Mans Active Obedience, Chapter 31
CHAP. XXXI.
How the ſorrow of true beleeuers and hypocrites differeth in that which is cauſed by either.
THey differ alſo no leſſe in that which is cauſed by either. And to name the chiefe and principall difference at the firſt; the one cauſeth death, and the other cauſeth life; and that is a difference broad enough for eueryevery one plainly to diſcerne. The worldly ſorrow of hypocrites cauſeth death two manner of waies; either by making men too ſecure, or by filling them too full of dreadfull horrour, and helliſh feare; either by making them to preſume too much, and ſo they come to periſh that way; or by making them to deſpaire too much, and ſo they come to be ouerwhelmed and drowned in perdition, that way. When hypocrites are brought by the feare of Gods iudgments, or by the feeling of them, to be much troubled and vexed with griefe and ſorrow in their hearts, and to expreſſe their inward heauineſſe by an outward great humbling of themſelues, after the manner that Ahab was ſeene to be before the Lord, they grow ſo conceited in themſelues for that they hauehave done, & do ſo flatter themſelues with a vaine hope that that which was feared, ſhall now neuer come, or that which they felt, ſhall now not tarry long, truſting to the merit of their halting, lame, and eueryevery way imperfect repentance, wherewith they ſeemed to be humbled: as that Michah of Mount Ephraim neuer promiſed to himſelfe more confidently, though moſt vainly and vnwarrantably, that God would now doe him Iudg. 17. 13.good, ſeeing that he had a Leuite to be his Prieſt: then theſe after once they can ſay, they hauehave (they thanke God) repented of their ſinnes, they hauehave humbled themſelues, they hauehave mourned and wept, they hauehave asked God mercy for all that they hauehave offended in, will heereupon be ready to ſay, they know now aſſuredly that they ſhall be ſpared, and doubt not but the iudgements which already are vponupon them, ſhall ſhortly bee remoued, and not tarry long: they are made hereby as ſecure from feare of euer periſhing; as was Agag the Amalekite, growne fooliſhly and deſperately careleſſe of the ſudden, a little before the time that execution was to the full to bee done vponupon him: for they truſt too much to lying vanities, and follow not that courſe that would aſſuredly procure them mercy; and therefore they come at the length to ſinke vponupon the ſands of ſecurity. If they faſt often, as did the Phariſie in the Goſpell: if they wrinkle their faces with weeping, and looke ſowre, as they then vſed to doe in that time: if they weepe and howle and roare out vponupon their beds: if they afflict their ſoules with faſting, and bow downe their heads like bulruſhes for a time: they make ſo full reckonings, and preſume ſo largely vponupon the merit of that they hauehave done, as though God were now come to be in their debt, and that they had abundantly deſerued it at the hands of God to hauehave all things granted, which in ſuch a manner they ſhould ſeeke to obtaine, and that the Lord ſhould denie nothing, which men ſo humbled after ſuch a faſhion ſhould make ſuite for, and requeſt to hauehave giuen: yea, they ſeeme to be impatient of any delay to bee made, and that the Lord is not more preſent, looking beſide vponupon all others, to attend better vponupon them: and ſo theſe run a-ſhelfe vponupon the ſteep bankes of preſumption, where they once touching, can neuer be ſafely got off againe, till they hauehave made their graues there, and doe ſinke right downe to the bottome of deepe deſtruction.
Anorher way by which this worldly ſorrow cauſeth death is, when (there being no meaſure kept in it, nor moderation that can be had of it, to keepe it within the compaſſe that were fit), the ſorrow that is awakened and raiſed vp out of the heart that before was ſecure, breaketh out to all extremities in the higheſt degree, there beingNo outward balme able to aſſwage a raging conſcience. nothing to ſtay, or ballaſte the heart from being vtterly ouerwhelmed in the ſtreſſe and ſtorme of tentation, when it commeth vponupon the conſcience: no light of comfort, no dram of faith can then bee found to giuegive any ſuccour in time of that wofull diſtreſſe, or to ſupport and hold vp the heart from falling flat downe, and ſinking quite vnderunder the importable and intolerable loade and burden of ſorrow preſſing hard vponupon them: but yeelding ouer (as thoſe that can reſiſt no longer) to the luſt and will of their vowed enemie, who all the while did but ſeeke oportunitie to worke their vtter ruine, they tarry not til he deſtroy them, but damnably deſtroy themſelues, and deſperately doe take on their courſe to throw off this ſorrow, that ſhortly would otherwiſe of it ſelfe hauehave here had an end; making haſte by laying violent hands vponupon themſelues, to ruſh into hell at once, and that with ſuch violence, as if by force they would breake open the gates of that gaping gulfe before them, that they might hauehave the more ſpeedie entrance there to grow acquainted with thoſe ſorrowes, that wil neuer hauehave an end, which can neither be throwne off, nor poſſibly boarne, can neuer bee auoided, nor no way indured; ridding themſelues out of theſe painefull feares of ſome worſer things that might hauehave happened vntounto thē, wherwith they were before endleſly perplexed, tortured, and tormented, by comming to feele the worſt of all, many thouſand times worſe, then the worſt they could poſſibly hauehave feared before: that ſo from fearing they may bee brought to feeling of as much, and more then euer they feared. When, though they ſhall neuer find any cauſe to feare any more that that can bee worſe then they doe feele; yet ſhall they feele worſe, and much more then euer they could hauehave feared: and ſuch feare hauing an end, their feeling ſhall be euerlaſting, of paines that are vnſpeakable, and torments that neuer will hauehave an end. Thus worldly ſorrow, prooueth helliſh ſorrow in the end; and when it is an ouer-deepe ſorrow intended to the vttermoſt and furtheſt degree, it cauſeth death, and death euerlaſting, by ſwallowing men vp in the gulfe of deadly deſpaire, and daſhing them againſt that moſt dangerous rocke, where they ſplit in a thouſand pieces, and wracke wofully to their finall and euerlaſting vndoing, All this may be ſeene in Saul, Achitophel, and in that arch-traitor Iudas, who hauing been a long while ſecure and dead-hearted, eueryevery way vnreclaimeable from further going on with that miſchiefe hee was in hand with, till he had cōmitted it; when once he had done that enormious fact, yt hainous ſin of his moſt vnnaturall treacherie and villany againſt his Lord & Maſter, that incomparable wickednes, and vnmatchable villany of his, did lye ſo boyling in his conſcience, as made him reſtleſſe, and neuer gaue him ouer, till for want of other eaſe and comfort elſewhere to bee found, he ſought to get rid out of that trouble, by ſtrangling himſelfe in an halter: and ſo though he ſorrowed as much as ſome other, and repented more then did, or doe many, yet becauſe it was but a ſlubbering ſorrow, and a fruitleſſe and falſe repentance, his helliſh ſorrow drowned him vp in deſpaire, and for all ſuch repentance, he went to hell in the end for his labour.
Againe, ſome ſorrowing for ſinne, how commendable ſoeuer it may ſeeme to be in the outward appearing, and very hopefull for a time, that much good will come thereon, yet not being deepely enough rooted, and ſoundly wrought in the heart, but ſlight and ouerly, ſo as the heart is but a little raſed by it, and not wholly rent vp, ſuch kind of ſorrowing (being ſtill but of the nature of worldly ſorlow), hauehave been ſeene to hauehave brought out no good effect, but in the end to hauehave alſo cauſed death. Some that hauehave been much aſtoniſhed, and ſoarely gaſtred by ſome extraordinarie iudgement happning, and who hauehave ſometimes come wounded from a ſermon, mourning for a time, and making bitter lamentation for their ſinne; becauſe they hauehave not held faſt their ſorrow by a longer labour of ſerious meditation, in better conſidering their own waies in their hearts, that ſo their ſorrow might ſoake and ſinke deepe enough into their hearts, their ſorrowing hauehave ſoone been giuen ouer, and they quickly hauehave ceaſed from their mourning, and ſo hauehave loſt all benefit that might hauehave come thereon; and making no better vſe of ſuch their ſorrowing for a time, they hauehave gone away, and growne to bee more hardned euer after, and hauehave been found to become worſe then they were euer before; according to that of Peter, their end is worſe then their beginning.
Beſides, worldly ſorrow in worldly minded men cauſeth death, while they, too eagerly purſuing the things of the world, and ſetting their hearts too much and too ſtrongly vponupon them for the enioying of them; if they hauehave not their longing, if they be croſſed in their deſires, if they miſſe of their purpoſes, and cannot obtaine what they ſo much aimed at, and trauel for, they grow ſicke with Ahab, and penſiue, they tumble on their beds, and will eate no bread▪ 1. King. 21. 4.they pine away to nothing. Men for worldly things are ſometimes ſeene to goe and runne mad, to looſe their wits; yea, to hang and kill themſelues. Saul killed himſelfe, not ſorrowing for his ſinne, but leſt the Philiſtims ſhould mocke him, or inſult ouer him. So Achitophel, becauſe his counſell was no better regarded and followed. It is reported of Lycurgus, the Law-giuer among the Lacedemonians, that hee would hauehave hanged or ſtarued himſelfe, Tertullian Apcap 46.becauſe ſomewhat againſt his credit they had m…nded his Lawes. Some hauehave been ſo impatient of diſgrace, as they hauehave been ready to hang themſelues, for not playing their parts well in a Play. Thus worldly and carnall ſorrow being the onelyonly ſorrow that all hypocrites can hauehave, is found to cauſe death eueryevery manner of way.