Exposition on John 5, Psalm 30 – Half title
AN EXPOSITION VPONUPON THE THIRTIETH PSALME.
Pſal. 30.2.
In whoſe Spirit there is no guile.
GVile is a ſpirituall deceit, whereby a man deceiues himſelfe before God in the matter of his ſaluation.
The kinds of it may bee reduced to foure heads.
1. Guile, in reſpect of Gods fauour when a man is deceiued by a falſe perſwaſion, that he is in the fauour and louelove of God. This is done three wayes:
1. By compariſons; when a man compares himſelfe either with himſelfe, or with groſſe notorious ſinners that come farre behind him in goodnes, or with ciuil righteous men. As did the Phariſes, Luk. 18.11, 12. ſuch are ſaid to bee aliue whithout the Law. Rom. 7.9.
2. By reaſon of temporall bleſſings, which becauſe a man doth enioy plentifully, ſo he ſtraightway concludes, that he is beloued of God.
3. Laſtly, which is the moſt fearefull, when men being puniſhed with croſſes and calamities, doe hereupon gather, that God loueth them, ſaying, that they hauehave their puniſhment here, and ſo they ſhall eſcape hereafter; though in the meane time they neuer repent of their ſinnes, and leaue their wicked courſes, for which end God did thus puniſh them.
2. Guile and deceit of the heart in reſpect of Sinne; this is either before or after the committing of it.
Before the committing of a ſinne, a mans hear… deceiues and beguiles him foure wayes.
1. By perſwading him, it is but a ſmall veniall ſinne; ſo extenuating it, as a matter not much to be ſtood vponupon.
2. But if the ſinne doe ſeeme great and vgly, then it labours to make him beleiue that God ſeeth it not, he takes no notice of it.
3. If this perſwaſion take no place, but that he thinke God will ſee it, then it ſuggeſteth vntounto him that he will not puniſh him for it, he will paſſe by it, &c.
4. If all this ſerue not the turne, then it perſwadeth him, that repentance may eaſily be had for it, that he will repent for it afore he dies, &c.
After a ſinne committed, the guile is threefold.
1. A mans corrupt heart will endeuor to bring him to a louelove and liking of that ſinne, and make it ſeeme pleaſant vntounto him, that he may not repent for it.
Secondly, or elſe to cauſe him to defend it by colourable ſhiftes and excuſes, that he may ſeeme to doe it lawfully.
Thirdly, if it doe begin to gripe him, and to pricke his conſcience, then doth it labour to choke this griefe and ſorrow, and ſo to hinder ſound repentance, and that three wayes:
Firſt, by merriment, when a man thinkes it but a melancholy, and ſo gets him among merry companions to muſicke, and ſuch like, to driue it away.
Secondly, if ſo it leaue him not, then hee performes ſome ſhort humiliation for faſhion ſake, without true ſorrow indeed, that ſo hereby hee may as it were, get himſelfe out of Gods hands.
Thirdly, by ſome ceremony or other; as when ſome couetous extortioner that gets his goods vnlawfully, and neuer thinkes of reſtitution, vponupon his death bed, or before, will giuegive ſomewhat to build an Almeſ-houſe, and ſo make amends for all. This is but a ceremony as it were.
3. Guile, in reſpect of vertues and graces, when a man deceiues him…elfe with a counterfeit ſhew of them; as
Firſt, when he perſwades himſelfe to be a true worſhipper of God, becauſe he frequents the places and exerciſes of his ſeruice.
Secondly, to bee a true Chriſtian, becauſe he performes the outward duties of Religion.
Thirdly, when hee beguiles himſelfe with the ſhadow of Faith and repentance, and all other particular graces, whereof there is no one but may be counterefited.
Fourthly, guile in reſpect of the Word, and workes of the Spirit: for firſt, a man may hauehave, firſt, knowledge of the Word; ſecondly, aſſent vntounto this knowledge; thirdly, a man may make profeſſion of it; fourthly, yea, he may ſtand for the defence of the truth thereof, and yet may he be beguiled with a falſe hope of his good eſtate; all things being wrought in him by that wonderfull power of God, whereby hee cauſeth euen the wicked and vngodly to giuegive teſtimony to the truth of his Word.
Secondly, there may bee wrought in him, firſt, a kind of louelove and ioy in the Word; ſecondly, a willingneſſe to heare it; thirdly, a reformation of ſome ſinnes and corruptions in the life and conuerſation (which is done by the reſtraining, and not ſanctifying Spirit,) as there was in Herod, Mark. 6.20. with diuers the like graces; and neuertheleſſe as Herod did, he may nouriſh ſome one boſome ſinne, and ſo be farre from the ſtate of ſound conuerſion.
Diuers other ſuch deceits there are, but theſe are the principall: which things ſeeing they are ſo, and that the heart is deceitfull aboue all things, yea, and who can know it?
Let vsus labour and learne, firſt, to ſuſpect our hearts, and not truſt them too farre, but by due examination find out the wiles and ſubtilties thereof. Secondly, to get vsus ſincere and vpright hearts.
FINIS.
AN EXPOSITION OF PART OF THE FIFT AND SIXT CHAPTERS OF S. PAVLES EPISTLE to the Epheſians, wherein is handled all ſuch duties as belong to houſehold Gouernment: ALSO THE SPIRITVALL ARMOVR, OVT OF WHICH A CHRISTIAN MAY FETCH SVFFICIENT furniture againſt all his ſpirituall Enemies.
LONDON, Imprinted for Iohn Bartlett, and are to be ſold at the ſigne of the Gilt Cup in the Goldſmiths Row in Cheapeſide. 1630.