A View of Mans Estate, Tract 1 · Chapter 7 – Chapter 8
The ſeuenth Chapter.
¶That the ſinne wherewith God may charge eueryevery one of vsus can neyther be bidden by vsus, nor excuſed by blaming any other.
NOwe by this we maye conſider our fall, that we are loſte without ſome ſpecial remedie, and that we hauehave no part in Paradiſe, we are in darkeneſſe wythout light, ſick for ſinne, panting for breth, and bléeding to death. But yet before we deſpaire, let vsus looke about vsus, & ſee whither we can eſpie any hooke to hang oure hope on, let vsus conferre and take counſel with our father Adam what is to be done: if there appeare any ſtaffe to ſtay on lette vsus there catch holde, if we hauehave any thing to ſay for our ſelues, it is good to ſpeak in time. What then ſhall we ſay? how ſhall we begin with God? let him that thinketh himſelf beſt ſpeak firſt: wil he ſay thus: I am righteous, I walke vprightly, I hauehave recouered my ſelfe with good workes: eyther I am not faln, either I hauehave deſerued to be reſtored againe? Such indeede was the ſaying of the Phariſie iuſtifying himſelfe,Luke. 18. ſo he layde out before God his fardle of faſtings, his ruſtie packe of almes and tithes: but howe ſped he? the nearer the Churche he made himſelfe to be, the further he was from GOD, he departed home righteous in his owne eyes, but ſo muche the more vnryghteous before GOD. O playe not the Phariſies, forget not your ſelues whoſe children you are, what elſe but the childe of perdition, O earth, earth, that thou ſhouldſt make ſo much of thy ſelfe. Nay this is not the way to recouer the loſt Paradiſe: this was that fooles Paradiſe whereinto the Galathians were brought, and wherefore S. Paule rebuketh them: O ye fooliſhe Galathians, who hath bewitched you?Gala. 3. are ye fooliſh (ſaith he) to ſéeke your perfection in your fleſhe? Take héede then. S. Paule counteth thee but for a foole, if thou go that way to worke, as to ſaye myne owne deſerts ſhall rayſe me vp from my fall: no it will be but a vaine bragge in thée, and the encreaſe of thy ſinne, to ſay, I hauehave no ſinne,1. Iohn. 1. that were but to proue thy ſelfe a lier: for if we ſaye we hauehave no ſinne, we deceiue our ſelues, and the truth is not in vsus, nay, in ſo ſaying we make God a lyer, ſo farre as lyeth in vsus: this therefore is but a ſtolne feather, belonging to a better bird, it is the armes of our heauenly king Chriſt, it is his enſigne wherewith he triumpheth ouer his enimies to ſaye this: who of you is able to reproue me of anye ſinne? let vsus not robbe Chriſte of his honor, let vsus not make Gods of our ſelues: for who is good but God? To ſay that we are guiltleſſe before the iudgement ſeat of God, in that we ſhall hauehave a thouſande witneſſes againſt vsus, euen our own conſcience crying and conuincing vsus: it were a better waye to confeſſe our ſelues ſinners, for that waye there may be ſome hope: for if we acknowledge our ſinnes, God is mercifull to forgiue vsus,1. Iohn. 1. and to clenſe vsus from al vnrighteouſneſſe: This waye did the holyeſt of all take: for what ſayth Dauid that choſen of God,Pſal. 51. he cryeth: againſte thee, againſte thee onelyonly hauehave I ſinned, and my ſinne is euer before me: this was the confeſſion of the father, and his wiſe ſonne Salomon whom God had endued with ſuch giftes, what hath he to ſay but guiltie?1. King. 9. wherfore he maketh his prayer, and as it were aforehande beſpeaketh the mercy of God for him and his people, for he foreſawe (as he ſayth) that there is no man which ſinneth not: and he maketh this queſtion:Prouer. 10. who can ſaye I hauehave made myne heart cleane, I am cleane from ſinne? And Iob a iuſt man (as the markette of mans iuſtice goeth) he ſaythe vntounto God holding vp his hand: I hauehave ſinned, what ſhal I doe vntounto thée?Iob. 7. And Paule the elect veſſell, doth not he alſo ſay guiltie, when he proteſteth thus of himſelfe: I knowe that in me,Rom. 7. that is, in my fleſh there dwelleth no good thing: nay he felt the burthen of ſinne ſo heauie on his back, that it cauſeth him to crie with a great grone and déepe ſigh: Oh wretche that I am who ſhall deliuer me from this body of death. And that holy Apoſtle Peter what ſayde he but guiltie, when he ſayd vntounto our Sauiour, departe from me (O Lorde) I am a ſinfull man. Let vsus therefore followe the wiſe counſel of the wiſe ſonne of Syrach. My ſonne (ſayth he) iuſtifie not thy ſelfe before the Lorde,Cap. 7. for he knoweth thyne heart: This accompt therefore muſt we make of our ſelues: we are bare Adams, and naked Eues, we hauehave nothing to hide our ſinnes, but the more we ſéeke to cloake them, the more they doe appeare, our own works they be but figge leaues, they will not hide our nakedneſſe, we ſhall be aſhamed of them, and will be faine to hide our heads from the preſence of the Lorde, when the coole of the day cō meth, that he wil call vsus to accompt. But why do I compare them to figge leaues? the Prophete hath made a meeter compariſon of them: what is our righteouſneſſe like vntounto? it is almoſt a ſhame to ſpeake of them as they deſerue: they are (ſayth he) like vntounto a cloth beſpotted with the flowers of a womā. O ſhameleſſe hypocrites that can preſent the moſte holy God, with the ſhamefull cloutes and filthy ragges of their owne righteouſneſſe, and offer that a price of their redemption. Hath not God then left a lawe of righteouſneſſe by the whych we ſhall be iudged? Yea verily. But who will ſtande to the triall thereof that he hath kept that law? he that thinketh that iuſtification cōmeth this waye, lette him harken a little to the doctrine of S. Paule.Rom. 3. By the lawe (ſaythe he) commeth the knowledge of ſinne, that is, it proueth vsus guiltie, it conuinceth vsus of vnrighteouſneſſe: and there is the office of the lawe: but concerning our iuſtification, we knowe (ſaythe he) that what ſoeuer the lawe ſaythe, it ſayth it to them which are vnderunder the lawe, that eueryevery mouth may be ſtopped, and all the worlde founde culpable before GOD. And this is his concluſion: therefore by the workes of the lawe ſhall no fleſhe be iuſtifyed. Nay let vsus not take this waye, let vsus rather craue a pardon than pleade the law: for that we ſee is a bone that choketh vsus all: if we ſtande vponupon the plea, we are ſure to be caſte in the great debte of ſinne, and after to be throwne in that priſon of darkeneſſe, neuer to be let looſe againe, no not til we hauehave payde the vttermoſt farthing. Yet then we ſlide, we fall, here is no holde to be had, no reſte to be founde: whiche way then ſhall we nowe turne vsus? Shal we ſéeke excuſes to cloake our offences? Shall we ſay this man or that man prouoked me to wickedneſſe? had not this cauſe bene, I had not tranſgreſſed: neyther will this cloake ſerue vsus, it is not able to kéepe off the ſmoking raine of Gods wrathe, which is poured downe out of heauen vponupon all vnrighteouſneſſe. This way was fyrſt of al ſayed, but it would not preuayle with God: for when God called Adam to reckening and ſayd, why haſt thou eaten of the tree whereof I commaunded thée that thou ſhouldſt not eate? then did Adam put it ouer to Eue and ſo ſayde, the woman whiche thou gaueſt to me, ſhe brought of the trée and I did eate: then God called the woman, ſaying, why haſt thou done this, and ſhe layde the blame vponupon the Serpent, hauing no more to ſay but this: The Serpent beguiled me and I did eate. But God helde not Adam excuſed by Eue, nor Eue by the Serpente, eueryevery one of them beareth his iniquitie, and they drinke all of one cup, that is, of the curſe of God: ſo he that giueth euill counſell, ſhal hauehave the rewarde of euill, and he that followeth euill counſell, bycauſe he hath ſinned, he muſte be payde with the wages of ſinne: here then are we as far to ſéeke as at the firſte,Without Christe is nought but deſperation. here then are we as farre out of the way as before, here is no ſure ground for vsus to ſtand on, yet that ſting of death ſticketh as déepe in vsus as euer it did.
The eight Chapter.
¶The diſtreſſe and dispaire of man, in the viewe of his owne wickedneſse.
HOwe then? is there no remedie to be founde? muſt we néedes lie ſtil ſweating in the greace of our own fleſhly wickedneſſe? is there none to delyuer vsus from this body of death? if it be ſo, then ſucke on Serpent, then death take thy pleaſure, then craue thy righte: graue open thy mouth: Hell ſwallowe vp thy portion: for thou God haſte forſaken vsus, thou haſt yéelded vp all thy right: whyther ſhall we flée then? where may we finde reſt for our ſoules? Thy face (thou mightie one) is alwayes againſt vsus: we ſweate, we burne, we frie with the furie of wrath, all places are to hote for man to reſte on, ſo is thine indignation kindled. If I ſaye I hauehave done iuſtly, then thou reproueſt me as a lyer:Pſal. 130. if I hauehave ſinned then thou wilt ſtreightly looke vntounto me, and wilte not holde me guiltleſſe of mine iniquitie, and ſéeing thou markeſt iniquitie ſtraightly, who ſhall abide it?Iob. 10. wherefore then hath thine handes faſhioned me? O that I had periſhed in my conception and that none eye had ſéene me, and that I were as I had not bene, that my graue had bene my mother: beholde I goe and ſhall not returne, euen to the lande of darkeneſſe, into a lande I ſaye darke as darkeneſſe it ſelfe, into the ſhadowe of deathe, where is no order, but the light is there as darkneſſe, my dayes are as the ſmoke, and my life as the ſhadowe. O ye wormes I am your foode, O corruption thou art my father, O death thou art my mother, out of thee was I taken, and into thée I return, to thée I bequeath that whyche I hadde from thée, this lumpe of earthe, this maſſe of fleſhe. To whome ſhall I betake my ſpirite? I maye not long poſſeſſe it my ſelfe, ſéeing thou wilte not hauehave it (thou holy one) I muſte néedes yéelde it vp as a praye vntounto myne enimie.