Helps to Stir Up to Christian Duties, Chapter 2
CHAP. II. That Gods people doe charge themſelves with more ſecret ſinnes than any elſe doe.
ANd there is none that calleth upon thy Name.] Before wee come to lay forth the maine thing intended, it will not bee amiſſe to take a ſhort view of ſome paſſages in the Text as they lye in our way.
And firſt in generall, from the nature of their complaint; if wee looke to the matter of it, we ſhall finde it to be not ſo much in regard of their preſent preſſures, and evils which lay upon them; neither for groſſer ſinnes, which were more open and obvious to the eyes of others, but for more inward and ſecret corruptions, and failings, ſuch as the world takes no notice of, or will hardly bee brought to acknowledge they are ſinnes at all; or if ſo, yet not worthy the troubling themſelves for them; as not to have ſtriven with the Lord in their prayers, to ſtay the iudgment threatned; and not to ſtirre up themſelves to hold the Lord, that he depart not from them. Hence wee may obſerve, Gods Children, in the times of confeſsion of their ſinnes before God, are wont to charge themſelves with more cloſe and ſecret evils and corruptions.
Their complaints are mingled with bitter bewailings of more inconſpicuous and indiſcernable evils, of wickedneſſe more ſpirituall, not to be perceived by a carnall eye, and therfore not lamented by a carnall heart.
To give ſome inſtances: As,
For their*Pſal. 51.5 Iſay 64.6 birth-ſinne, that corrupted maſſe they brought into the world, which ſteames like a dung-hill, and ſends up ſtench and unſavorineſſe into the whole man; hindering in all duty, and putting forward unto all evill.
They complaine of thoſe remainders of Atheiſme, of their wicked and blaſphemous thoughts, of ſtrong objections riſing up in their mindes againſt cleare and evident truths; as againſt the very Being of God, the worke of our Redemption by our Saviour Chriſt, the truth of Gods Word, and many ſuch like. So alſo they lament theiraPſa. 31.22. Pſa. 116.11 Unbeleefe, b2 Cor. 12.7 He that telleth the people of God of the medicine God applyed to heale and prevent the exalting of himſelfe above meaſure, ſecretly confeſſeth the privy proneneſſe of his owne heart to ſelfe-exalting.privy Pride,cPſa. 51.10. Praying for a right Spirit, he confcſſeth his owne ſpirit not right nor ſtreight, but crooked and deceitfull. ſecret hypocriſie,dIſay 6.5. Nehem. 13.22. His great zeale for reformation, yet needeth great mercy to ſpare it from exact examination. and the evill which cleaves to their beſt works, their ſelfe-love, ſelfe-ſeeking, andePſalm. 30.6. ſelf-confidence, their greatfPſal. 106.6, 7. Nehem. 9.35. unprofitableneſſe under all thoſe meanes, and mercies offered, theirgIſay 63.17. hardneſſe of heart, and that greathProv. 30, 2, 3. I feele ſuch ignorance of God and a…l his wayes, ſo many yeares towards mee, ſuch folly which keepeth mee from taking any thing to heart which reſpecteth God, or concerneth my ſelfe; ſuch uncircumciſion of heart, which maketh mee that I cannot be holy, poore, and abiect, though conſcious of innumerable Motives, paſt, preſent, imminent, whieh might move mee thereunto. Laſtly, I feele ſuch a ſelfe-ſufficiency as will not let mee perceive what need I have of my God to be with mee for quickning, ſtrengthening, comforting, directing, proſpering of mee in my courſe. Baines, Letter 19. blindeneſſe and ignorance which they finde in themſelves; it much grieves them many times for their unrulyiPſa. 73.3.22 paſſions, and their*Iſa. 45.9. ſtrivings with God, and impatiencies under his hand; their ſecurity, lukewarmeneſſe, and notkCant. 1.6. keeping their Watch; theirlDeut. 32.15 Nehe. 9.28 abuſing lawfull things; theirmHoſ. 8.12. unthankfulneſſe for Spirituall mercies; theirnEzech. 9.4 Iſa. 42.19, 20 not mourning for the ſinnes of the land, and of the places where they live; nor taking to heart ſpirituall judgements; theiroIer. 9.3. fearefulneſſe and aptneſſe to be diſcouraged, and give out in good buſineſſes, and Gods cauſes; their too muchp1 Sam. 2.9 indulgency and favouring themſelves, and thoſe that are neare unto them in their faults and failings; ſoqPſal. 78.37 38, 40, their often breach of promiſe, and Covenant with God;rIſa. 64.7. their ſleightneſſe and perfunctorineſſe in the ſervice of God; much irreverence, &c.ſMat. 26.40 43. their dulneſſe, heavineſſe, wearineſſe, indevotion, together with their diſtractions, and diſſipations of heart in holy duties; theirtMat. 8.18 forgetfulneſſe,uHoſ. 6.4. inconſtancy, and*Pſal. 43.5. uncomfortable walking in their Chriſtian courſe. Theſe and ſuch like doe make them ſigh in ſecret, ſhake their heads, and wring their hands, and cry out with many a bitter cry when none eye ſees them, or eare heares them.
Reaſ. The grounds and Reaſons of this, amongſt others, are ſuch as theſe:
This proceeds from that divine, and ſpirituall light, they have received into their minds (being hence denominateda1 Theſſ. 55, children of light, and calledbEph. 5.8 light in the Lord by which they diſcerne theſe cloſe and hidden corruptions, being now by this light made, as it were, tranſparent unto themſelves. For looke as it is with luminous and lightſome Bodies, as a Diamond, Chriſtall, Glaſſe, or the like; when the light of Sunne-beames ſhine upon them, it cauſeth a tranſparency in them, ſo that the fouleneſſe within is as viſible as the fouleneſſe without; ſo it is here. The word uſed by the Apoſtle, 2 Cor. 1.12. will ſerve ſomewhat to explaine this: Hee tels the Corinthians, that in ſimplicity, and godly ſincerity hee had had his Converſation in the world, foreign,Vid. Bez ad loc, i. e. in all candour, and perſpicui y of ſpirit and heart; as in the ſight of God, which might plainely bee ſeene even through and through. Now as the good, ſo is the evill in Gods Children tranſparent; as the ſpots which appeare in the face of the Moone, ſo that by the help of this light they are able to paſſe a judgment upon themſelves, and their more ſecret evils.
The Conſcience being renewed, and having this light ſhining into it, and conveyed into it from the underſtanding, hath alſo this quality of Tenderneſſe, by which it quickly ſmites and bleeds for knowne, though cloſe ſinnes, and ſo affecteth the heart with ſorrow for them.
They being Spirituall, they can conceive and judge of ſpirituall things; As of God, whom they ſerve, to be a Spirit; of his Law and worſhip, by, and in which they ſerve him, to bee Spirituall. Now as the Law is, ſo is the tranſgreſſion; where there is no Law, that is, no ſpiritual apprehenſion of the Law, there men cannot condemne themſelves for ſecret and cloſe ſinnes: Paul is alive when without the Law,Rom. 7.9. and hee is without the Law whilſt carnall; but Paul being become ſpirituall, the Law alſo is become ſpiritual unto him, verſ. 14. So that ſpirituall and ſecret ſinnes ſo apprehended he could then judge of, which before hee could not.
Yet we are to know,Caution. that this worke of bewayling ſecret evils, is not found in all Gods children alike, ſince their Conſciences are not equally inlightned, and made tender; neither are they all alike mortified, or watchful; nor have they the Spirit of judging and diſcerning alike; neither are all ſo eaſily convinced alike; but this is found in all, ſo farre as their light goes, there will be ſmiting for guiltineſſe in theſe things.
Vſe 1 Hence wee have a broad difference betweene thoſe confeſſions which are found in the truly penitent and humbled ſoule, and thoſe ordinary large formes taken up by carnall men, either by cuſtome, or extorted from them by their naturall conſcience in ſome painefull and helliſh pangs of it: As Pharaoh in extremity cryed out, I have ſinned this time, Exod. 9.27the Lord is righteous, and I and my people are wicked. So Saul being convinced of his uniuſt and unnaturall dealing towards David, 2 Sam. 26.21 1 Sam. 24.17ſaid, Returne my ſonne David, I will no more doe thee harme. I have played the foole, and have erred exceedingly. Thus was it with Iudas in the groſſe and open caſe of betraying his Maſter;Matth, 27.4 I have ſinned in betraying innocent blood. When the Conſcience hath but Natures light, it muſt be a great print that a man can read in this kinde, taking knowledge only of more groſſe and ſtaring evils, and that moſt an end againſt the ſecond Table: but the regenerate goe farther, as I have ſaid, confeſſing and lamenting their inward & ſecret corruptions, which the hypocrite ſwallowes up, as not worth the naming.
Vſe 2 Hence it may appeare that the world is extremely miſtaken, and hath much to anſwer for thoſe hard and cruell ſpeeches which are every where uttered againſt ſuch; that they are proud, and deſpiſers of others; that they are Hypocrites, and Diſſemblers, &c. whereas they appeare in their owne eyes doubly vile, and twice as ſinfull: For in others their open and outward ſins onelyonly are apparent, but in themſelves they behold both their open and inward ſinnes, which muſt needs breake downe all high thoughts of themſelves, and cauſe them to prefer others above themſelves.
Neither can they bee ſo charged with Hypocriſie, ſince the fouleneſſe of the inſide of the platter is ſeene, and bemoaned, and waſhed with teares by them, as well as the outſide: They are more troubled for praying, than thou for not praying; for hearing, than thou for not hearing, &c. This being ſeldome found in the practice of any hypocrite to lay ſuch things as theſe to heart, abounding ſo much in ſelfe-love, and ſelfe-deceit, and being ſecretly willing to reſt in his preſent condition, and to make his bed as eaſie, and to lye as ſoft as hee can, and ſo to reſt with as little diſturbance as may bee; hee will not ſearch for matter to trouble himſelfe, but keeps up himſelfe in as good an eſteeme with himſelfe and others, as poſſibly hee may; nothing troubling him more than to know, or be knowne what ſecret guile and rottenneſſe there is in his ſpirit; and therefore loth, not only to heare others ſpeake, and complaine of it to him, but to heare himſelfe ſpeak and complaine of it to God, is an heavy, irkſome, and unpleaſing worke; only Gods childe, as hee is willing to know the worſt of himſelfe, ſo will he confeſſe the worſt of himſelfe in the eares of the Lord;Iuſtus favere ſibi neſcit rigorem iudicis circa ſe non novit infl…ctore. Amb. Apol. cap. 9. none thinking or ſpeaking ſo bad of them, as they doe of themſelves; and none laying ſo much to their charge, as they doe to their owne.
Vſe 3 This alſo may bee for a comfort, and ſtay to the hearts of the godly in the time of trouble, and houre of darkeneſſe, when Satan ſhall rake in their hearts for matter to increaſe their preſent diſtreſſe, and ſhall caſt their ſecret failings in their faces, yet then when the conſcience can beare witneſſe, and the diſtreſſed ſoule can truly ſay in Gods preſence, The Lord knowes theſe evils have not wanted complaining againſt,In quantum non pep… ceris tibi in tantum tibi Deus par…et Tertul. de poenit. ſecret though they be, I have often ſpread them before the Lord, as my ſores and ſorrowes.