which ye heard in the handling of the former Verſes, and ye reſolved forthwith to turne from your evill wayes, and walke in the pathes of Gods commandments: what remaines but that yee hold on your holy courſe, to the end that ye may winne a garland of the flowers of Paradiſe? Beware of turning out of the way, to take up the golden apples which the Divell caſteth before you; if ye turne never ſo little aſide, ye endanger your crowne of glory, and hazzard your lives.
All your former righteouſneſſe which ye have done ſhall not be mentioned, and in the treſpaſſe that yee have treſpaſſed, and in the ſinne that ye have ſinned, in them yee ſhall dye. What a ſoule and ſhamefull thing is it with the dogge to returne to your vomit of luxury, and with the ſwine to your wallowing in the mire of ſenſuall pleaſures? As in the diſeaſes of the body, ſo alſo much more of the ſoule, all relapſes are dangerous, and in ſome diſeaſes altogether incurable: the reaſon whereof alledged by ſome learned Phyſicians is this, that when wee firſt take our bed the malignity of the diſeaſe worketh upon corrupt humours in the body, which when they are purged, and we reſtored to health, if after by any diſtemper we fall into the ſame malady, the malignity of the diſeaſe worketh upon our vitall ſpirits: in like manner the malignity of ſinne before our converſion worketh but upon our corrupt nature, but after upon the graces of Gods Spirit. Remember the poſſeſſed man in the Goſpel, who when the tLuke 11.26.uncleane ſpirit went out of him returned to his owne home, and finding it ſwept and garniſhed, took ſeven worſe ſpirits than that which before haunted him, and ſo his laſt ſtate was worſe than his firſt. uJohn 8.11.Sinne no more, ſaith our Saviour to the impotent man, leſt a worſe thing befall thee. *foreign. Improbè Neptunum accuſat, qui bis naufragium fecit. Eraſ. Adag.Lyſimachus was wont to ſay, that it was impardonable careleſneſſe to ſtumble twice at the ſame ſtone. The firſt time we offend we may plead ignorance and over-ſight: but hee that twice runneth upon the ſame rocke, if hee bee caſt away, cannot blame his hard chance, but his retchleſſe folly.xTertul. de poenitent. Comparationem videtur egiſſe, qui utrumque cognoverit, & judicato pronunciaſſe eum meliorem cujus ſe rurſus eſſe maluerit. Tertullian acutely obſerveth, that he who after his converſion to God, and giving his name to Chriſt, falls againe to ſerve Sathan in any vicious courſe of life, ſeemeth to have put God and the Divell in the ſame ballance, and having weighed both their ſervices deliberately, and upon a ſettled judgement, to have preferred the ſervice of the Divell, and pronounced him the better Maſter of the two, whom he the ſecond time chuſeth to ſerve after hee hath made tryall of both. To be overtaken with ſome kind of temptation or other is the lot of all the ſonnes of Adam; but when God hath delivered us out of the ſnare of the Divell, and we have eſcaped the danger, and undertaken a new courſe of life, and held it for ſome time; then to turne backe to the wiles of ſinne, and walke of Sathan, what is it elſe than to breake all our former promiſes and vowes made to God? to reſiſt the motions of the Spirit? to ſtrive againſt grace? to caſt his feare and commandements behind us? and, preſuming upon his gentleneſſe and patience, to runne deſperately upon the point of his glittering ſword, which hee hath whet, and threatned to make it drunke with the bloud of all retchleſſe and preſumptuous ſinners? Notwithſtanding all theſe great and fearfull dangers which we incurre by relapſes, how many turnings doe we make in our way to Heaven? how often doe wee ſlacke our pace? how often doe wee unbend our deſires? nay rather flye backe like a broken bow? After wee have made an open confeſſion of our ſinnes, and a ſolemne profeſſion of amendment; after wee have proteſted againſt our former courſes, and vowed to walke in newneſſe of life, and taken the holy Sacrament of our Lords bleſſed body and bloud upon it, yet how ſoone doe we looke backe to Sodome with Lots wife? how ſoone doe we forget that in private, which we promiſed in publike? how ſoone doe we leave the ſtrait pathes of Gods commandements, and follow the ſent of our former ſinfull pleaſures? After we have eaten the food of Angels, we devoure Sathans morſels: after we have drunke the bloud of our Redeemer, we greedily ſwill in iniquity like water. Wee find in Scripture many deſperately ſicke, yet cured the firſt time by our Saviour: but where doe we reade in all the Goſpel of any blind mans eyes twice enlightened? of any deafe eares twice opened? of any tyed tongue twice looſened? of any poſſeſſed with Divels twice diſpoſſeſſed? of any dead twice raiſed? No doubt Chriſt could have done it, but we reade not that ever he did it, that we ſhould be moſt carefull to avoid relapſes into our former ſins, the recovery whereof is alwayes moſt difficult, and in ſome caſe (as the Apoſtle teacheth us) impoſſible. I tremble almoſt to rehearſe his words:yHeb. 6.4, 5, 6, 7, 8. It is impoſsible for thoſe who were once enlightened, and have tasted of the heavenly gift, and were made partakers of the holy Ghoſt, and have tasted the good Word of God, and the powers of the world to come; if they ſhall fall away, to renew them againe unto repentance: ſeeing they crucifie to themſelves the Sonne of God afreſh, and put him to an open ſhame. For the earth which drinketh in the raine that commeth oft upon it, and bringeth forth herbes meet for them by whom it is dreſſed, receiveth bleſsing from God: But that which bringeth thornes and bryars is rejected, and is nigh unto curſing, whoſe end is to be burned. ThezPlin. nat. hiſt. l. 9. c. 43. Scolopendra hamo devorato omnia interiora evomit, donec hamum egerat, deinde reſorbet. Scolopendra having devoured the bait, when ſhee feeleth the hooke to pricke her, caſteth up all that is in her belly till ſhee have got up the hooke; but as ſoone as ever that is out of her bowells, ſhe ſuppeth up all that which before ſhe had caſt from her. How excellently hath nature in the property of this fiſh ſet before our eyes the condition and manner of a ſinner? who after he hath devoured Sathans morſells, feeling the hook in his conſcience, and being pricked with ſome remorſe, rids the ſtomacke of his ſoule by confeſsion, and never leaveth faſting, and praying, and ſighing, and ſobbing till the hooke be out, and the wound of his conſcience healed with the balme of Gilead; but that being done, reſorbet interiora omnia, he returneth to his former vomit, and greedily gurmandizeth the bait which before he had vomited up. Beloved, is God bound to help us up as often as we fall careleſly and wilfully? What if hee let us lye as a prey for the Divell, who runneth about like a Lion ſeeking whom hee may devoure? Can we promiſe our ſelves a continuall ſupply of grace, if wee ſtill turne it into wantonneſſe? Will he beleeve our ſighes and teares, which have ſo oft proved falſe embaſſadours of our hearts? Wee ſee by the fearfull judgements of Ananias and Sapphira how dangerous a thing it is to lye to the Spirit of God: what doe we elſe when we daily profeſſe in our prayers, that we are heartily ſorry for our ſinnes, that we loath and deteſt our vicious courſes, that the remembrance of all our former tranſgreſsions is grievous unto us, and the burthen of them is intolerable; whereas our deeds teſtifie to the world, that we are ſo farre from loathing our former filthineſſe, that we hunger and thirſt after it: ſo farre from hearty repentance, that our heart is ſet, and our affections wholly bent to follow wickedneſſe with greedineſſe? Let us not deceive our owne ſoules, Beloved, God we cannot: ſo many ſinnes as we willingly commit after our humble confeſſion and ſeeming contrition, ſo many evidences we give againſt our ſelves that we are diſſembling hypocrites, and not ſincere penitents: for this is the touchſtone of true repentance, it a plangere commiſſa, ut non committas plangenda, ſo to bewaile that we have committed, that we commit not that we have bewailed. I before compared this life to a ſea, and now I may not unfitly moſt of the fiſh in it either to the Scolopendra, of which before, or to the Crab, which either ſtandeth ſtill or ſwimmeth backward. Doe we dreame (as Nebuchadnezzar did) of an image with an head of gold, and armes of ſilver, and thighes of braſſe, and legges of earth and clay? Doe we not ſee many that are gold and ſilver in their childhood and youth precious veſſels of grace, braſſe and iron in their riper yeeres, and no better than earth and clay in their old age? The*Plin. lib. 8. c. 16. Ariſtoteles tradit Leaenam primo ſoetu 5. catulos, ac per annos ſingulos uno minus, ab uno ſterileſcere. Lioneſſe in the naturall ſtory, which at the firſt bringeth forth five young ones, and after fewer by one, in a ſhort time becommeth quite barren.
But becauſe I have ſpoken at large of the dangerous antecedent, heare (I beſeech you) a word of the dreadfull conſequent: All his righteouſneſſe that he hath done ſhall not bee mentioned. Would it not vexe a Scrivener after he had ſpent many dayes and much paines upon a large Patent or Leaſe, to make ſuch a blot at the laſt word, that he ſhould be forced to write it all againe? yet ſo it is, that as one foule blot or daſh with a pen defaceth a whole writing, ſo one ſoule and enormous crime daſheth and obliterateth the faireſt copy of a vertuous life, it razeth out all the golden characters of divine graces imprinted in our ſoules. All our faſtings and prayers, all our ſighing and mourning for our ſinnes, all our exerciſes of piety, all our deeds of charity, all our ſufferings for righteouſneſſe, all the good thoughts we have ever conceived, all the good words we have ever uttered, all the good workes we have ever performed: in a word, all our righteouſneſſe is loſt at the very inſtant, when we reſolve to turne from it. As one drop of inke coloureth a whole glaſſe of cleere water; ſo one ſinfull and ſhamefull action ſtaineth all our former life: yet this is not the worſt; for it followeth:
In his tranſgreſsion that he hath committed, and in the ſinne that he hath duplicate page duplicate page ſinned, in them hee ſhall dye. Doth God threaten this judgement onelyonly? doth hee not execute it upon preſumptuous tranſgreſſours? When Balthazar tooke a peece of the plate of the Sanctuary to quaffe in it, behold preſently aaDan. 5.5. hand writing his doome upon the wall; and in the tranſgreſsion that hee had committed, and in the ſinne that hee had ſinned, in it hee dyed. Korah, Dathan, and Abiram had no ſooner opened their mouth againſt Moſes, than thebNum. 16.32. earth opened her mouth, and ſwallowed them up quicke, and in the treſpaſſe which they had treſpaſſed, and in the ſinne which they had ſinned, in it they dyed. Ananias and Sapphira had no ſooner told a lye to Saint Peter, and ſtood to it, but they were cAct. 5.5, 10.ſtrucke downe to the ground, and in the treſpaſſe that they treſpaſſed, and in the ſinne that they ſinned, in it they dyed. Herod had ſcarce made an end of his oration to the people, and received their applauſe, crying, The voice of God, and not of man, when the Angel made dAct. 12.22, 23.an end of him, and in the treſpaſſe which hee treſpaſſed, and in the ſinne that he ſinned, in it bee dyed. Oh that our blaſphemous ſwearers, and bloudy murderers, and uncleane adulterers, and ſacrilegious Church-robbers, when the Divell edges them on to any impiety or villany, would caſt but this rub in their way: What if God ſhould take mee in the manner, and ſtrike mee in the very act I am about, and caſt mee into the deep dungeon of Hell, there to be tormented with the Divell and his angels for evermore? Doe I not provoke him to it? Doe I not dare him? Hath hee not threatened as much? Hath hee not done as much? Nonne cuivis contingere poteſt quod cuiquam poteſt? that which is ones caſe, may it not be any ones caſe? Yea, but they will ſay, God is mercifull. Hee is ſo (elſe the moſt righteous upon earth would deſpaire a thouſand times) but not to thoſe that continually abuſe his long-ſuffering, and preſume upon his mercy. If there be eDeut. 29.19, 20.among you (ſaith God by Moſes) a root that beareth gall and wormwood, and it come to paſſe that when hee heareth the words of this curſe, that he bleſſe himſelfe in his heart, ſaying, I ſhall have peace, though I walke in the imagination of mine heart to adde drunkenneſſe to thirst: the Lord will not ſpare him, but then the anger of the Lord and his jealouſie ſhall ſmoake againſt that man, and all the curſes that are written in this booke ſhall lye upon him, and the Lord ſhall blot out his name from under heaven.
Yea, but God promiſeth pardon at all times to the penitent. But where doth he promiſe at all times grace to repent? Be it that God would tender us his grace at what houre wee pleaſe, which is preſumption in us to hope for, yet the longer we deferre the applying of the remedy, the more painfull and dangerous the cure will be. In the converſive propoſition concerning our converſion to God, I admit of the convertens, viz. True repentance is never too late; ſo they will take along with them the converſa, viz. that late repentance is ſeldome true. Howſoever, what piety is it? nay what equity? nay rather what abominable iniquity and impiety is it florem Diabolo conſecrare, faeces Deo reſervare? To conſecrate the flower of their youth to the Divell, the world, and the fleſh, and reſerve the lees or dregges of their old age for God? To dedicate to him our weake and feeble dotage if we live to it, what is it better than to offer the fDeut. 15.21.blind and the lame for ſacrifice, which God abhorreth? Repent therefore repentè, repent at the firſt offer of grace. Ye ſhall ſcarce find any precept of repentance in Scripture, which requireth not as well that it be out of hand, as that it be from the heart: Remember thy gEccleſ. 12.1.Creatour in the dayes of thy youth. To hPſal. 95.7, 8.day if yee will heare his voice harden not your heart. Seek iPſal. 32.6.the Lord while he may be found. Now he may be found, now he ſeeketh us, now he calleth to us: let us therefore breake off all delayes, and pricke on forward our dull and ſlow affections with that ſharp and poynant increpation of SaintkConfeſ. l. 8. c. 5. Modò & modò non habent modum, quamdiu cras & cras? cur non hoc dic? cur non hac horâ finis turpitudinis meae? Ib. Verba lenta & ſomnolenta, modò, ecce modò, ſine paululum, ſed ſine paululum, ibat in longum, &c. Auſtine, Why doe I ſtill procraſtinate my comming unto thee, O Lord? Why not now? why not this day? why not this houre an end of my ſinfull courſe of life? Deo Patri, Filio, & Spiritui ſancto ſit laus, &c.