The Souls Preparation for Christ, Treatise (1 of 5)
THE SOVLES PREPARATION FOR CHRIST.
ACTS 2.37.
Now when they heard this, they were pricked in their hearts, and said to Peter and the other Apostles, Men and brethren, what shall wee doe to bee saved?
IN this great worke of preparation for Christ, Observe two things. First, the dispensation of the worke of Grace on Gods part, he pulls a sinner from sinne to himselfe; & Secondly, the frame and temper of spirit that God workes in the hearts of those, that he doth draw: and that makes its selfe knowne in two particulars; partly in Contrition, partly in humiliation; For our better proceeding in the prosecution of these two maine points, I shall handle them severally, and at large. And first we will sift out what this Contrition and humiliation is, that we may not deceive our selves, and thinke we have them, when it is nothing so.
What contrition is.This Contrition (as I conceive) is nothing else, but namely when a sinner by the sight of sinne, and vilenesse of it, and the punishment due to the same, is made sensible of sinne, and is made to hate it, and hath his heart separated from the same; and the sight of sin makes it selfe knowne in three particulars: First, when the soule is sensible of sinne; Secondly, when it hath a hearty and sound sorrow for the same, and an earnest detestation of it. Thirdly, when he hath his heart separated from his corruptions. All these are not wrought, so much by any power that is in us, as by the Almighty power of God working in us; for the sinner would not see his sin, but the Lord forceth him, as the holy Prophet saith:Psal. 74.4. Thou holdest my eyes waking, I am so troubled that I cannot speake, the Lord holds sinne to a carnall sinfull wretch, so that his sinne walkes, and sleepeth, and goeth with him; nay the soule of a poore sinner would beat backe the blow, and would not have the word to touch him, he labours to shift off the arrowes of the Almighty, which the Lord shooteth into the soule; but the Lord will not suffer him so to doe; Thy arrowes sticke fast in me▪ and thy hand presseth me sore. Psal. 38.2.Psalm. 38.2. As if the Prophet had said, I would faine have beate backe thine arrowes, but they sticke fast in me; and I would have shaken off the burden, that lay upon me, but thine hand presseth me sore, so then at last, when the sinner sees, hee cannot shake off the arrowes, then he is content to bee separate from his corruptions.
This is in generall in the text, wherin you shall plainly see these three particulars fully expressed.
First, the sight of sinne by the hearing of Peters words, and it was not by the bare hearing of his words onelyonly, but when Peter came somewhat roundly home to them, and said; This is Christ Iesus whom ye have crucified, then followes the former worke, namely, the acknowledgement of their sinnes, and the first cause that made them see their sinne, was a particular application of their sinnes, hee came punctually and particularly to them, and said, you are they that have crucified the Lord Christ, this touched them and made them see their sinnes.
Secondly, the daily and serious meditation and apprehension of their sinnes, and of those truths, which were delivered in the word: hearing, that is, daily pondering and considering of the evills, that were committed by them and shewed to them.
Thirdly, they were pricked, they did not pricke themselves, but the Lord followed that truth that was delivered, and by his Almighty hand did make that word prosperous to their soules; and though they would not pierce themselves, yet the Lord pierced them.
The second part of it is in these words, They were pricked in their hearts, not in their hands or eyes, but in their hearts.
The third part is the separation from sin in these words, Men and brethren, what shall we doe? Whatsoever you would have us to doe, we will doe it, and whatsoever sinne is forbidden, wee are content to be rid of it; nay, nothing was too hard, or too much for them.
Give mee leave to take a doctrine by the way from the words; they when they heard this, who were these (they?) see this in the 36. verse, them that had crucified the Lord of life.
What will some say, is it possible that ever they should be so pierced frō their sinnes? it was said of Iudas that betrayed Christ, it had been good for that man that he had not beene borne, What shall we thinke of those that murther Christ. If Iudas was damned for betraying of Christ? then much more they for killing of him. Is it possible the Lord should doe good unto them, yes, even they came to be pricked in their hearts.
DoctrineFrom these words this doctrine ariseth; It is possible for the most stubborne sinners upon earth to get a broken heart. They that stoned the Prophets and killed them that were sent unto them, and sleighted all the meanes of grace, they that refused Christ, and would not heare him; they are now brought upon their knees, and are resolved now, if any course might bee taken to get Christ and mercy. Titus. 12.13. one of their owne Prophets said, the Cretians are alwayes lyers, evill beasts, and slow bellies: a man would thinke it a vaine thing to medle with them, they are such desperate wretches, but the text saith, Reprove them sharply, that they may be sound in the faith, so that a Cretian which is a filthy beast, by a sound reproose, may come to bee a glorious Saint: and whereas the Jewes had loaden the Lord with their sinnes; therefore it was just with God to ease himselfe of his burden, and so send them and their sinnes downe to hell together. Thus a man would think; but the Lord did not so, as we may see in Esay, I am he, Esay 45.23.2….that blotteth out all thy transgressions, for my owne name sake, I will remember your sinnes no more, and as the Apostle saith,Rom. 29.30. the Gentiles were full of all unrighteousnesse, worse then they almost could be for all kind of degrees of sinne, and yet many of them became full of all holinesse; Such were some of you (saith the Apostle) and in another place we may see that a Scarlet sinner may become a Saint in nature;Esay 7. 18. we know this scarlet is such a deepe die, that all the art under heaven cannot alter it: Yet the Lord can make of a Scarlet sinner, a milke white Saint. I doe not say it will ever be, and it doth alwaies come to passe, but it is possible.
The reason is taken from the Lords Almighty goodnesse and power,Reason, the Lord is able to supply all wants, and amend that which is amisse, nay, he is able to do more then that thou standest in need of. When the Lord made heaven & earth he did not spend all his strength, that he was able …o help no more. No, no; he is All-sufficient still, he is not onelyonly able to continue that good, which the creature hath, but to make a glorious supply of whatsoever is wanting,Psalm. 103.3. as David saith, He pardoneth all thy iniquities, and forgiveth all thy sinnes: not some, but all, otherwise he were not All-sufficient, unlesse he had a salve for every sore, and a medicine for every malady; if our sinnes were more then God could pardon, or if our weakenesses were more able to ouerthrow us, then his strength to uphold us, he were not All-sufficient: Indeed there are some things which the scripture saith, God cannot doe, but it is not because of the want of power in God, but because there is a weakenesse in the creature; As God cannot deny himselfe, but the more and greater our sinnes and wickednesse are, the more will the strength and glory of his power appeare in pardoning of them, and where sinne abounds, there grace abounds much more in the pardoning of the same: Christ is All-sufficient in power to procure mercy for all thy sinnes, and the Spirit is all-sufficiently able to apply the satisfaction of Christ to thy soule, and therefore be thy condition never so fearefull, (the sinne against the holy Ghost onelyonly excepted) there is power and mercy in the Lord to pardon thee, and it is possible for thee to finde mercy.
Vse.The first use is for reproofe, and it checks the desperate discouragement that harbours in the hearts of many poore sinners, that if they finde no power in thēselves, no succour in the meanes; they doe question in this case, and presently conclude an impossibilitie to receive mercy, and they thinke there is no hope, of pardon, as heretofore they have had no care in sinning; because they cannot see how it may be, they suppose it cannot be: This bringeth a great indignity to the Lord Jesus Christ, and a great discouragement to themselves: why? the Lord hath hardnesse, and difficulties at command.2 King… 2… When the seige about Jerusalem was marvellous sore, and every man did despaire of any comfort or succour, the Prophet said, before to morrow this time shall a measure of fine flower be sould for a shekle, and then a Lord on whose hand the King leaned, said, If the Lord should make windowes in heaven, how can this thing be? and the Prophet said unto him, thou shalt see it, but not eat of it, so it is with many that begge often, and the Lord answereth not, so that the soule is marvellously starved, and the flood of iniquitie comes in amaine upon the soule, and all his sinnes come to his view, and the heart beginnes to reason in this manner; If the depths of Gods mercies should be opened, can all these sins be pardoned? and can this damned soule of mine be saved? Surely this cannot be. It is just with God wee should seeke mercy, given to others as bad as wee, and yet wee not taste of it, because wee distrust the Lord. Cains sin was so much the greater, because hee said it could not be forgiven: so it is a horrible sinne to say, the Lord is not so mercifull, as the Devill is malitious, and that the world, and a sinfull heart, … able to damne me then God is to save me; if … so, God were no God, and Christ no …, and the Spirit no comforter, this is a … sin, our selves, and the devill above God & the Lord Jesus Christ. Oh therefore check all those discouragements of soule which too much prevaile with us.
Vse 2.Secondly, it is a ground of great incouragement to provoke the hearts of all wicked men under heaven, to looke out of that condition wherin they are, for some mercy; because the most wicked of the world may be wrought upon, and the most prophane heart may be pierced; Who therefore would not have his heart quickned up, to seeke out for recovery from that estate wherein he is. All you poore creatures, if there be any here present, as I doubt not but there are; Oh you poore and ungodly sinfull creatures, my soule pitties you, you that have had your hands imbrewed in the blood of Christ, and whose sinnes are written with a pen of Iron, and are seene in every corner of the street, you that are thus in the gall of bitternesse, and yet in the kingdome of darkenesse, though your case for the present be very desperate, yet here is a little twigge in the middest of the maine sea, whereupon you may lay hold. And this may make you looke up, the Lord may shew mercy unto you, as proud, as stubborne, and rebellious as you, have had mercy; If you have the hearts of men looke for mercy; though your estate be fearefull for the present, yet it may be good: God hath not set the scale of condemnation upon your sinnes, he hath not yet sent you to hell. Consider this whatsoever thou art, thou yet livest upon the earth, and enjoyest the meanes, and it is possible yet to have all thy sinnes pardoned; oh lay about thee, goe home, & say, Good Lord, were they pierced in their hearts that pierced the Lord Iesus; and were their soules wounded? In conclusion then, why may not my prophane sinfull heart be humbled and pierced? It may be so, if the Lord say, Amen; it will be thus, that disease is not past remedy that hath beene cured in others, therefore let this stay thy heart, as bad as thou have been humbled, and brought home, and therefore why not thou?
But the soule will say, Can all these abominations be removed? and is it possible all these rebellions of my heart should be pardoned, and all this loosenes and security should be cast behind the backe of the Lord? I say it cannot be.
It is possible: onelyonly labour thou that it may be, and that thou maiest not be puffed up with presumption, consider these three Cautions in thy seeking.
The first caution is:3 Cautions. First, consider in thy seeking, a little mercy will not serve the turne; thou that hast been an old weather-beaten sinner, and hast wallowed in thy filthinesse, when thou goest to God for grace, consider it is not a little grace, or a small worke, that will doe the deed: it is not a few spoonfulls or buckets-full, that will cleanse a fouleskinne; so if thou hast had a filthy, prophan heart which hath been a through-fare to all wickednesse, and thou hast thus given thy selfe liberty thereunto, and hast continued therein; there must be a well of mercy to purge such a miserable wretch as thou art.
Psal. 51.When David had committed those two sins of adultery & murther, & had continued in them long, he was forced to beg for much mercy, and to say, purge me, wash me, cleanse me. O Lord these staines are marvelous deepe, therefore purge me with hisope; nay he had never done with it, because his sinnes were more then ordinary; So, it will cost a great deale of worke before a loose prophane drunkard can be made cleane.
Secondly, thou must expect it with much difficulty and hardnesse in thy selfe, thou that hast beene rivetted in thy base lu…ts and corruptions, the Lord will make all cracke before thou shalt finde mercy; thou that hast out-braved heaven with thy prophanesse, the Lord will make thee a mirrour of humiliation, as heretofore thou hast beene a spectacle of filthinesse. A man that hath had a bone long out of joynt, & it is now festred, it will make him cry many an oh, before it be brought into his right place againe; So it is with a man whose heart is full of filthines, it will cost him much paines and difficulty and heart-smart, before the Lord will bring the soule to a right set againe. Manasses humbled himselfe mightily before the Lord, because he had bin a mighty proud rebellious man, the Lord made his humiliation as miraculous as his sinnes had beene, and so David when he had given his sinnes ease in bedding with them, the Lord brake all his bones and did awaken him with a witnesse.
Lastly, you must resolve to bestow the utmost of your endeavour to get this mercy at the hands of the Lord: It is not a dipping of a foule cloth in water will cleanse it, but it must be soaked and rinced in it: so you must not thinke to have the foule staines of sinne washed away with a few teares; No, no; you must rub your hearts over & over, and awake your consciences againe and againe; it is not a little examination, nor a little sorrow will serve the turne; the Lord will pull downe those proud hearts of yours, and (it may be,) let you goe a begging for mercy all your dayes, and well you may have it at your last gasp when all is done.
The maine point in hand is this, It is for the first part of contrition for the sight of sinne; This hearing is not barely the sound of a mans words, but the sense and meaning of the words, by which the mind is inlightned, and he begins seriously to ponder the nature of his sinnes, that were so layed open unto him: thus hearing they came to be pierced.
The first doctrine is this:Doctrine. There must be a true sight of sinne before the soule can be broken; for the text saith, They did first heare and then apprehend the evill that was done by them; & thus they were brought to a saving remorse for their sinnes:Ezek. 36.31. Ezek: 36.31. the text saith, Then shall you remēber your owne evill waies & your doings, that were not good, and shall loath your selves for your abominations. First, they shall remēber their works, and then loath themselves; it is the course that Ephraim takes in Ieremiah, Ierem. 31.29…After that I was instructed, I smote upon my thigh; and after I was turned, I repented, I was ashamed and confounded, because I did beare the reproach of my youth. And it is Gods Course which he takes with his,Iob. … as in Iob. When the Lord had once gotten his people into fetters, he shewed them their Wickednesse, and makes their eares open to discipline. And in another place the Prophet shewed the ground & reason why the people repented not,Iere… … they understood not the groūd and reason of their sinne, For no man saith, What have I done? As a horse rusheth into the battaile and feareth nothing, so a wicked man continues in a sinfull course, never considering what he hath done; the drunkard doth not say, How have I abused Gods creatures? and the despiser of Gods ordinances doth not say, How have I rejected the Lord Jesus Christ? And therefore no wonder though he be not affected with that he doth.
Now for the better clearing of this doctrine, I will handle these three things: First, I will shew what this true sight of sinne is: Secondly, I will shew the reason why there must be a true sight of sinne, before the soule can be broken for it: thirdly, I will make use of the point.
First, it is not every sight of sinne will serve the turne, nor every apprehension of a mans vilenesse;What the true sight of sin is. but it must have these two properties in it, First, he must see sinne clearely; Secondly, convictingly. First, he that will see sinne clearly, must see it truly and fully, & be able to fadome the compasse of his corruptions and to dive into the depth of the wretchednesse of his vile heart,The property of i…. otherwise it will befall a mans sinne as it doth the wound of a mans body, when a man lookes into the wound overly, and doth not search it to the bottome, it begins to fester and rancle, and so in the end he is slaine by it; so it is with most sinners, we carry all away with this, We are sinners; and such ordinary confessions; but we never see the depth of the wound of sinne, and so are slaine by our sinnes: it is not a generall, slight, & confused sight of sinne that will serve the turne: it is not enough to say, It is my infirmity, and I cannot amend it: and we are all sinners, and so forth. No, this is the ground why we mistake our evils, and reforme not our waies, because we have a slight and an overly sight of sinne: a man must prove his wayes as the goldsmith doth his gold in the fire, a man must search narrowly, and have much light to see what the vilenesse of his owne heart is, and to see what his sinnes are, that doe procure the wrath of God against him, as the prophet David saith:Psal. 119.36. opened. I considered my waies, and turned my feet into thy testimonies: the phrase in the originall is thus much; I turned my sinnes upside downe; he looked all over his waies. And as Zachary saith:Zach. 11, 10. When the people shall looke unto him whom they have pierced, and consider the nature of their sinnes, then shall they mourne: Note, that this clear sight of sin may appeare in two particulars.
First, a man must see his sinne nakedly in its owne proper colours, we must not looke upon sinne through many mediums, through profits, pleasures, and the contentments of this world; for so we mistake sinne: but the soule of a true Christian that would see sinne clearely, he must strip it cleane of all content and quiet that ever the heart hath received from any corruption, and the heart must looke upon sinne in the danger of it; as the adulterer must not looke upon sinne in regard of the sweetnes of it, nor the drūkard upon his sinne in regard of the contentment that comes thereby, nor the covetous man in regard of the profit that comes by his sinne; you that are such, the time will come when you must die, and then consider what good these sinfull courses will doe you, how will you judge of sinne then, when it shall leave a blot upon thy soule, and a guilt upon thy conscience, what wilt thou then thinke of it? we must deale with sinne as with a serpent, we must not play with a serpent as children doe, because it hath a fine speckled skinne, but fly from it, because of the sting: so must we deale with sinne: a prophane gallant will prophane the Sabbaths, because otherwise he should be counted a puritane; Looke not at the speckled skin of sinne, but how thou canst answere for thy sinne before God, especially seeing the Lord saith, I will not hold that man guiltles that blasphemes my name, of what place or condition so ever he be: Looke now on the nature of thy sinnes nakedly.
Secondly, we must looke on the nature of sin in the venome of it, the deadly hurtfull nature that it hath for plagues and miseries it doth procure to our soules; and that you may doe partly if you compare it with other things▪ and partly if you looke at it in regard of your selves; First, compare sinne with those things that are most fearefull and horrible; As suppose any soule here present were to behold the damned in hell, and if the Lord should give thee a little peepe hole into hell, that thou didst see the horror of those damned soules, and thy heart begins to shake in the consideration thereof; then propound this to thy owne heart, what paines the damned in hel doe indure for sinne, and thy heart will shake and quake at it, the least sinne that ever thou didst commit, though thou makest a light matter of it, is a greater evill then the paines of the damned in hell setting aside their sinne, all the torments in hell are not so great an evill, as the least sinne is: men begin to shrink at this, & loath to go downe to hell, and to be in endlesse torments.
Now I will make it good by three reasons that sinne is a greater evill then those torments and plagues which the damned in hell do indure.What a horrible thing sinne is.
The first reason is this, That which deprives a man of the greatest good must needs be the greatest evill,1. Reason. nature saies so much, that which deprives a man of all that comfort and happinesse wherein the soule finds most content, that must needs be the greatest euill of all, but sinne onelyonly deprives a mā of the greatest good: for the good of the soule is, to have an heart united unto God and to have fellowship with him, to have him & salvation through him, to be one with the Lord: this is the chiefest good of the soule: All things here below are made for the good of the body, and the body is made for the good of the soule, and the soule is made for God; and these things here below are only so farre good to us, as they are meanes to make us enjoy a nearer communion with God; and contrarily, riches, and honours, and profits, and pleasures, are as so many curses to us, if by them our hearts be withdrawne from God: The reason why God is estranged from us, it is not because we are poore, or pursued, or imprisoned, or the like; but it is sin that breakes the union betweene God and us, as the prophet Esay saith, Your sinnes have separated betweene you and your God: Esay 59.….Now that which separates from God which is the chiefest good, it is our sinnes; it is not punishment, that takes away the mercy of God from us; but a proud rebellious heart, and the contempt of Gods ordinances; Therefore sinne is farre worse then all the plagues that the damned doe or can suffer.
Reason 2.Secondly, because there is nothing so contrary and opposite against the Lord as sinne & corruption, and this is the reason why God is the inflicter of all the punishments of the damned in hell: it is through the Iustice of God that they are damned, because God is of such a pure nature that sinne cannot be in him, nor practised by him.
Reason 3.Thirdly, because it is sinne that doth procure all plagues and punishments to the damned, and therefore being the cause why they suffer, it must needs be greater then all punishments: for all punishments are made miserable by reason of sin, therefore sinne is a greater evill then all the miseries of the damned. If a man were in prison and had the peace of a good Conscience, his prison would be a pallace unto him, and though a man were in shame and disgrace, and yet have the favour of God, there were no misery in him, so it is with sinne; if no man suffer but for sinne, then sin is a greater evill then all other punishments, as being the fountaine from whence they flow.
Now let us looke upon sinne through these things, and when our corrupt heart provokes us, and the world allure us, & the devill tempts us to take any contentment in a sinfull way; suppose we saw hell fire burning before us, and the pit of hell gaping to swallow us, and sinne inticing of us, and let us say thus to our soules. It is better for a man to be cast into the torments of hell amongst the damned, then to be ouercome with any sin, and so to rebell against the Lord. Now therefore if those plagues and punishments make the soule shake in the consideration of them; Oh then blesse thy selfe so much the more from sinne which is the cause all plagues whatsoever; Were a man in hell and wanted his sinnes, the Lord would love him in hell, and deliver him from all those plagues: But if any man were free from all punishments, and in honour, and wealth, if he were a sinfull and wretched creature, the Lord would hate him in the height of all his prosperitie, and throw him downe to hell for ever.
Secondly, we must see sinne simply as it is in it selfe, in regard of the proper worke of it; it is nothing else but a profest opposing of God himselfe; a sinfull creature joynes side with the devill and the world, and comes in battaile array against the Lord, and flies in the face of the God of hosts;Psal. 83.2. they are called haters of God, Psam. 83. That is when they see grace in another man, in such a man, and in such a woman, and hate them for it; little doe they thinke that they hate the God of heaven and his holy nature; and if it were possible, they would have no God in heaven, to take notice of their sins, & call thē to account for them, as the wise man Gamaliel said to the Pharesies and elders, refraine your selves from these men, and let them alone, for if this Counsell or worke be of men, it will come to nothing, but if it be of God, you cannot destroy it, lest you be found fighters against God; you make nothing of opposing the Gospell, and preaching thereof, I tell you that there is never a creature that lives in any such sinfull course, but he is a fighter against God, and he resists the Lord as really as one man doth another; And as Stephen saith, You stifnecked and uncircumcised in heart, you have resisted against the holy Ghost: You must not thinke that you resist men onelyonly, no (poore creatures) you resist the Spirit, and so aime at the Almighty in opposing of the meanes of grace; What a fearefull condition is this, I pray you in cold blood consider this, and say thus, Good Lord! What a sinfull wretch am I? that a poore damned wretch of the earth should stand in defiāce against the God of hosts, and that I should submit my selfe to the devill, and oppose the Lord of hostes.
And as you resist the Lord, so you doe also passe the sentence of condemnation upon your selves, and seale up that doome which one day shall be executed upon the wicked in hell at that great day of accompt; that looke what God shall do thē, the same thou dost now by sinning; this is the doome, or (as I may say) the necke verse of the wicked and the last blow; as now thou doest depart from God by sinning, so then thou shalt depart frō God for ever. A wicked man forsakes God, and pluckes his heart from under the wisdom of God that should inform him in the way of life; and the soule saith, God shall not blesse me, God shall not be God unto me; but I will live as I list, and I will run down post hast to hell, and when our hearts beginne to rise against God and his ordinances, and your soules beginne to goe against the Lord, I tell you what I would thinke with my selfe; suppose I heard the voice of the Archangell crying; Arise yee dead and come to Iudgement; and the last trumpet sounding, and the Lord Jesus comming in the heavens with his glorious Angells and did see the Goats standing … the left hand, and the Saints on the right hand, and with that I did heare the terrible sound, Depart ye cursed: would you be content to heare that sentence passe against your soules? Oh what lamentation and woe your poore soules would make in those dayes, and therefore consider it well, and say that I doe that in sinning which the Lord will doe in the day of Judgement; shall I depart from the Lord and withdraw my selfe from mercy, and say Christ shall not rule over me and save me? shall I doe that against my selfe which the Lord shall doe in that day? God forbid. There are two things hardly knowne; what God is, and what our sinnes are, or else we hardly apply the knowledge of them to our selves?
Objects. But some will object and say, if sinne be so vile in it selfe, then why doe not men see it.
Answ. To this I answer, the reason why men see not their sinnes,Why men see not the vilenes of sinne. though it be so vile, it is mainely upon these two grounds.
First, because we judge not of sinne according to the word and verdict of it, but either in regard of the profit that is therein, or the pleasure that we expect there from; The Usurer lookes on his profit, that comes by sinne, and the adulterer his pleasure; and Iudas saw the money, but he did not see the malice of his owne heart, nor the want of love to his Master, and this made him take up that course which he did, but when he threw away his thirtie pence, the Lord made him see the vilenesse of his sinne; it came cleerly to his sight, and therefore he cryed out: I have sinned in betraying innocent blood. As bribes blind the eyes of the wise and pervert judgment, so sin bribes the eyes of the soule, and therefore the Tradseman seeth much profit come by cozening & false measures, and so gives way to himselfe therein, but he sees not the sin; so the oppressor seeth the morgages, & pawnes that come in, but he cannot see his sin, till he be laid on his death bed, and then the Lord sheweth him all the wrong that he hath done.
Secondly, another reason why we see not the vilenesse of sinne, is, because we judge the nature of sinne according to Gods patience towards us, as thus, a man commits a sin & is not plagued for it, and therefore he thinkes God will not execute judgements upon him at all, all things continue a like, (saith the wicked man) as if he had said, you talke of the wrath of God that shall be revealed frō heaven against all ungodlines, & where is the promise of his comming? doe you not see that such a man is an oppressor, & a prophane persō? yet growes rich and thrives in the world; and because God spares a wicked man still for the present, therefore he thinkes all are but words, he shall be free from the punishment to come (as the Prophet saith in the name of the Lord) These things hast thou done and I kept silence, Psalm. 50.2.when thou wast upon thy Ale-bench, and there thou didst speake against holinesse and purity, and because I did beare yet, and say nothing, therfore thou speakest wickedly that I was even such a one as thy selfe; The wicked man takes Gods patience to be a kinde of allowance to him in his sinne, (as the wise man saith) because sentence against an evill worke is not speedily executed, Eccles. 8.11.therefore the hearts of the sonnes of men are wholy set in them to doe mischiefe, & as the Prophet saith, they call the proud happy,Mat. 3.45. ye that worke wickednesse are set to doe evill, & they that tempt God are delivered. As who should say, you say that the wrath of God is incensed against swearers, and drunkards, and the like; but we see them prosper, and because they doe prosper thus, their hearts are set to worke wickednes, but howsoever, it is true the Lord doth sometime beare with wicked men; the longer God staies, the greater account they shall make, and the heavier judgements they shall receive from God; See what Iob saith, thou sealest up my transgressions in a bagge, Iob. 14.17.and thou sowest up mine iniquities; Wicked men doe treasure up vengeance against the day of the Lord, the profane person treasures up wrath, and in the eighteenth verse he saith: The mountaines falling come to nothing: as if he had said, good Lord, who can beare all those sinnes, that I have committed? Are they all sealed up, and shall all the judgements due unto them fall upon me heavier then the mountaines? Good Lord, what rock or mountaine can beare the weight of my sinnes thus sealed up & setled, and laid close to my heart. And so God seales up an hundred thousand oathes in one bagge, and an ocean of pride and mischiefes done to Gods people and Church are barrelled up, in another: and the Lord shall one day lay all these upon thy necke; Who is able to beare all these sinnes?
Now it falles out with a sinner as it is with a banckrout debtor, one man throwes him into prison, and when he is there, every one comes against him, and so he shall never come out, but die and rotte in the prison, so though the Lord will not execute judgement on thee speedily, yet in the end the Lord will be paid for all thy sins; and when thou art in hell, then mercy, and justice, and patience will cry all to heaven for justice and vengeance; then happily a drunkard is cast into prison for his drunkennesse, and for his blasphemy, and then all his filthinesse comes in as so many bills of inditement against him: Oh therefore labour to see sinne alive: we play with sinne as if it were dead: when children see the picture of a dead lyon upon a wall, they labour to pull him in pieces, but if there were a live lyon in the place, it would make the strongest to runne. So thou paintest thy sinne, and sayest it is thy infirmity, & God forgive your swearing, & the like; and thus you dally with your sinnes: but brethren, labour to see sinne alive, and to see sinne roaring upon you, see the pawe of sinne and the condemnation that shall be throwne upon the soule by it, and this will awake the soule in the apprehension of it.
Secondly,How to see our sinnes convictingly. we must see sinne convictingly, that it may be so to us as it is in it selfe; that looke what sinne is in it selfe, we may so conceive of it in our soules being guilty of it, and this discovers it selfe in these two particulars.
First, when we have a particular apprehension in our owne person, that looke what we confesse to be in sinne in generall, we confesse the same in our owne soules; and that our sinnes are as bad as the sinnes of any: this is the cursed distemper of our hearts, howsoever we hold it to be truth in generall, yet when we come to our owne sinnes, the case is altered, and we never come to the right seeing of them as they concerne our owne particular. As the adulterer can easily confesse the danger and filthynesse of that sinne in others, but he thinkes not his sinne to be so vile; as the Wise man saith, He that enters into the house of an harlot, Pro. 2.19.doth he ever returne againe, doth he ever take hold of the path of life? The Lord is pleased to set such a heavy stamp on this sinfull distemperature. These are truths, and a man in his cold blood wil easily confesse it in the generall, that he never returnes againe. Take the words as they are in the letter of them, and howsoever they have some other interpretations, yet in the letter it is thus read, he is euer hardly recovered. Howsoever it may be, yet with much difficulty. David had let his soule loose in that, & he did hardly recover himselfe againe, scarce one of a thousand yet ever tooke hold of the way of life. And the drunkard will confesse the danger of his sinne in generall, when he sees his drunken mates lie grovelling in the dust, he will be ashamed of it, and say, Now no adulterer or drunkard shall ever come into the kingdome of heaven; but here is the wound of it, when he comes to his owne particular drunkennesse and uncleannesse, that he must looke into them, then the sight of a mans knowledge hath not so much power as to judge himselfe rightly; or to make a particular application to himselfe; but he thinkes his adultery and drunkennesse is not like to another mans, or else his knowledge is but weake, or else he seeth as a man in the twylight, when the sun is downe and the heavens begin to withdraw their light, though a man can see to read abroad, yet he cānot see to read in the house, or in the chamber; So it is with a weake knowledge and with a feeble understanding in a wicked man, he is notable to see the vile nature of sinne in himselfe, when he comes to read his owne closet sinnes, and his bosome abominations, then he hath not so much light as to perceive them so fully in himself as he thought to doe; therefore the rule is this; Arest thy soule in a speciall maner of those sinnes whereof thou standest guilty; that phrase in Iob is to good purpose,Iob 13.27. thou lookest narrowly to my pathes thou settest a print upon the heels of my feet, so God followed Iob to the hard heeles, and did narrowly observe his waies; so deale thou with thy owne soule, and set a print upon the heele of thy heart, arest thy heart in particular for thy sins, and I would have you perceive your owne particular sinnes and follow them to your hearts, and make huy and cry after your sinnes, and dragge your hearts before the Lord, and say, Is murther, pride, drunkennesse, and uncleannesse, such horrible sinnes, and doth God thus fearefully plague them? Lord, it was my heart that was proud and vaine, it was my tongue that did speake filthily & blasphemously, my hand hath wrought wickednesse, my eye was wanton, and my heart was uncleane and filthy, Lord here they are, it is my affections that are disorderly, and it is I that doe delight too much in the world; Thus bring thy heart before the Lord; you shall observe the same in David, so long, as Nathan spake of sinne in generall, he conceived of it truly, and confessed the vilenes of it, and the heart of this good King did rage against the man, saying, It is the Sonne of death: but as soone as the prophet had said, Thou art the man, though he never saw his sinne kindly before, yet now his heart yeelded, and he began to see himselfe and his sinne in the naturall colours of it. So the Apostle Iohn saith; Hee that hateth his brother is a man-slayer, and you know no man-slayer hath eternall life abiding in him.
Then play thou the part of Nathan, and say, I am the man; it is this wretched heart of mine that hath hated the Saints of God, and therefore if I be a murtherer, will not my sinne keepe me from the kingdome of heaven as well as another mans? Yes that it will, if pride and stubbornnes be such vile sins in others, then they are so in me, and as there must be a sight of our personall particular sinnes; so,
Secondly, the soule must be set downe with the audience of truth, and the conscience of a sinner should be so convicted as to yeeld and give way to that which is knowne, as not seeking any shift or way to oppose that truth which is revealed, his particular apprehension of sin is like the inditement of a sinner before God, and his conviction is that which brings the soule to such a passe, that the heart will not, nay it dares not, nay (which is more) it cannot escape from the truth revealed: As when a man is only arested and no more, he may escape, therefore it is not enough particularly to arest the soule, and bring it under command that it cannot shift from the truth revealed: When the Lord comes to make rackes in the hearts of such as he meanes to doe good unto, the text saith, he will reprove the world of sinne, that is, he will convince the world of wickednesse, he will set the soule in such a stand, that it shall have nothing to say for it selfe, he cannot shift it off; for there is in every mans heart naturally such corrupt carnall pleading, that it labors to defeat, and put by the worke of the word, that it may not come home to the heart. As a man in battaile array labours to put by the blow that it may not hit his body, so it is with a corrupt heart when the word comes home to the soule, as it doth sometimes into the heart of a drunkard, or an adulterer, or a murtherer, and the word of God seemes to stabbe the heart, they put by the word of God by carnall shifts, and so breake the power of it that it cannot have its full blow upon the soule, and so the word takes no place to any purpose in them.
Now this kind of knowledge takes away all shifts, that the soule hath nothing to say for it selfe, and pluckes away all defence, that the edge of the word cannot be blunted, but that it will fall flat on the heart, this is that I would put to your consideration punctually; When there is that wisedome and knowledge revealed to the soule so powerfully, that it prevailes with the heart, and it gives way thereto, so that all the replies and pleas of the soule be taken away, and the soule falls under the stroke of the word, not quarrelling, but yeelding it selfe, that the word may worke upon it, and withall there is a restlesse amasement put into the heart of the creature, and a kind of dazeling the eye, so that the soule is not content now before it see the worst of his sinne that is revealed, and then it lies under the power of that truth which is made knowne, these two make it plaine; The minister saith, God hates such and such a sinner; and the Lord hates me too, saith the soule, for I am guilty of that sin. Many times when a sinner comes into the congregation, and attends unto the ordinary meanes of salvation, if now the Lord be pleased to work mightily, at last the mind is enlightned, and the Minister meets with his corruptions, as though he were in his bosome, and he answereth all his cavills, and takes away all his objections; With that the soule begins to be amased to thinke that God should meet with him in this manner, and saith, If this be so, as it is for ought I know, and if all be true that the Minister saith, then the Lord be mercifull unto my soule, I am the most miserable sinner that ever was borne.
Give me leave to open a passage or two this way; Suppose there be an ignorant creature, that knoweth nothing, and he thinkes God will pardon him because he is so, & he need not consider of this or that which the minister calls upon him for: see what God saith to such,Esay 17.11. in Esay. It is a people of no understanding, therefore he that made him will not have mercy on them, and he that formed them will shew them no favour: You thinke to carry all away with ignorance, but the God of heaven will shew you no pitty, and he that made you will not save you; When a poore soule begins to consider of this, he that made us, wil save us, Will he not? no, he will not; Not one of you, not your wife, nor children, nor thy servant; this drives the soule into amazement, when the Lord works this truth in him, and he frequents the ordinances more diligently, and saies, if it be so, my case is fearefull; In conclusion he finds every minister saith so, and all writings confirme it, and he seeth it is so indeed; and it is the will and way of God: Then the soule is cast, and saith, I see this is just my estate and condition & therefore woe to me that ever I was borne. This is right conviction, and though his carnall neighbours come to him, and beginne to cheere him up, and say, The Lord is more merciful then men are, ministers must say something, &c. If the heart be truly convicted, it returnes this answere, and saith; I have thought as you doe, but now I see there is no such matter, these are but figtree-leaves, and will not cover my nakednesse; It is true, Christ came to save sinners, and he came to humble sinners too, he came to bind up the heart, and he came to break the heart too. This is a great part of the spirit of bondage spoken of Rom. 8.15. Wee have not received the spirit of bondage to feare againe. When God hath revealed a mans bondage to him: So that sees he himselfe boūd hād & foot, for (marke it) so long as a man keepes in these carnall shifts, he is not in bondage; But when he is once in bondage and fetterd; he saith, If ever any had a proud heart, I am he, If ever any were prophane, I am he; And if ever God hated such wretches, he hateth me. Now there is no escape, there is no plea at all, he will not go away & say, there is no such matter, Ministers many say what they will. No, no, the soule that is truely conuicted of sinne yeelds it selfe,Iob. 7.20. and saith I have sinned; Oh what shall I do unto thee thou preserver of men? saith Iob, as if hee had said, Lord, I have no plea at all to make, nor no argument to alledge, for myselfe, I onelyonly yeeld up the bucklers, I cannot say so bad of my selfe as I am, I have sinned Lord, what shall I doe unto thee Oh thou preserver of men? thus it is with a heart truely convicted and throughly informed of the vilenesse of sinne, he doth not withdraw him…elfe and play least in sight, but he saith, this is my condition just; the Lord met with my heart this day; God resists the proud & prophane in heart, and he resists me too; I have heard much, and would not be informed, therefore it is just with God to harden my heart for ever; the Lord hath come oftē with many loving perswasions to allure me, & draw me to him: If the devill had had the meanes that I have had, he would have been moved and more bettered by thē then I have beene, and have done more then I have done, I have hated and despised all, and to this day I have not beene brought upon my knees; shall not Christ rule over me, and yet save me? No it cannot be, except I can bring my necke under the yoke of the Lord Jesus Christ, it is not possible I should be …aved by him, I excuse not my selfe Lord; nay, I confesse I know more then all the men in the world can speake by me, and I yeed to all this and more; what shall I say, I have sinned? O thou preserver of men.
The reason why,Reason. and how it comes to passe, that God deales thus with poore sinners, is taken from the office which the Lord hath placed between the heart & the man, the ground lies thus.
There are two things in the soule;Why God convinceth men of their sinnes. First, you conceive and understand a thing. Secondly, you will, and choose it.
The first is the inlet of the heart, so that nothing can affect the heart, but so farre as reason conceiveth it, and ushers it home to the soule; thereupon the heart, as the King hath his Councellors which call all matters before them, and consult about businesse, & then they bring them before the King, to have a finall sentence from him, to know what he will have and what he will not have; So the understanding is like the Counsellors, and the will is the Queene; the understanding saith, this or that is good, then the will saith, let me have it; the understanding saith, these and these duties are required, and the will imbraceth them; the understanding conceives what sinne is, and the will saith, these and these evills have I done, and they will cost me my life if I repent not: As it was with Iob, when his Oxen and Cattell were taken, it never troubled him, because he never knew it, but when he heard of it by the messengers, he said, Naked came I out of my mothers wombe.
There must be a messenger before he can be grieved for the evill; So it is with the soule of a sinfull creature, the Devill hath made a prey and a spoile of him; thou camest into the world in Adam, wise, holy, and gratious; but he hath made thee unholy and ignorant, and thou considerest not this till God by his Ministers opens thy eyes, and makes thee see plainely, that the Image of sinne and Satan is upon thee, and that God is now become thy enemie, and that now thou goest on in the way to destruction, and art become the heire apparant of hell; And when these evill-tydings come to the understanding, that leaves them upon the heart and will of a man, and so lets it worke effectually upon it as God doth blesse the same; as Paul saith, I know that through ignorance they did it,Acts. 3.17. if they had knowne the Lord of life they would never have crucified him.
This is the cause why we commit sin, because we see it not, and therefore we sorrow not for it; As it is with some hot Clymates in the world, though there be never so much heat in the sun, yet if there bee no entrance for the heat into the house, it will not scorch nor heat any, so the understanding is like the doore or entrance into the house, and sin is of a fiery & scorching nature, if there be no passage, and if the minde know not, and if the will affect not sin, it will never scorch his conscience; though a man carry sin enough in his bosome to sinke his soule for ever, yet wee suffer it not to worke upon us, and wee attend not to it, because the brazen wall keepes it off: (as the proverb is) that the eye never sees, the heart never rues. Because we see not our evills, and discern not our sinnes so clearly as we should, therefore it is impossible we should be touched for them as we ought to be.
The first use is for instruction;Vse 1. from the former truth delivered we may learne that an ignorant heart is a naughty heart, and a miserable wretched heart, whether it be out of ignorance that cannot, or out of wilfulnesse that men will not apprehend their conditions, both are marvelous sinfull and miserable; I desire to deale plainly in this point, because I know there are many that doe flatter themselves in their conditions, and thinke all is well with them; I will say nothing of the cause, but I appeale to the hearts of all that heare me this day, & your selves shall be judges in these particulars; Imagine you did see a poore sinner come before you, and lay open his condition and bewaile it with bitternesse, saying, that for his owne part he never did find his heart touched for his sinnes, nor sorrow for his corruptions did ever enter into his soule, but he hath lived senselesse and carelesse; & for this wounding of spirit he counted it a wonder; for this humblenes of heart it was ever a ridle unto him: let any one passe sentence upon this man now and tell me seriously what do you thinke of such a person: I heare (me thinkes) every man reason thus, (and every mans heart shakes at it) & saith, Good Lord, what a senselesse poore ignorant creature is this? If no humbling for sinne, no pardoning for sinne, and no share in Christ, no salvation? What, is this a good heart that is not in the way to receive any good? If a man be never broken for sinne, God will never bind him up, and if never humbled, and burthened for his sinne, God will never ease him of it.
Therefore woe to that soule that is thus miserable and accursed. I beseech you passe this sentence against your selves, Oh brethren, the hearts of men are past this brokennesse of spirit, nay, they are enemies to it, they never had their judgments cleared and convicted of their sinnes, and therefore their hearts were neuer broken, and this brokennesse is so farre from their heart as it never came into the head; we thinke not of the foule nature of sinne: Doest thou thinke this to be a good heart that was never humbled & prepared for Christ? alas, it is so farre from being truly wrought upon, that it was never in any way to pertake of mercy from God; therefore thy condition is marvellous miserable; thy misery is as great as thy sinne, if not greater, because when a sinfull creature is wounded and gauled for his sinne, there is some hope he may be cured and helped, but an ignorant soule is not capable of it, he is in hell and seeth it not; he is under the power of Satan and thinkes himselfe at liberty, nay for the present, he is uncapable of any good from the meanes appointed to that end.
It is with an ignorant soule as it befell the drunkard that was asleepe on the toppe of the mast who feares no harme, because he sees it not. So it is with a sinfull heart, he is resolved to goe on still in his sinne, because he seeth not the danger; take a man that hath his heart stabbed with a stilletto and the wound is so narrow that it cannot be searched, there is no meanes to come to it; Just so it is with a blind ignorant heart, there is much meanes whereby good might be done to it, but an ignorant heart barres all out, so that nothing can doe good to the soule. All counsels, admonitions, reproofes cannot prevaile, all mercies allure not, because they find no sweetnesse in them; a Minister is as able to teach the stoole whereon he sits as to doe them good. Me thinks it is with a world of men that live in the bosome of the Church, as it is with such as have suffered shipwracke, they are cast upon the waves, and their friends are standing upon the shoare, and see them, and mourne for them, there they see one sinking, and another floating upon the waves even labouring for his life; and they sigh and mourne, but cannot helpe him; Just so it is with ignorant people that are swallowed up with the floods of iniquitie, here is one man going, and there another in the broad way to destruction, & we pitty them, and pray for them, that God would open their eyes, and give them the sight of their sinnes: but alas, they are not able to conceive of any thing. We cannot come at them, & thus they sinke in their sinnes.
Our Saviour looking over Jerusalem said,Luke 29.42. Oh that thou hadst knowne at least in this thy day the things that belong unto thy peace, but now they are hidden from thine eyes. As if he had said, oh now they are sinking, they will not be reformed nor reclaimed, now they are going the way of all flesh, and to hell too, the way of peace is hidden from their eyes, they refuse the meanes that may doe them good; I might here condemne the Papists that say ignorance is the mother of devotion, whereas it is the breeder of all wickednesse, and the broad way to hell and everlasting destruction.
The use is this; as you desire the comfort of your soules,V…e and to be prepared for mercy and to pertake of that rich grace that is in Christ; as you desire to have the rich promises of the Gospell put over to you, as ever you would have the Lord Jesus Christ a guest to your soules, you are to be entreated to give your soules no content til you have your eyes so opēed to see your sins that you may be convicted of them.
Questi…Now it may be some will say, it is good that you say, but what meanes must we use to come to this sight of sinne? Answ. I answere to such poore soules, give me leave to doe three things: First I will shew some meanes how we may come to see sinne convictingly;Meanes how to see sinne convictingly.
Secondly, I will take away all the lets that may hinder a man from it;
Thirdly, I will use some motives to stirre us up to use the meanes, and set upon the service, though it be somewhat harsh and tedious to our Corruptions. The meanes are three.
First, we must goe to God for knowledge; the Lord knowes our hearts, therefore we must goe to him, that he would make us able to know them too; the Church of Laodicea thought none like her selfe, as it is the fashion of many in this age so to doe; and therefore the Lord said, thou thoughtst thy selfe rich and full, and that thou didst want nothing; It is an argument of a proud sinfull heart that he is alwaies wel conceited of himselfe and of his owne wit, grace, and sufficiency, but marke what the Lord saith to this Church, I counsell thee, to buy of me eye-salve: She thought all her compters to be good gold, & all her appearances to be good Religion, but the Lord bids her buy of him eye-salve; As if he had said, you see not your sinnes, and therefore goe to God, and beseech him that dwels in endles light, to let in some light into your soules.
When the poore blind man Bartimeus sate begging by the way,Marke 10.15. saying, O thou son of David have mercy upon me, and pressed earnestly on our Saviour, in so much that when his disciples rebuked him, he cryed so much the more, O thou sonne of David have mercy on me, and when Christ said, what wouldst thou have me to do for thee, he answered, Lord, that I may receive my sight. If he did so earnestly seeke for his bodily eyes, much more should we for the eyes of our soules, that we may see our sinnes; A blind mind brings a wicked heart with it, and laies a man open to all sinnes; and therefore we ought to be more pinched for the want of this sight, Object. then of our bodily eyes: and if the question be asked, what wouldst thou have honour, riches, or the like? Answ. Answere, O Lord the sight of my sinnes; I know sin is a vile loathsome thing, O that I could see sinne convictingly and clearely.
MeanesSecondly, labour to acquaint your selves throughly with God and with his law, and to see the compasse and breadth of it; the words of the commandements are few, but there are many sins forbidden in them, and many duties required; therefore labour to see thy sinnes convicted, and thy many duties neglected. The Apostle Paul thought himselfe once alive without the Law, and who but he in the world? he was able to carry all before him, he thought his peny good silver, but when the Law came (saith the text) then sinne revived;Rom. 7. when God had opened my eyes to see my sinne and the corruptions of my heart, then I saw my selfe a dead man, yet Paul was a Pharisie, and brought up at the feet of Gamaliel, and one that did keepe the Law of God in a strict maner. Whence we learn, that a man may be an ignorāt man, be his parts never so great for humane learning;Rom. 7.7. and the …ame Apostle saith, I had not knowne lust, except the law of God had said, thou shalt not lust, by which is meant the tenth commandement, which forbids the secret distemper of the heart, though there is no delight and consent to it; who but Paul? and yet he knew it not, and therefore no wonder though many otherwise well learned are ignorant in Gods Law, therefore looke your selves in this glasse of the word; all you that say how ever you are not able to talke so freely as others, yet you have as good a heart to God as the best, I tell you if you could but see the filthinesse of your hearts, you would be out of love with your selves for ever.
An ignorant heart cannot but be a naughty heart.
Thirdly,Meane. 3. binde your hearts to the peace and good behaviour, and be willingly content to take every truth that is revealed, without quarrelling; and I would have a man to bind his heart, hand, and foote, that they may not dare to have any brabling against the revealed will of God; that so what ever truth is delivered, though never so crosse and contrary to our corrupt nature, the soule may be willing to be under the blow of it, and let the strength of the word come full upon the heart; And this will make us feelingly to understand our conditions: as in Iob, when God had taken downe his proud heart, see how he submits himselfe,Iob. 40.3. Behold, I am vile, what shall I say? I will lay my hand upō my mouth, I have sinned; but I will go n… further; as thogh he had reasoned thus with himselfe, I have (I confesse) pleaded too much for my selfe, I have made more shift for my selfe thē was needfull, I have gainsaid thy word, but now no more. Now if any man seeme to quarrell & take up armes against the truth of God, let that man know he was never truly hūbled for his sins: It is a sinfull rebellious spirit that carries it selfe thus against God & his word; the shifts whereby the soule labours to beate backe the power of the word may be reduced to these three heads.
First, the soule hath a slight apprehension of sin,1. Shift. How the …oule labou…s to beat backe the power of the word. and thinketh that it is not so hainous, and so dangerous, as those hot spirited ministers beare men in hand; this is usually the common conceit of all men naturally, and even of us all, more or lesse, to make a slight account of sinne, and that for these foure respects.
First, in respect of the commonnesse of it; because that every man is guilty of it,Why men make slight account of sinne. we slight it; what saith one; Good now, what then, are not all sinners, as well as we? though we have many faylings, yet we have many fellowes.
If we were drunkards, or whoremongers, then it were somewhat? Thou sayest true indeed, thou hast many fellowes in thy sinnes, and thou shalt have share with many fellowes in the punishment to come; there is roome enough in hell for thee and all thy fellowes, hell hath opened her mouth wide; nay the more companions thou hast had in thy sinnes, the more shall be thy plagues.
Quest. O (saith one) all the world lies in sinne, and we doe no more then the world doth.
Answ. But if the world lies in sin, Christ never prayed for the world, and he will never save the world? What a senselesse thing is this to be such a … as God hates? Is this all thy pleasure that thou art a hater of God? What ods is it for a man to be stabbed with a penknife or with a speare; or for a man to be murdered in the streets or in his bed? so, though thy sinnes be not hydious blasphemies and the like, yet if they be petty oathes, they are enough to sinke thy soule; It is not your great swearer, but no swearer shall come into the Kingdome of heaven. the text saith not, no great liers shall enter into heaven, but no liers shall enter into heaven; What differēce is there between a man that goes to hell for open rebellion; and a man that goes to hell for civill profession; and what difference is there betweene an open adulterer and a secret adulterer?
Quest. But some will say are not all sinfull by nature, and are not some saved, and why not I as well as others?
Answ. For answer, I say, no man is saved by nature, but if any be saved, the Lord opens his eyes, and breakes his heart, and so it must be with thee too, if ever thou thinkest to receive any mercy from God.
Secondly, there is also a naturalnesse in a sinfull course, and they say, it is my nature and infirmity, and I am of a cholericke disposition, I shall sometimes sweare, when I am angry; and I cannot but be drunke sometimes, when I light into good company. Quest. What, would you have of us Saints on earth? Answ. I, either Saints or Devills, never sanctified, never saved; never p…rged, never glorified,Iohn. 3.3. as the Apostle Saint Iohn saith, He that hath this hope purgeth himselfe, as he is pure, he striveth with his whole endeauour to be pure, and alwayes he hath a respect to all Gods commandemēts; And as the author to the Hebrewes saith, pursue faith and holinesse, Heb. 12.14.without which no man can be saved.
If thou dost say, if it were an honour to pray in my family, & if Gentlemen and Knights did it, I would doe it. I tell thee if holines doth seeme to fly away by disgrace & persecution, thē you must pursue it; Nay, dost thou say it is thy nature to sinne? Then I say the greater is thy wickednesse, if it be thy nature so to doe: We hate not a man because he drinkes poyson, but we hate a …oad because it is of a poysonus nature, therfore rather mourne the more for thy sinnes, because it is thy cursed nature so to doe, And say, Lord, did only temptations, or the world, allure me to this, there were some hope that thou wouldest have mercy upon me, but O Lord I have a cursed nature, and though there were no Devills, nor world, no temptations outwardly, yet this cursed nature of mine would sinne against thee.
They that have received Christ, have a new nature: and therefore if I have a carnall corrupt nature, then my condition is most fearefull; And say, did temptations & the world allure me, then there were some hope of mercy, but it is my nature to sinne, and therefore my estate and condition is most miserable & wretched; Oh wretched man that I am, Rom. 7.who shall deliver me from this body of death?
Thirdly, many say, words are but winde, and all this winde shakes no corne, And so when we presse men to the inward worke of the soule, not onelyonly to keepe men from the halter, but to tell them, they must pull downe their proud hearts, and be humbled for their sinnes, and the like, then they reply, thoughts flie away suddenly, and thoughts are free. To which I answer, these words are such winde as will blow downe thy soule into the bottomlesse pit of hell. It is not I that say so, but our Saviour himselfe, By thy words thou shalt be justisfied; Mat. 12.37.and by thy words thou shalt be condemned: though you make nothing of your swearing, and idle thoughts, and revilings of Gods people; yet the God of heaven will require them at your hands, and you shall either receive acquittance from Christ of them, or else vengeance for ever for them:Iud. 15. For the Lord commeth with thousands of his Saints in flaming fire to punish not onelyonly murtherers and adulterers and the like, but all ungodly ones; the Lord will call thee to an accompt for all thy abominations, nay, for all thy speeches against the people of God, upon thy ale-bench when thou diddest tosse thē too and fro,Psal. 50. and the Lord will set thy sinnes in order before thee; nay, he will call thee to an accompt for them, for all thy thoughts, though they are sudden and quickely passed over, as the Prophet Ieremiah saith, O Ierusalem, wash thy heart from wickednesse, Ierem. 4.15.how long shall thy vaine thoughts remaine in thee? Whatsoever men thinke of thoughts, yet they are the very life and sinewes of sinne, and they are brought forth by meditation of a mans corruptions in this kinde.
How sinfull thoughts are produced.A man may sinne more in thought then in any other kinde whatsoever; both in regard of the vilenesse of sin, and his unavoydablenesse thereof. A theefe cannot robbe all the towne, but a covetous man may wish all in the towne were hanged, that he might have their goods; and so an adulterer cannot commit sinne with every woman in the towne, but he may lust after both the godly and prophane, and he may commit adultery both with the chast and unchast too in his thoughts; A man may sinne infinitly in this kinde, and never have done: for no company nor place can hinder an adulterer from sinning and lusting, nor the malicious man from envying in his heart, nor the covetous man from desiring the goods of other men. Though thou darest not cut the throat of a minister, yet thou canst malice all the ministers in the countrey.
Fourthly, the soule hath a strange inward resolution of …leaving to sinne, whatsoever can be said or done to the contrary. And this inward resolution of the soule hath a delight in corruptions, though he die, and be damned for the same; this plucketh the heart from the word, and layeth so many mists upon the understanding, that it cannot see the truth; when the soule hath nothing to say for it selfe, it falls to open and profest reviling of Jesus Christ, and defying of him; and hence it is, that after many good arguments the soule stands as it were at a set; and saith, I will not beleeve it, though there were five thousand Ministers to perswade me to it; and why doth he so? hath he any argument to alledge? No, not a word, but he that is proud will be proud, and he that is a swearer will sweare, and will not make conscience of any thing; this comes from a proud and a sturdy heart. When Ieremiah would have convinced the people of their sinnes and of the punishments threatned to them, they said,Ier. 4… … Thou speakest falsly, there is no such matter: So it is with many a carnall heart now a dayes; if the minister of God will not please their phantasies, then all the businesse is, they knew all this before: when as indeed they knew nothing at all.Deut. 28.28.29 Therefore saith God, Take heed there be not in any of you a root of bitternesse; if the soule heareth the law and blesseth himselfe in his wickednesse, and saith, I shall have peace though I walke after the imaginations of my owne heart; the Lord will not spare that man: but the Ielousie of the Lord shall smoake against him; this roote of bitternesse is nothing else but sin, and a resolution to continue in it; For the Lord Jesus sake consider this; there are too many of these in the Congregation; wilt thou not beleeve Gods word, I tell thee thou deniest almost that there is a God, and thou renouncest the Lord Jesus Christ and salvation by him; thou saiest in effect, there is no God, and that there is not any meanes of grace revealed; What devillish blasphemy is this? Let me speake to the terror of all such hearts, hell never entertained any such thoughts, the devils in hel for ought I know, have not any such profest resolutions, the devils beleeve and tremble; the devills beleeve that the Scriptures are the word of God, and they know there is infinit mercy in God; but they shall never tast of it, and they know, all the plagues threatned shall come upon them, and they snake and tremble at the remembrance of it. What, do the devills consent to the word of God, & conceive of it, and know that it is the truth of God and shall be made good upon them? Then good Lord of what a strange temper art thou, that wilt not beleeve it, & that wilt not consent that it is true? the devill is not worse then thou art in this case; I must confesse that the consideration of these passages sometime makes the soule of a poore minister shake within him, and were it in my power as it is not, the first worke that I would doe, should be to humble and breake the hearts of all such vile wretches, but all that I can or will doe, is this, that which the holy man Moses spake and he spake it with a marvellous caution; you that never came to the height of this horrible contempt, take heed that there be not any man among you, that saith, It shall goe well with me whatsoever the minister saith. It is as much as your soules are worth, and to such as are guilty of this sinne I wil give the same counsell that Peter gave to Simon Magus, who had a base esteeme of the gifts of the Spirit, Acts. ….22.O (saith Peter) pray, that if it be possible, the thoughts of thy heart may be forgiven thee. It is a fearefull thing, it is a marvellous opposing of grace; And for you, whose eyes God hath opened, goe home & consider of the miserable estate of all such as lie in this sinne; goe to prayer, and send up requests in the behalfe of all such poore creatures; and say, Is it so Lord, that there are many such who have the name of Christians, that will not be reformed nor humbled? good Lord! that many, that have the name of Christians, will not come in; thy word will not prevaile nor take place in their hearts? Good Lord breake their hearts in pieces, breake in upon them, and let thy word overcome them in mercy and compassion; and bring them to the true knowledge of sinne here, and happinesse hereafter. And thus much of the first Cavill.
Secondly,2. Shift. the soule saith, I confesse I see more now then ever I conceived of before; I did not conceive that sinne was so haynous and so dangerous as it is: Now I see it is marvellous great and dangerous; yet this is my hope, that whatsoever falls, it will not light upon me; and therefore what need I care, I hope to prevent it, and then all will be well. When the word comes faire & full upon the conscience of a man and would pierce his heart, and meets him in every place as the angell did Balaam, he will have some fetch or other to put by the word, and he saies; I hope for all this,How the soule puts by the threatnings of the word. the danger shall not fall upon me. Now the way that the soule useth to put by the word, and to prevent the danger threatned, appeares in these three particulars.
The first is this, how ever sinne is never so vile in it selfe, and he is guilty thereof; yet he thinks the God of heauen doth not attend to his sinnes, or else he is not so just or righteous that he will punish him for them. Indeed, if he were some notorious wretch, as a murtherer, or an adulterer or a theef, or such like, then he had cause to feare, but God will not bring him to an account for every smal sin, That this is the sleight of the soule, I will shew you; and then shew you how to avoid it.
It is ordinary with every carnall heart more or lesse,Iob. 22 13. to reason as Eliphaz with Iob; How doth God know? can he judge through the darke? thicke cloudes are a covering to him that he seeth not, he walketh in the circuits of heaven. It is the guise of wicked men to say so; Nay, it is that which the hearts of Gods people are driven to a stand withall, when they consider the passages of wicked men, now God seeth them and doth not punish them, they say, How doth God know? and, Is there knowledge in the Almighty? When the Prophet saw the way of the wicked to prosper, their eyes to start out with fatnesse, he saith, Doth God see this, and not punish it? as if he had said, Did God care for all that is done here below, could he brooke such strange oppositions of his word and his gospell and his members? I doubt not, but that there is many an adulterous heart, that thinkes a darke night shall cover all his abominations; and the malicious man that contrives evill against Gods children he thinkes that God considers not his course; or else that God will not trouble himself to execute Judgement upon him for all his sinnes. As the Prophet saith, The Lord will not doe Good nor Evill; he is marvelous quiet, he will not trouble himselfe neither for the good that doth befall, nor for the evill that is deserved by us; Nay, this is the bane of our ministery, when people heare of many Judgements denounced against sinne and sinners. (I tell you what they thinke of all this) they thinke they are words of course. If the adulterer or drunkard did consider that no such person should inherit the kingdome of heaven, durst they goe on? surely no. But they thinke they are but the words of some hot spirited minister, to awe, and scare men and keepe them in compasse, and they will not be perswaded, but God is more mercifull then so, that he should punish for every small sinne, they thinke this is more then reasonable; Let him make speede (saith the wicked) that we may see it, Esay. 5.19.and let the Counsell of the most High draw nigh, that we may know it. As if they had said, You ministers tell us much of Gods wrath against Ierusalem, Zeph. 1.12.let us see those enemies, and let the word of the Lord come to passe now, all these words are but winde, &c. These are the carnall cavills of gracelesse persons. To which I answer; It is desperate ignorance and marvelous Atheisme of heart, whereby the devill labours to keepe men in sin; the Lord knowes thy thoughts long before, if thou wouldest hide thy selfe from the Lord in the darke, the day and the night are all one with him; nay, the Lord will search Ierusalem with candles, the word in the originall signifies to tracke her, Nay, he will not leave searching till he finde thee out;Prov. 5.21. for the wayes of man are before the Lord, and he ponders all his doings, 1. Iohn 3.20.and if our hearts condemne us, God knoweth all things, and is greater then our hearts. Doth thy Conscience checke thee for vaine thoughts, and cursed devices? then God knoweth much more by thee then thou knowest by thy selfe. God did see Achan stealing the wedge of Gold, and David in his adultery; and he seeth all the malice of thy heart against his Saints; and all thy uprising of heart against Gods word; Nay, the Lord seeth all the prankes of the adulterer in the darkest night; and God is just to bring all things to judgement; and thee also to an accompt for them; In vaine it is for wicked men to digge deepe, to hide their counsell from the Lord: These things hast thou done (said God) and I kept silence,Psalm. … and therefore thoughtest I was altogether such a one as thy selfe, but I will reprove thee, and set all thy sinnes in order before thee.
You must not thinke God is so gentle, No, he will set all your sinnes in order before you, if not here for your humiliation, yet hereafter for your everlasting confusion; the drunkard shall then see all his pot companions, and the adulterer his mates, and the unjust person all his trickes, nay, God wil not bate thee one thought of thy heart;Rom. 2.14. Iude. …. be where you will, God will finde you out with his judgements, and say, Lo, here is thy pride, & here is thy murther, & here are all thy abominations, this is the wretch that could carry fire in the one hand and water in the other; these are thy sinnes, and this shall be thy punishment.
Secondly, if God be so mighty (say they) that he knowes all, Object. and will call us to an accompt for all; then it is but sorrowing so much the more; and that we will doe afterwards, and this will make all well enough; it is but repenting. Answ. To this I answer, Doe you make a but at it; be not deceived God is not, nay, cannot be mocked, and therefore delude not your owne soules, every repentance will not serve the turne; thou mayest have remorse of heart, and repent, and cry to God for thy sinnes, and this tormenting of thy heart will be but a forerunner of thy everlasting damnation hereafter: the Lord may deale with thee as Moses said of the people of Israel, Deut. 1.14.You returned and wept before the Lord, but he would not hearken to your voice. So the time may come that all weeping and wailing will not serve the turne. You see Iudas wept and brought backe the thirty pieces of silver, Mat. 27.3.he had marvelous horrour of Conscience, he tooke shame to himselfe, and made restitution; and yet a damned creature for ever.
Thou that thinkest it such an …as…e matter, aske thy owne heart this question: Canst thou bee content to lay open all thy cursed sinfull courses, and all the wrong that thou hast done; Consider what a hard matter it is to bring thy heart to it; to confesse all thy close adulteries; and when thou hast done all this, thou mayest be as farre from salvation as Iudas was, who went and hanged himselfe; therefore it is not every sorrow will serve the turne, and bring comfort to thy soule; but it must be repentance of the right stampe; And againe, dost thou thinke thou hast repentance at command, this is that which cuts the throat of mens soules, and deprives them of all the benefit of the meanes of grace; thou art not sure though thou shalt live, thou hast power of thy selfe to repent savingly; and shall any man be so senselesse, as to hang his happinesse on that which cannot help him? If thou didst consider thy owne weakenesse, thou wouldest not say that repentance is in thine owne power. Remember what the Apostle saith,2 Tim. 2.25.26. Proving if peradventure at any time God would give repentance, that they may acknowledge the truth, and come to amendment of life out of the snares of the Devill. It is onelyonly but peradventure, it is a rare worke, and few have it.