Two Treatises Comforting an Afflicted Conscience, Sermon 2
The Seconde Sermon preached by M Richard Greenham.
It is thus written Acts 2. Vers. 37.38.
37 Now when they heard it, they were pricked in their hearts, and said vntounto Peter, and the other Apostles. Men and brethren, what shall we doe?
38 Then Peter saide vntounto them, amende your liues, and be baptized every one of you in the name of Iesus Christ for the remission of sinnes &c.
IN this portion of the holy booke of God is set down to vsus an effecte, or rather a fruite of Peter his sermon, which hee made for the answering of the sclanderous reports of the Iewes, at what time they saw the wonderfull giftes of GOD sent downe vponupon the Apostles. In which sermon, the Apostle had pricked their consciences whith shewing them their sinnes, telling them of a suretie, that their iniquities was the cause of Christ his death: whereby a certaine care began to be wrought in them, insomuch that being thus troubled, they enquired and saide men and brethren, what shall we doe? whereupon afterward followed the second Sermon of Peter, wherein he exhorteth thē to cōtinue in their repētance & teacheth vsus that if our sorrowe be good, we must go forward therin. Further he sheweth thē to this end, that they must beleeue, that beleuing they may be baptised, that being baptised they might receiue the gifte of the holy Ghost. Lastly it is manifest, how they hearing that sermon first receiued the doctrine, and after perseuered in the practise of the same. Briefely therefore three thinges are here to bee noted: First the fruite of the former Sermon of Peter contained in these wordes. Now when they hearde it, &c. Scondely the summe of a new Sermon of Peter in these worde. Then Peter saide vntounto them, amende your liues, &c. Thirdly is set downe the fruite of their obedience. In the former part of this Chapter wee may knowe the wonderfull workes of GOD, that the Apostles, who were neuer brought vp in scholes, speake with diuers tongues▪ which when the multitude hearde, some are saide to maruaile and to be astonied, some mocked them and saide, They are full of new wine. But when Peter with greate boldenesse of spirite had in this Sermon which hee made, set the truth of God against their false accusations, and had preached against their sinnes, then they lefte of mocking▪ & were pricked in their harts. Where first we may note the power of Gods word, which onelyonly is able to touch our consciences for sinne. For neither the diuersitie of tongues, nor other giftes of the holy Ghost coulde pricke their …eartes, as being able onelyonly to cast them into an admiration. What more forcible thinge then to cause a go…ly sorrow, thē to hauehave our conscience pricked? What so able to pricke our conscience as the worde of GOD? Indeede many feele sorrowe and are inwardly pricked, but because therewith is not ioyned the power of Gods word, They be either senceles…e as blocks, or in their feeling they are murmurers. This commeth vntounto vsus by the dignitie of GOD his worde, in that no wonders from heauen, no miracles on earth can touch our heartes, and worke in vsus any fruite without the same. For though the Lorde shoulde shewe vntounto vsus al the wonders from heauen, which he shewed on the olde worlde, and on Sodome, although hee shoulde lay all the plagues vponupon vsus, which he laide on Pharaoh and on the Aegyptians, without the word of God, we should be as vnprofitable beholders, as euer were the Sodomites, & should become as hardeharted as euer were Pharaoh, & the Aegyptians. so that no iudgement from heauen, no trouble from earth can humble vsus, noe blessing from aboue, no benefite from beneath can▪ profite vsus, vntil the worde of GOD commeth, which teacheth the olde way to forsake it, the newe way to enter into it, and the perfecte way to continue in it. And thus much for the generall scope of this doctrine. Now more particularly we may obserue in this first part three things. First the power of the worde to pricke our conscience. Secondly that this pricke must not cause in vsus a more rebelling againste the worde or ministers thereof: but rather a greater reuerence to them both. Thirdly such prickes must prepare vsus to a greater desire to profit. For the first wee must knowe, that this is the beginning of repentance, and this is the ente…ie to godlines, euen to conceiue a sorrow for our sinnes, and so bee wounded with a feeling of our euils. For as long as men are secure, it is not possible, that they should seriously apply their minde vntounto doctrine, neither without the knowledge, and feeling of our sinnes can wee hartily longe for Christ. To this agree the lawe, the Prophets, and the Apostles. The lawe, because in all their sacrifices, wherein Christ was prefigured, was manifested also vnderunder darke signes, the contrition of hart, and acknowledging their vnworthinesse. The Prophets as Dauid and Esay. Dauid in the fourth psalme and fi…t verse …ayeth, Tremble and sinne not, where the Prophet sheweth,Psal. 45. that this is an effectuall thing to trew repentance, to quake and tremble for feare of Gods iudgements. That wee may then truly examine our selues, wee must feare and humble our selues, because before trouble, terrour, and quaking at the iudgementes of GOD, we will neuer be brought to offer our selues to Christ alone. In the Psal. 51. Vers. 18.19. the Prophet like wise sheweth, that no sacrifice is acceptable to God without a contrite heart, that is, neither prayer, neither almes-giuing, neitheir praise or thanksgiuing, vnlesse we bringing an humble and contrite spirit with vsus, cast our selues downe before his iudgement seate, and sue for mercy in Christ. And here marke, that he saith, the sacrifices of God, are a troubled spirit &c. where he vsing the plurall number sheweth, that the sacrifices of repentance, which must not be one, but many, are humblenes of spirite and contrition of hearte. For the affliction of the soule & contrition of the minde, doe so cast vsus downe, wounded with our sinnes & humbled with a feeling of Gods wrath, as that it maketh vsus to acknowledge, that we are nothing of our selues, and to seeke for our saluation wholly at the merciemercy of God. Noe maruaile then, if by this means we being confounded and ashamed of our selues, and staying our selues on the only promises of God, doe confesse our owne nakednes and wreatchednes, why the Prophet should say, that the Lord is pleased with this sacrifice as with the sacrifice of sacrifices. The Prophet Esai. cap 40. V. 6.7.8. saith.Esa. 40.6.7 8. All flesh is grasse, & the beautie therof as the flower of grasse, the grasse withereth, & the flower falleth, when the breath of the Lord falleth vponupon it. where the Prophet painting out man in his proper couliers, and driuing him to seeke our saluation not in himselfe but in Christ, describeth the outward part of man to be as grasse and by the flower of grasse, he sheweth his gifts of minde being vnregenerate, as wisdōe memorie, knowledge, and vnderstāding. So that, when Gods spirit doth but breath on vsus, all our wisdome, all our knowledge, riches, and authoritie fall before the presence of the Lord of hosts, neither can we remaine, but only by the word of God, whereby wee are borne againe. Wherefore the considering & meditating of our trāsitory estate driu…th vsus to a contrition & humblenes of spirit. Besides, the Lord God, saith Esai, Esa. 66.whom the heauens cannot containe, nor the earth hold, wil come and dwell with a lowly, poore, and troubled spirit, and which standeth in awe of his word. God doth not accept our sacrifices, which are offered without trembling at his word, no more then if we should kill a man, & choke a dog, or offer swines flesh, which was counted an abhominable thing among the Iews, or praise the thing that is vnright. Lastly to this accordeth the Gospel, and the Apostles. Our sauiour Christ Mat. 9.13. saith,Mat. 9▪ 11. I came not to cal the righteous, but sinners to repentance, not euerie sinner, but that sinner, which condēneth sinne in him, & is weary and laden with his sinnes. Mat. 11.28. Mat. 21.32. our Sauiour Christ preferreth the harlotts & Publicans before the Pharises, for they being pricked for their sins & conuicted, did sorrow, & heard Iohn preaching vntounto them. So then Christ giueth reliefe to those that want, righteousnes to thē that feele themselues sinners, ease to them, which are burthened, lightto them, which are in darknes, life to them which are dead, & saluation to them, which condēne thēselues. 1. Cor. 14. the Apostle declareth, how the Corrinthians were moued with strāge tongues: but yet had not in admiration the word. Besides he sheweth by comparing the gifte of tongues & prophecying together, that if an Infidell or vnlearned man should come, and heare them speake with strange tongues, he would say, they were out of the witts, but if he should heare them speake the word of god plainly, he wold be rebuked of all mē & iudged of all men, & so the secrete of his heart shold be mad manifest, he wold fal down on his page missing and worshippe God and say plainely, when he feeleth his sinnes, they rifle mine hearte, they shewe my secret sinnes, doubtlesse, this is Gods doing, God is in them, I will follow this religion. Wherefore in this appeareth the power of the worde, in that it citeth and sommoneth our consciences before the tribunall of God, and woundeth vsus with a liuely feeling of Gods iudgement, that he, who before thorough securitie did despise sounde doctrine, may now be constreained to giuegive the glory vntounto God. This appeareth more plainely: Heb. 4.12. where it is saide,Heb. 4.12. that the word of God is liuelie, m…ghty in operation, and sharper then any two edged sword, & it pearceth thought frō thought; & all holinesse shall seme hypocrisie, all our righteousnes shall seeme as a defiled cloath: we shall finde with Paul, that in vsus, that is, in our flesh dwelleth no righteousnes. For mens consciences are coulde, neither are they touched and displeased with their euils, so long as they be in ignorance, but when the worde of God pearceth into the vttermost corners of their consciences, and telleth them, that they hauehave to doe with the Lorde; they are thoroughlye touched and beginne to feare, and entering into themselues examining their conscience, they come to the knowledge of that, which before they had forgotten. We can neuer bee offered to God without his spirite Iohn. 16.8.Iohn, 16, 8 For he reprooueth the world of sinne, and awaketh our consciences, that those sins, which before were hid, should be made manifest. Dauid did lye an whole ye…re without this pricke of conscience, and thought, that all was well,2, Sam, vntill Nathan came, neither did he finde comfort of conscience, vntill he had thus beene pricked. Iosephes brethren were thirteene yeares, and neuer remembred their sinnes, vntill, after such time the Lorde laide it before them. The Prophet Dauid, Psal. 32 (which he intituled a Psalme of instruction concerning the free remission of sinnes) …eacheth how wee shall finde the same. For many perswade themselues, that their sinnes are forgiuen, when they be not. He also sheweth, that vntill trouble of minde did driue him to GOD, he founde no comfort,2. Reg. Man…sses which did eate the breade of sorrow, and did drinke the water of griefe; vntill he had lamented and sorrowed, felt no rest nor peace. The woman of Samaria Iohn 4. was pleasant, and iested with our Sauiour Christ, vntill hir sinnes were opened, and then shee beganne to answere with more reuerence. For vntill shee was willed to call hir husbande, shee thought all was safe, but after that he had tolde hir, that shee had plaide the adulteresse, shee acknowledged him, that hee was a Prophet.
Wherefore wee may see by this, which hath beene spoken, that the word of God onelyonly pricketh our consciences, as plainly may here appeare by the Iewes, who cared not for the Apostles nor made any conscience, vntill their hearts were pricked. In the second place we must note, that they were rightly pricked. For many often times are pricked, which kicke against the pricke, and hauing their consciences galled by the word, they murmur eyther against the preacher of the word, or against the word itselfe. Here then is the difference betweene the godly and the wicked, the one is pricked and is made more carefull in a godly conscience; the other more hardened then before. But this is a godly sorrowe, when we louelove the man, that rebuketh vsus, and reuerence the word the more being by it reprooued in our conscience. Doe we louelove him then that rebuketh vsus? then we heare profitably. Let vsus examine our selues in this sort: I see God hath wounded me by him, he is the instrument, whereby God doth humble me, I will therfore louelove him. Contrary if we be often touched & amende not, we are in danger of Gods wrath. Many indeed are pricked, with pouerty, many with sicknes, & some with other like afflictiōs, but few with their sins, which is the cause of their pouerty, sicknes, and other afflictions. Let vsus then learne a willingnesse to offer our selues to be taught and to be pricked for sinne, as these men were. The wicked also are pricked somtimes for sinne: but it is rather for feare of punishment, then for conscience to displease God, as were Caine and Iudas. Some men are pricked, and to put away their sorrow, they will goe sleepe, they will go play, they will goe sport, they wil get to merie company, and passe away the time, and so, as they terme it, they will purge & driue away the rage of melancholy, they neuer goe to any Preacher, to aske of the Lord, or at the mouth of his spirite. They neuer respect to prayer, nor seeke any comforte in the word of GOD. But to put away sorrow on this sort is to call it againe, and to feele it more freshly either in the hower of death, or in hell. Contrariwise if our sorrow doth driue vsus to praier or to the worde of God, it is good. As for the wicked and prophaine worldlinges, though as the wise man saith, Ecclesiact. 11. hee spende all his daies without any euill, yet his darknes wilbe greater then the light, his sorrowe greater then his pleasure, his losse greater then his gaine, his trouble greater then his vanitie, in hell. Let vsus not then so carnally shake off this godly sorrow, For the worde will send vsus often an vnquiet spirite, that wee may seeke to be quiet in Christ. To examine our selues herein. HaueHave wee heard the worde of God? were we pricked by it? then hauehave wee profited, hauehave we not been pricked thereby? then as yet are we not a sacrifice for the Lord. For, as was saide before, Christ comforteth them that are troubled, he helpeth them that doubt, he caseth them, which are in distresse, he setteth their feete in the way of peace and gladnes, that hauehave long beene in darkenes and sorrow. HaueHave ye not beene sorrowfull, & will ye learne a salue for this sore? be sorrowfull, that ye were not sorrowfull, be pricked in your hearts, because you were not more pricked. HaueHave we heard the word? Let vsus examin our selues? if our knowledge be the beter; If our affectiōs be the holier; As hauing heard the expositiō of the law of God; do we feare God? do we know how to louelove God? do we pray to God? do we worship God in our soules, & in our bodies more carfully & in greater cōscience thē we hauehave don hertofore? Are we not now as profaine & carelesse stil in giuing the right worship to the true God, as before we were to superstitious, in seruing Angels, Sāts & other false Gods; nether sorrowing for our idolatry, nor careing for true religiō? hauehave we not blasphemed, & profaned the name of god in vnreuerēt hearing his word, in vnprofitable talking of his works & abusing his owne maiesty with swearing and cursing as much as we euer did before? HaueHave we kept holie the saboth? or hauehave we not prophaned it, by open neglect of the worde, by playing, sporting, drinking, and other vanities doe we not still send forth our seruantes to dispatch our busines on that day, as if it were the market day, when they may do such thinges most lawfully? Are not parentes, hous-holders, and gouernours, as slacke in prouoking obedience; and children, seruantes and subiectes, as flow in yeelding obedience as euer they were? parents in the meane time, not seeing that children therefore rebell against thē, because they rebell against God; nor hous-holders perceiue that seruants doe not their dueties to them, because they doe not their duety to God? Are we lesse wrathfull, and more mercifull? are we lesse riotous, and filthy defilers of our flesh? and are we more sober, chast, and holy? are we lesse giuen to oppression, to hard dealing one with another, and more iust, righteous, and carefull to maintaine the good estate of our brethren? Are we not backbiters, slaunderers, or sowers of discord, causers of contention …mong our neighbours? beeing farre off from mainteyning louelove vnited, and the good name of our brethren? The cause, why we cannot see further into these things, is because we flatter our selues, and because we compaire our selues with our selues & with others, but not with the rule of Gods word. Let vsus then learne to accuse our selues and to iudge our owne consciences. For if God see vsus condemne ourselues, he will not condemne vsus, if we accuse our selues, God will not suffer Sathan to accuse vsus, if we iudge our selues, God will acquite vsus from the fearefull iudgment to come, if we be displeased for our sins, God will be pleased in Christ his righteousnesse. On the contrary, whilest we lie in our sinnes, we lie in our owne blood, if we iudge not our selues, God will both iudge vsus, and be reuenged of our sinne, he wil set our house on fire, he will send enemies, he will sende earthquakes, he will sende famines to make vsus to consume our goods, he will make friends foes, he will sende sicknes and sorenes vponupon our bodies, & a troubled spirit into our soules, he will send vsus an ill name, thus will he bring plague vponupon plague vntill we repent, & come to a feeling of our sinnes. And why doth God all this? because we wil not come to iudge our selues. For this cause, saith the Apostle. 1. Cor. 11.30. that is, because we iudge not our selues many are weake, & sicke among you, & many sleepe. 31. for if we would iudge our selues, we should not be iudged, 32. but when we are iudged, we are chastined of the Lord, that we shoulde not be condemned with the worlde. Likewise the Prophet Psal. 89. & 30.31.32.33. But if his children forsake my lawe, and walke not in my iudgments, if they breake my statutes and keepe not my commandementes. Then will I visite their transgression with the sword, and their iniquitie with strokes, yet my louing kindnes will I not take from him, neyther will I falsifie my trueth. For as a father withdraweth from his child sometimes his louelove, & whippeth him with the rod of correction, so the Lord dealeth often with his children & scourgeth their naked conscience. God doth iudge his here, but his enemies will he iudge in the world to come, if we be not punished here, the punishment wil be as a thunderbolt in the day of iudgmēt. Hast thou bene afflicted, & not profited? will not a litle crosse serue thee? a greater shall come to thee, will not a few troubles turne thee to God, then many shall come vponupon thee? If a man be not troubled for sin here, it is the way to hell, if he be troubled here, it is the way to heauen. And as they which hauehave not bene troubled, hauing had a little ioy shall hauehave eternall paine, so they which here hauehave had a little paine, shall after hauehave euerlasting ioye. They that are corrected and hauehave profited by it, are afflicted of the Lord in mercy, but they that be vexed and amende not, receiue a token of Gods further wrath. Wherefore we must not looke to feele comforte in the remission of sinnes, vnlesse we also hauehave sorrowe for committing our sinnes. For neuer any of gods children were comforted throughly, but they were first humbled for their sinne lawfully. To the working of which humiliation, wee must remember Gods iudgements shewed on others: hath God destroyed the whole world for sinne, and can he not, or will he not destroy thee for sinne? hath he ouerthrowen whole nations, and will he suffer thee to lie still in thy sinnes? See how full Hell is alreadie, and yet daily we runne headlong thither. Consider also, how great thy sinne was, that could not be cleansed but by the bloode of Iesus Christ; Oh how soule was that sinne, that nothing else could wash it, but Christ his hart blood? oh how great was our guiltines, that were ransomed by such a price? How greate was the sore, that needed such a salue? howe deepe was the wound, that needed such a medicine? O louing kindnes, and vnspeakeable louelove towards vsus! Shall Christ be slaine for our sinnes, and we not slaye sinne in our selues? Shall Christ die for our sinnes, and sinne as yet is not dead in vsus? Shall Christ be crucified for vsus, and will we not crucifie sinne in our selues? Shall Christ hauehave his hearte pricked with a speare, and shall not we hauehave our harts pricked with sorrow? This is the true vse and meditating of Christ his passion. We are wont to defy the Iewes for accusing Christ, we spit at Iudas for betraying Christ, and we condemne Pilate for condemning Christ, but we are much more to be at defiance with our sinnes, which accused him before the iudgement seat of God, we are to accuse our selues, who hauehave and daily doe, betray him; we must condemne our selues, whose sinnes hauehave condemned him. But if neither the iudgements of God, hell, nor the crosse of Christ can moue vsus, then let vsus examine our selues how we can reioyce in Christ.
It followeth to speake of the counsell of Peter, Repent, as if he should say. I know your heartes are pricked, how be it I will shewe you, how it is the pollicy of the Diuell, to make these good motions quickly to waxe dry in you, he will stay you from perseuering, you must therfore endeuoure to continue in this godly sorrow. The Apostle saw, that this sorrow, which as Paule witnesseth is not to be repented of, was well begunne in them, but in continuing his sermon still to that effect, he sheweth that our sorrow must be also continuall. Many sorrow, as hath beene shewed, but in a worldly sorrowing, which bringeth eternal death, not in a godly griefe which bringeth repentance. Wherfore we are to note that repentance beginneth in vsus, continueth and endeth with sorrow. Now, if it might be, it were expedient to shew what repentance is. In one word, Repentance is not a bare leauing of sinne, but an vtter condemning and misliking of that sinne, which we hauehave left. For though we hauehave left it, yet Sathan may make vsus to sorrow for it many yeares after, yea euen at the point of death. 'Dauid had left his sinne, but it caused him to sorrow an whole yeare after. Iosephs brethren had forsaken and almost forgotten their sinne, yet it troubled them and grieued them thirteene yeares after. Our pricking of heart therfore must be continued and daily renued. This repentance is figured in baptisme, both in that we must die to sin, and bury it, and also that we must rise againe to newnes of life, for a man cannot die to sin but by the vertue of Christ his death, neyther can he rise to righteousnes without the power of his resurrection. Now we must know that as our sinnes are forgiuen, so we must also receiue Gods spirit. If God promiseth mercy to our children much more to vsus, if we beleue and receiue his promises, if to them, which are a farre of, much more to them that are neare. And yet though we hauehave been baptised an hundred yeares, and hauehave not receiued the holy Ghost: we may die in our sinnes. Some vnderstand by the gift of the holy Ghost the graces of God bestowed on the Apostles, but in my iudgement, their opinion is not sound, because, that was a particular thing giuen only to them of that time, this promise is generall and respectes all posterities. We are then to note, that repentance is a continuall course of sorrowe, and if we hauehave this in trueth, then may we boldly seeke for comfort out of Gods wo…d, and from his ministers, and looke what comfort they giuegive vsus on earth, the same shal be sealed also in heauen. Wherefore as it is requisite continually to till the ground, if we will hauehave fruite, and daily to eate, if we will liue: so in spirituall things, we must be humbled with continuall sorrow, that we may be refreshed with daily comfort in Christ, in whose name let vsus pray. Our father, &c.
FINIS.