Sin Stigmatized, Part 1 · Section 127 – Section 129
§ 127.
BEſides, The ſame further amplified.as theſe mercies are great in themſelves, ſo our unworthineſſe doth greaten them more, being ſhewed to us, who are no leſſe rebellious to him, then he is beneficiall to us. And is all this nothing to move thee? doſt thou thus requite him? art thou ſo farre from loveing and fearing him, that thou hateſt others, which doe? O monſtrous ingratitude! oh fooliſh man, to looke for other, then great, then double damnation!
O that ſuch ſoveraigne favours as theſe, ſhould not onelyonly not profit thee, but turne to thy deſtruction, through thy wilfull, blind, and perverſe nature!
He is thy Lord, by a manifold right; his tenure of us is diverſly held, and thou his ſervant by all manner of obligations; indeed our tenure of him is but ſingle, he is ours onelyonly by faith in Chriſt, Gal. 3.26.
Firſt, he is thy Lord by the right of creation, thou being his workmanſhip, made by him.
Secondly, by the right of redemption, being his purchaſe, bought by him.
Thirdly, of preſervation, being kept, upheld, and maintained by him.
Fourthly, thou art his by vocation, even of his family, having admitted thee a member of his viſible Church.
Fifthly, his alſo (if it be not thine owne fault) by ſanctification, whereby he poſſeſſeth thee.
Sixtly, and laſtly, he would have thee of his court by glorification, that he might crowne thee every way his. Yea, he hath removed ſo many evills, and conferred ſo many good things upon thee, that they are beyond thought or imagination; for if the whole Heaven were turned to a booke, and all the Angells deputed writers, they could not ſet downe all the good, which Chriſt hath done us.
Now favours beſtowed, and deliverances from danger, binds to gratitude; and the more bonds of duty, the more plagues for neglect. Hath God contrived ſo many wayes to ſave us, and ſhall not we take all occaſions to glorifie him? Hath he done ſo much for us, and ſhall we deny him any thing that he requires, though it were our lives, yea, our ſoules, much more our luſts? we have hard hearts, if the blood of the Lambe cannot ſoften them; ſtony bowells, if ſo many mercies cannot melt us. Was he crucified for our ſinnes, and ſhall we, by our ſinnes, crucifie him againe? Doe we take his wages, and doe his enemy ſervice? Is this the fruit of his benificence, of our thankfulneſſe? Is this the recompence of his love, to doe that which he hates, and hate thoſe whom he loves?
O for ſhame thinke upon it, and at his inſtance be perſwaded, by whoſe blood you were redeemed from all theſe evills, and interreſted in all theſe good things. The Apoſtle could not finde out a more heart-breaking argument, to enforce a ſacrificing of our ſelves to God, then to conjure us by the mercies of God in Chriſt, Rom. 12.1. and indeed, we could not be unthankefull, if we thought upon what the Lord gives, and what he forgives: but if the thought of theſe things will not move thee, Lord have mercy upon thee. For, as it is a fearefull marke of a reprobate, alwayes to abuſe Gods mercy and patience, to the hardening of our ſelves in our evill courſes: ſo good turnes aggravate unkindneſſes, and our offences are increaſed with our obligations: yea, there is not one of theſe favours, of thoſe warnings, which I have mentioned, or which thou haſt received, that ſhall not once be a witneſſe againſt thee, as appeares by, 1 Sam. 2. where God ſaith unto Ely, by the Prophet, Did not I doe ſuch and ſuch things for thee, and thy fathers houſe, wherefore then haſt thou done thus and thus? And likewiſe by Chap. 15. where the Lord reproving Saul for his diſobedience, exceedingly aggravates his ſinne, by what he had formerly done for him: yea, how doth the Lord by the Prophet Nathan aggravate Davids fact, by repeating the many and ſeverall favours, and deliverances, which formerly he had extended to him, 2 Sa. 12.7. to 13.
§ 128
YEa, Even this booke will be a witneſſe againſt them, when their conſciences are awakened.even this very Booke ſhall be a witneſſe, and riſe up in judgement againſt thee (as Plutarch told Trajane the Emperour, touching his letter of adviſe) and thoſe very eyes that read it, and that understanding, and will, which hath conceived, and conſented unto the equity and truth of it, ſhall be cited as witneſſes againſt thee. And, in the meane time, thou ſhalt never hereafter drinke, ſweare, whore, ſeduce, hate, perſecute, or reproach any for well doing, but thy conſcience, as a ſergeant, ſhall arreſt thee upon it; yea, this Booke ſhall gnaw thee at the heart, with a Memorandum of Hell, that thou ſhalt wiſh, O that I could abandon my ſinnes, or elſe that I had never had ſuch a warning.And then perhaps the gate of mercy will be ſhut.
But then, perhaps, the gate of mercy will bee ſhut, and though thou wouldeſt gladly repent, yet it will be too late, then ſhalt thou begin to ſay; O what a warning had I ſuch a time, what an opportunity did I then let ſlip! woe is me, that ever I was borne; and woe is me, that ever I had ſuch a warning, which cannot chooſe but double my damnation hereafter, as now it doubles my feare and horror.
Even thus, and no otherwiſe will it fare with thee, when once thine eyes are opened: and opened they ſhall be, for though Sathan, and thy corrupt conſcience doe ſleep, and ſuffer thee to ſleep for a while, yet, at leaſt upon thy death bed, or in hell, when there ſhall bee no more hope, or meanes of recovery, they will both wake againſt thee, and awaken thee up, to everlaſting anguiſh and unquietneſſe: yea, God ſhall once enliven, and make quick the ſenſe of thy benummed conſcience, and make thee know his power, which wouldeſt never take notice of his goodneſſe; he will then teach thee with a vengeance, as Gideon taught the men of Succoth vvith briers and thorns. Thoſe careleſſe gueſts made light of their calling, to come unto the marriage of the Kings ſonne; but they found at laſt, (vvhen they vvere ſhut out) that there vvas no jeſting; and the rich man lift up his eyes in hell, Luke 16.23. thoſe ſcorching flames opened them to purpoſe, they vvere never opened before.
§ 129.
THis is the difference between a godly wiſe man and a deluded worldling: Want of conſideration the cauſe of all impiety & neglect of obedience.that which the one doth now judge to be vaine, the other ſhall hereafter finde to be ſo, when it is too late.
O the want of conſideration what is ſpoken, and who ſpeaks, is the cauſe of all impiety, and neglect of obedience. The reaſon why Samuel returned to his ſleepe one time after another, when God called him, was, he ignorantly thought it was only mans voyce: and for the ſame reaſon, thou wilt not liſten to what juſtice and truth ſpeakes in this behalfe, otherwiſe, thou wouldeſt ſearch the Scriptures and try, whether my doctrine and allegations be of God, or no, Acts 17.11. and being of God, and agreeing with the penſell of the Holy Ghoſt (for otherwiſe thou art free) entertaine theſe lines, as if they were an Epiſtle ſent unto thee from heaven, and writ by God himſelfe, to invite and call thee to repentance: and though thou canſt not imitate Zacheas, who was called but once, and came quickly to Chriſt; yet thou wouldeſt imitate Peter, and at this laſt crowing of the Cocke, remember the words of Ieſus, which ſaith, take heed to your ſelves, least at any time your hearts be oppreſſed with ſurfeiting and drunkenneſse, and cares of this life, leaſt that day come on you at unawares, Luke 21.34. and againe, whatſoever ye doe unto the least of mine, ye do it unto me; and weighing them with thy ſelfe, goe out of thy ſinnes by repentance; as he went out of the high Prieſts Hall.
And ſo doing, it ſhould bee unto thee as Ionathans three Arrowes were to David, which occaſioned his eſcape from Saul's fury: or as David's Harpe was to Saul, which frighted away the evill ſpirit from him, 1 Samuel 16.23. yea, as the Angels was to Peter, that opened the Iron gates, looſed his bands, brought him out of Priſon, and delivered him from the thraldome of his enemies; yea, if thou beeſt thine owne friend, it ſhall ſerve thee as a Buoy, to keep thy the ſhip of ſoule from ſplitting upon the Shelf of preſumption; which is my prayer, and hope, and ſhould bee my joy to ſee it; theſe things have I ſaid, that ye might be ſaved.
You know, the good counſell of Sauls ſervant, ledd him, in a doubt, to the man of God; but his owne curioſity, ledd him to the Witch of Endor, 1 Sam. 9.6. And that little, which Craeſus King of Lydia, learn'd of Solon, ſaved his life: and if Pilate would have taken that faire warning which his wife gave him, as hee ſate to judge Chriſt; it might have ſaved his ſoule, Matth. 27.19. and ſo may this thine, if thou wilt be warned by it. But if this, nor no other warning wil ſerve thee, if neither preſent bleſſings, nor hope of eternall reward will doe any good; if neither the Preachers of God, in exhorting; nor the goodneſſe of God, in calling; nor the will of God, in commanding, nor the Spirit of God, in moving can prevaile with thee; tremble to think what a fearefull doome will follow; for they ſhall tremble at the voyce of his condemnation; that have ſhut their eares, at the voyce of his exhortation, Prov. 1.24. to 33. And ſo much of the ſixth aggravation.