Comforting Afflicted Consciences, Text (9 of 11)

Comforting Afflicted Consciences · Text (9 of 11)

p. 409Or in a word, and shorter thus: Tho thou commest freshly out of an Hell of hainous sinnes; and hitherto, hast neither thought, or spoke, or done any thing but abominably: yet if now with true remorse thou groans under them all, as an heavy burden, and syncerely longest p. 410for the Lord Iesus, and newnesse of life; thou art bound presently, ipso facto, as they say, immediatly after that Act, and unfained resolution of thy Soule, to take Christ Himself, and all the promises of life as thine own for ever. All delaies, demurres, exceptions, objections, pretexts, standing out, scruples, distrusts, & contradictions to the contrary, are dishonourable to Gods mercy and free grace, disparagement to the Promises, derogatory to the Truth & tender-heartednes of Iesus Christ; an unnecessary detainement of the Soule in terrour; and onelyonly a gratification of that roaring Lion, whose trade is to teare soules in peeces, and torture them all Hee can. For as soone as wee are poore in spirit, we are presently blessed; Mat. 5.3. As soone as we are weary of our sins, the Hand of Christ is ready to take off the burden, Mat. 11.28. As soone as wee thirst, in the sense I have said, the Fountaine of the water of life, is set wide open unto us; Rev. 21.6. As soone as we have got contrite and humble spirits, wee become royall Thrones, for the High and lofty One that inhabiteth eternity, to dwell in for ever; Isa. 57.15.

And now come and take abundantly mighty Arguments, and invincible motives, which neither Man, nor Divell, nor natural distrust can ever, any waies possibly disable; Not to lie any longer, being in the proposed and supposed state, upon the racke of terror; but to lay hold upon the Rock of eternity. I meane, to rest and establish thy trembling heart upon the Lord Iesus, with everlasting peace and safty; and after walke watchfully and fruitfully in the holy way, untill thine ending houre.

1. And first, take notice, that Iesus Christ, God blessed for ever, keeps an open house for all such hungry and thirsty soules. Let him that is athirst, come. And whosoever will, let him take the water of life freely; Rev. 22.17. Whosoever will] In whose heart soever the holy aaQuomodò dicit, qui vult; quum alibi dicat Christus; Nemo venit ad me, nisi Pater, qui misit me, traxerit cum. Ioh. 6.44. Et Paulus dicit, non est volentu, noque currentis, sed miserentis De. Rom. 9.16. Resp. Sic loquitur Iohannes, non quòd in hominis arbitris situm sit propriâ sponte accedere & haurire aquam vitae, sed quia ille idem, qui invitat ad vitae aquas, etiam sitis indit ardorem, animum & vires suppeditat, ut veniamus: imò verò essicit ut ex nolentibus volentes siamus: quò omnis gloria ad ipsum… edeat, non penes nos resideat.— Deus est, qui agit in vobis, & ut velitis, & ut efficiatis pro bonâ voluntate: Phil. 2.13. Marlorat. in Loc. Christ, together with bidding Lazarus come out of his grave, inspired into Him power to rise.John 6:44Rom 9:16Phil 2:13Ghost hath wrought an effectuall, bbWhosoever will] It may bee here said: Who is it, that would not bee saved? Men indeed love to walke in wicked wayes, — but they love not damnation; willingly would they bee saved: How then is it said here; Let Him, that will, take of the waters of life freely. Surely here is no more, then that Hee saith before; Hee will give to Him that is athirst, of the waters of life freely, Cap 21. For Hee that thirsteth, hath a Will; and Hee that thirsteth not, hath not a Will. For this yee must know, that the Will is not here put for every light desire, or for every wish, that a Man doth wish in His heart; when, as I said before, Hee walketh in the way of destruction, and committeth the things that deserve damnation, and yet would bee saved, &c. Gissard in Loc.earnest, hearty will; that supernaturall syncere desire described before, which prizeth p. 411the Well of life before the whole world, and is ever accompanied with an unfained resolution to sell all, for the Pearle of great price; I say, such an One may come, and wellcome, and that without bidding, and drinke his fill of the Rivers of all spirituall pleasures. If there were no more, but this, this is more then enough to bring Thee to Iesus Christ. If a Proclamation should bee made that such, or such a great Man kept open house for all commers, there need no more to bring-in all the poore, hungry people in the Countrey, without any further waiting or inviting. But heere above all degrees of comparison, the hunger is more importunate and important; the Feast-maker more faithfull and sure of his word; the fare more delicious and ravishing: And why doest thou refuse? Thou hast a warrant infinitely aboue all exception. The Lord of life keepes open house for all that will come: And thou knowest in thine owne Conscience, and canst not deny, but that Hee hath already ccHee that willeth then, even hee that is athirst for the waters of life, let Him give all the prayse to God, who hath endued him with that grace; and let him know, that were it not for the grace of God, Hee should never have had any will to come to those waters. Idem. Ibid.honored Thee with that singular favour, as to plant in thy Soule a will this way, with a witnesse, as they say; For what wouldest thou not part with, to have assurance of thy part in Iesus Christ? What wouldest thou not give, if it might be bought, to heare Him speake peace unto thy Soule, and say sweetly unto it; I am thy salvation? And therefore if thou come not in presently, and take the comfort of this pretious Place and Promise; setting to thy seale that God is true; Consider p. 412by the premisses, whether thy terrours and temptations bee not justly upon thee, in the meane time.

2. If this will not serve, which God forbid; then in a second Place, Thou art invited solemnly, by the Feast-Maker, as it were, Himselfe with his owne mouth, which is an infinite mercy,ddO quàm stupenda pietas! Quàm intra Dei dignatio! Quem rogare debuimus, ut nos recipere dignaretur; ab ipso rogamur, ut ad cum venire dignemur. Gers. De Verbis Domini, venite, &c.honour and comfort: Come unto mee all yee that labour, and are heavy laden, and I will give you rest: Mat. 11.28. Here is no exception of sinnes, times, or Persons. And if thou shouldest reply, Yea, but alas! I am the unworthiest man in the world, to draw neere unto so holy, a God; to presse into so pure a presence; to expect upon the sudden such glorious, spirituall, and heavenly advancement; most impure, abominable, and beastly wretch, that I am! readier farre, and fitter to sinke into the bottome of Hell, by the insupportable waight of my manifold hainous sins: I say then, the Text tells thee plainely, that thou mightily mistakes; For therefore onelyonly art thou fit, because thou feeles so sensibly thy unfitnesse, unworthinesse, vilenesse, wretchednesse: The sorer and heavier thy burden is, the rather shouldest thou come: In a word, it appeares, by thine owne words, expressing such a penitent apprehension of thy spirituall poverty; that thou art the onelyonly man, and such as thou alone, which Christ here specially aimes-at, invites, and accepts.

3. Thirdly, Hee knowing our frame, our sluggish, dull and heavy disposition; our spirituall lazinesse, naturall neglect of our owne salvation, and loathnesse to believe; adds in an other Place, to ordinary invitation, a stirring compassionate▪ and quickning eeforeign O, Heus vocandi, Ies. 55.1. Buxtorf.compellation, or rather, ffEt est particula exclamandi. Zechar. 2.6. foreign O ó, Fugite è terra Aquil…nis. Iesah. 55.1. foreign O omnis sitiens. Pagnin. Exclamat Propheta, veluticontentâ voce, Heus: quia tantus est hominum torpor, ut difficile sit admodùm cos excitari. —Stuporem istum magnis clamoribus & assiduis excuti necesse est: quò turpior magísque stupenda est corum pigrities, qui ad hanc exbortationem sur disunt, vel tam acritèr stimulati, torpori suo ad huc indulgent. Calv. in Loc.exclamation: Ho, saith Hee, Isa. 55.1. Every one that thirsteth, come yee to the waters, &c. And lest p. 413any thinke Hee shall come to His cost, or should bring any thing in His hand, Hee calls upon Him that hath no money; and thus doubles His cry: Come yee, buy and eate; yea, come, buy wine and milke without money, and without price. O most blessed and sweetest lines! So full of love and longing, to draw us to the Well of life; that besides that holy pang of compassion, and excitation, Ho; Hee cries thrice, Come, Come, Come! Yea, but mayst thou say, Alas! I am so farre from bringing any thing in my hand, that I bring a world of wickednesse upon my heart; and that above ordinary, both in notoriousnesse, and number; and therfore I am afraid the hainousnesse of my sinnes will hinder my acceptation; tho the invitation bee most sweet and pretious: Be it so; yet the Spirit of God in the same Chapter doth purposely meet with, and remoove that very scruple: Let the wicked, saith He, forsake His way, and the unrighteous man His thoughts: (And this is thy Case; Thou art unfainedly set against all sinne both inward and outward), and let him returne unto the Lord, and Hee will have mercy upon Him, and to our God, for He will abundantly pardon: verse 7. Hee will not onelyonly have mercy upon thee, but Hee will also abundantly pardon. Hee will ffforeign à foreign Quod est multiplicare.multiply His pardons, according to thy provocations, and that with ggforeign Gratia è Coelo tantâ copiâ suit effusa, ut peccatum non aequârit modò, sed etiam infinitis partibus superârit. Beza.super-abundance: Rom. 5.20.

4. If all this will not yet doe; Hee descends out of the infinite riches of his grace to a miracle of further mercy. For the mighty Lord of Heaven and earth sends Ambassadours unto us, dust and ashes, wormes and no men, to beseech us to bee reconciled unto Him. Now then we are Ambassadors for Christ, as though God did beseech you by us; wee pray you in Christs st…ad, be ye reconciled unto God, 2. Cor. 5 20. What man can possibly ponder seriously upon this Place; but must bee transported with extraordinary admiration; nay, adoration of the bottomlesse depth, and infinite height of p. 414Gods incomprehensible, everlasting and free love: We most abhorred, vile wretches, are the Offenders, Traitors, Rebels & enimies; and ought to seek and sue unto Him first, upon the knees of our soules, trembling in the dust: and if it were possible, with teares of blood; and yet He begins unto us, intreating us by His owne Son, and His servants the Ministers, to come in; accept His favour and grace, enter into the wise and good way; which is iiSee Prov. 3.14.15.16.17.Prov 3:14Prov 3:15Prov 3:16Prov 3:17pretious, profitable, honorable, and pleasant; that He may hereafter set upon our heads everlasting Crownes of glory and blisse. An earthly Prince would disdaine, and hold it in foule scorne, to send unto His inferiour for reconcilement; especially, who had behaved Himself basely, & unworthily towards Him, and justly provoked His royall indignation. Would not the King of Spaine, thinke you, so great a Monarch, hold it an inexpiable dishonour and indignity, to send Embassadours now, and sue unto the Hollanders, so farre below Him, for reconcilement and peace; promising and assuring them, of an entire restitution, and exercise of all their kkThese Spaniards being meere strangers, having no natural regard in their government to the maintenance of those Countries and people, in their ancient, and naturall manner of their peaceable living, as the most Noble and wise Emperour Char…es; yea, and as His Son Philip Himselfe had, whilest Hee remained in those Countries, and used the Counsels of the States, and Natives of the Countries, not violating the ancient liberties of the Countries: but contrariwise, these Spaniards beeing exalted to absolute government, by ambition, and for private lucre, have violently broken the ancient Lawes and Liberties of all the Countries, and in a tyrannous sort have banished and destroyed, without order of Law, within the space of few moneths, many of the most ancient and principall Persons of the naturall Nobility, that were most worthy of government. And howsoever in the beginning of these cruell persecutions, the pretence whereof was for the maintenance of the Romish Religion; yet they spared not to deprive very many Catholickes, and Ecclesiasticall Persons of their Franchises and priviledges: and of the chiefest that were executed of the Nobilitie, none was in the whole Countrey more affected to that Religion, then was the most noble and valiant Count of Egmond, the very glory of that Countrey; who neither for His singular Victories, in the service of the King of Spaine, can bee forgotten in the true Histories; nor yet for the cruelty used for His destruction, to bee but for ever lamented in the hearts of the naturall people of that Countrey. See a Booke intituled, A Declaration of the causes, mooving the Queene of England to give aide to the defence of the people afflicted and oppressed in the Low-Countries, pag. 5.6.ancient rights, priviledges, liberties and▪ fundamentall p. 415Lawes; that they should not need to feare, that greatest llPhalaris, and His fellow tyrants, come far short of these Bloodhounds. Heylyn. p. 52.tyranny, and severest kind of persecution under heaven, the Spanish Inquisition; that He would resume His former mmPhilip the second of Spaine, after many preceding vastations and pressures, did lastly by strong hand, and maine force, attempt not onelyonly to make himselfe an absolute Monarch over the Hollanders; but Turke-like to tread under His feete, all their Nationall and fundamentall Lawes, Priviledges, and ancient Rites. To effect which, after Hee had easily obtained from the Pope a dispensation of His former oathes (which dispensation was the true cause of the warres and blood-shed since then) &c. S.W.R. in his Preface.Oath, the Popes dispensation, for which begun all the trouble, &c. Rather then He would do it, He hath paid already, a good while since, nnThe King of Spaine hath paid above an hundred Millions; and the lives of above foure hundred thousand Christians, for the losse of all those Countries; which for beauty gave place to none; and for revenew, did equall His West Indies: for the losse of a Nation, which most willingly obeyed Him; and who at this day after forty yeares warre, are in despight of all his forces, become free Estates, and farre more rich and powerfull then they were, when Hee first begun to impoverish and oppresse them. Idem. Ibid.above an hundred millions, and the lives of above foure hundred thousand men; And is still spending abundance of gold and blood. It is thus indeede with wormes of the earth, in whom there is no helpe, and whose breath is in their nostrills; But it is otherwise with the King of Kings, who sitteth upon the Circle of the Earth, and the inhabitants thereof are as Grashoppers, and the Nations as the drop of a Bucket; who bringeth the Princes to Nothing, and maketh the Iudges of the Earth as vanitie. Hee is content to put up at our hands, this indignity and affront, if I may so speake. He is glad to sue unto us first, and send His Ambassadours day after day, beseeching us to bee reconciled unto Him. O incomprehensible Depth of unspeakeable mercy and Encouragement to come in, and trust in his mercy, in case of spirituall misery, able to trample under foot triumphantly, all Oppositions of the most raging Hell, or distrustfull heart!

5. Nay Hee commands us, And this is his Commandement, that wee should beleeve on the Name of his Sonne Iesus Christ; 1. Ioh. 3.23. This command alone of rhe All-powerfull God, should infinitely out-weigh, and prevaile against all other counter-maunds of Heaven, or Earth; flesh and blood, Satan, nature, reason, sense; the whole Creation; all the World: It should swallow up all scruples, doubts, feares, despaires. Comming to Iesus Christ with broken hearts, according to this Commandement; It will beare us out against all oppositions, p. 416accusations, weaknesses of faith in the evill times, in the houre of temptation, upon our beds of death, at that last and greatest day. It will be a plea at such times, utterly above all exception, against all allegations, terrours, and temptations to the contrary, to say: I was humbled under the burden of sinne, and sense of my spirituall misery: God in mercy offered mee His Sonne Iesus Christ freely, in the Mysterie of the Gospell, by the Ministry of the Word: I thereupon thirsted infinitely for His Person, and pretious blood, that I might thereby obtaine pardon and power against my sinnes: Hee called upon mee, and commanded mee to drinke my fill of the Water of life freely: I accepted His gracious Offer, and according to His Commandement cast my selfe upon the Lord Christ, against all the contradictions of carnall reason, and Sophistry of Satan; and since that time, Hee hath given mee power to serve Him in syncerity of heart. This is my ground and warrant, even the Commandement of my blessed God; Thus to drinke when I was thirsty: Against which, the gates of Hell can never possibly prevaile. In thy Case then, who thirsts extremely, and upon free Offer, yet refusest to drink, consider how unworthily thou dishonours God; and wrongs thine owne Soule, by suffering the Divels cavils, and the groundlesse exceptions of thine owne distrustfull heart, to prevaile with thee against the direct Command of Al-mighty God; ooObey the commandement, which commands thee to believe, against all unbeliefe, and above all beliefe, and to hope above hope, that is, in infinite doubtings, to believe; in all despaires to hope; and when all reasons, grounds, meanes, and hopes are wanting, yet to believe onelyonly, because God commands thee so to doe. Tho nature, reason, sense, and thy owne heart, and faithlesse feares, and all creatures forbid thee so to doe, saying, That thy strength and hope is perished from the Lord: Lam. 3. Yet obey, and believe none of these, but Gods Commandement, commanding thee to believe his promise against them all, and so to honour Him as God, above them all in power, mercy, truth and faithfulnesse. Throgmorton of Faith, pag. 194.Lam 3which thou oughtest to obey against all reason, sense, feares, doubts, despaires, and Hellish suggestions. Abraham, the Father of the Faithfull, did readily, and willingly submit to Gods Commandement; even to kill His owne onelyonly p. 417deare Sonne with His owne hand; naturally, matter of as great griefe, as could possibly pierce the heart of a mortall man: And wilt thou beeing broken-hearted, stand off from believing, and refuse, when Hee commands Thee to take His own only deere Son; especially sith thou takes with Him, the excellency and variety of all blessings both of Heaven & Earth; a Discharge from every moment of the everlasting paines of Hell; Deeds sealed with His own blood, of thy Right to the glorious Inheritance of the Saints in light. In a word, even pp1. Cor. 3 22.1 Cor 3:22all things, the most glorious Deity it self, blessed for ever, to bee enjoyed thorow Him, with unspeakeable and endlesse pleasure thorow all eternity? Prodigious qqNullum genus insipientiae infidelitate, (ut sic loquar) insipient…us. Bern. de consid.madnesse, cruelty to thine owne Soule, or something at which Heaven and Earth, Man and Angell, and all Creatures may stand amazed; That thou shouldest so wickedly, and willfully, forsake thine owne mercy, and neglect so great salvation.

6. Lastly, lest He should let passe any meanes, or be any waies wanting on His part to drive us to Christ, and settle our Soules upon Him with sure and everlasting confidence,ooDicitur, inquit, Deus etiam iurâssè, hoc est, iureiurando interminatus esse, non ingressuros esse in suam requiem. Quibusnam verò? Non sanè omnibus: sed solis illis contumacibus: Cogitate igitur, & vobis iuratam hanc Dei interminationem incumbere, si non obediat is Deo, per Evangelium vos hodiè vocanti. Par. in Loc. He also o threatneth: And to whom sware Hee, that they should not enter into His rest, but to them that believed not? Heb. 3.18. Wherein Hee expresseth extremest anger; unquenchable and implacable indignation: Hee sweares in his wrath, that no unbeleever shall ever enter into His rest. In the Threats of the Morall Law, there is no such Oath, but a secret reservation of mercy, upon the satisfaction of divine justice some other way. But herein the Lord is peremptory, and a third way shall never bee found, or afforded to the Sonnes of Men. Neglect of such a gracious Offer, of so great salvation, must needes provoke, and incense so great a God extraordinarily; For with prodigious ingratitude & folly, it flings, as it were, Gods free grace in His face againe; and sinnes against His mercy. Suppose, a mighty Prince passing by all the royall p. 418and noble blood in Christendome, many brave and honorable Ladies, should send to a poore maide, bred in a base Cottage, borne both of beggerly and wicked Parents; offer her marriage, & to make Her a Princesse: and shee then should foolishly refuse, and reject so infinitely undeserved, and unexpected advancement. As shee might thereupon bee justly branded for a notorious Bedlam; so would not so great a Prince, thinke you, bee mightily enraged, at such a dunghill indignity, and peevish affront? The Prince of peace, upon whos… thigh is written King of King…, and Lord of Lords, ssThe state of Mankinde is happy, in respect of the Angels which fell; for none of them are, or shall over bee restored to their former state. —As He, who falleth from a steepe and high Rocke into a deepe Pit or Gulfe, cannot possibly escape death; whereas one, whose fall is lesse, may have hope of life: so it is with these wicked Angels, whose sin we may truly call that unpardonable sin cō mitted against y^e holy Ghost. If it's objected, that the Angels may repent, and so obtaine salvation: We answer, First, that it is impossible, by reason of the nature of their sinne, being the sinne against▪ the Holy Ghost, that they should ever truly repent: and secondly, that if they could after some sort …epent, yet they are altogether uncapable of salvation; because God hath not taken unto Himselfe the nature of Angels, as Hee hath done the nature of Man; and so joyning it to Himselfe, who is life it selfe, made it a living and holy nature. Morton, Of the threefold state of Man, cap. 1. Sect 3.passing by more excellent and noble creatures, sends unto Thee; whose Father is corruption, and the worme thy mother and thy sister; and who in respect of thy spirituall state, lies polluted in thine owne blood, &c. And offers to betroth ttHos. 2.19.Hos 2:19Thee unto Himselfe in righteousnesse, and in iudgement, and in loving kindenesse, and in mercies: To Crowne Thee with all the riches, both of His kingdome of grace and glory, &c. Now, if thou shouldest stand off, which God forbid; as thereupon out of perfection of madnesse, thou forsakest thine owne salvation; so thou most justly enforcest that blessed Lord to sweare in his wrath, that thou shalt never bee saved.

Thus thou hast heard, how; First, Hee keepes open house to all such hungry and thirsty soules: Rev. 22.17. Secondly, Hee invites: Mat. 11.28. Thirdly, Invites with an awakening and rouzing compellation: Isa. 55.1. Fourthly, Intreats: 2. Cor. 5 20. Fifthly, Commands: 1. Ioh. 3.23. Sixthly, And threats: Heb. 3.18. How cruell then i… that Man to His owne wounded conscience, who in his extreme spirituall thirst, will not bee drawne, by this sixfold mercifull Cord, to p. 419drinke His fill of the Fountaine of the water of life; to cast Himselfe with confidence, and comfort, into the armes of the Lord Iesus? Which is more then infinitely able to tie the most trembling heart, and that which hangs-off most, by reason of pretended doubts, scruples and distrusts, to that blessed Saviour of His, with all full assurance and uuIsai. 6.….Isa 6perfect peace. How is it possible, but that all, or some of these should bring in every broken heart, to believe; and cause every one that is weary of his sinnes, to relie upon the Lord of life for everlasting Wellfare?

But that which I desire principally to presse for my purpose, in the P…int at this time, is this; Thy conscience is now awaked, terrifyed and troubled; and therefore, as I suppose, tender and very sensible, at least, for a time of the least sinne. …very sinne lies now upon thy Soule as heavy, as a mountaine of leade; and therefore thou wouldest not willingly adde, unto thy already insupportable burden, any more waight. All thy youthfull lusts, and abominations, stare in the face of thy conscience, with griesly and horrible lookes; and therefore, for the present, especially, thou art notably scared, from a willing provocation of Gods anger, and wounding it afresh with any new sinne. Well, it beeing thus then; If it appeare unto Thee, that by thy standing off, in the Case, I have supposed thee, from taking Christ as thine owne, applying the promises, as most certainely belonging unto …hee, and so putting to thy seale, that God is true; Thou dishonours Him extraordinarily in many respects: Mee thinkes then, thou shouldest bee mightily mooved, without any more adoe, to cast thy selfe presently upon the Lord Iesus with comfort and much assurance; Especially, sith thy so yeelding to the Law of faith, is for thy infinite good: And assure thy Selfe, thou offendest, in the meane time, many waies:

1. By a sowre, and selfe-will'd unmanerlinesse towards Christ; in not comming, when Hee calls theo; p. 420Mat. 11.28. It is pride, and high pride, saith a worthy **Ward in His Life of Faith.Divine, not to come when thou art called. It is rudenesse, and not good manners, not to doe as thou art bidden to doe; yea, so often and earnestly charged to doe. It would be a foule fault, and unmannerly disobedience for any subject in this kingdom, tho never so ragged & tatter'd, or pretending never so much His unfitnesse, and unfinenesse to presse into so great a presence, not to come unto the King, if Hee should please earnestly to call upon Him. Disobedience to the Law of faith, and reiecting Gods gracious Offer of his Sonne freely, is the greatest, and an inexpiable sinne. He hath sworne in his wrath, that such a Refusant shall never enter into His rest.

2. By a saucy prescribing unto Him, upon what termes Hee shall take thee:Isai. 55.1.Isa 55:1 Ho, sayes Hee, every One that thirsteth, come yee to the waters; and Hee that hath no money: Come yee, buy and eate; yea, come buy wine and milke without money, and without price. Nay, saist Thou, I will either bring something in mine hand, or I will none. Whereas it appeares in the cited Place, that Christ calls not onelyonly those that are thirsty; but also such as have no money.

3. By undervalewing the unvalewable worth of his pretious blood. As tho thy sinnes had exceeded the price, that hath been paid for them. Whereas it is called, Act, 20.28. Gods owne blood. And therefore no want in it, to wash away any sinne, and for ever.

4. By offering disparagement to all the promises in Gods blessed Booke; Every one whereof doth now sweetly, and upon good ground, invite thee, as it were, to repose upon it, as upon a sure Word of God, with everlasting rest and safty. But thou giving too much way to the Divels lies, and the dictates of thine owne distrustfull heart, keepes off, and retires; as tho they were too weak, to support thy now troubled, and trembling Soule, especially loaden with so many, and hainous sinnes. Whereby, consider how great indignity, p. 421thou offers to such pretious promises, and Places, as these: Isa. 1.18. Ezek. 36.25. Isa. 55.7.8.9. And 57.15. Especially, beeing so strongly backt by Gods blessed Oath: God willing more abundantly to shew unto the heires of promise, the immutability of His counsell, confirmed it by an Oath: That by two immutable things, in which it was impossible for God to lie, wee might have a strong consolation, who have fled for refuge to lay hold upon the hope set before us: Heb. 6.17.18. What a mighty strength may that most glorious speech of our all-mercifull God, infuse into our Faith; Ezek. 36.11. As I live, &c. As if Hee should have said: As xxVivo ego, dixit Dominus Ienova, &c.] Iurans per vitam suam, id est, Deitatis suae aeternam essentiam, omnipotentiam, & divinam Maiestatem, ac naturam. Quasidicat, quàm certum & immotū hoc est, quod vivam ego & sim verus, aeternus, vivus & omnipotens Deus, tam infallibili, támque irrefragabili certitudinis argumento nititur haec promissio. Laurent. Adversus desperationem.sure, as I am the True, Eternall, Living, and Omnipotent God, &c. so certainely, I have no pleasure in the death of the wicked; But I yyVt vivo, dictum Domini Iehovae, non delector morte improbi: sed delector, quum revertitur, &c. Iun. Piscat. Si quaeritur genuinus Prophetae sensus, tantùm spem veniae & vitae resipiscentibus facit, sic ut illis non sit dubitandum, quin Deus paratus sit ignoscere, &c. Polan in loc.have pleasure, that Hee should come in; take my Sonne, and bee my servant. Vnderstand the same proportionably of every promise: As sure as I have an eternall Essence, and Beeing of a God-head, &c. So certainely will I give freely to every One, that is truly zzMatth. 11.28.Matt 11:28weary of all His sins; and aaRevel. 21.6.Rev 21:6thirsts unfainedly for mercy and grace, eternal rest, and refreshing in the ever-springing Fountaine of all spirituall, and heavenly pleasures. And so of the rest.

In a word; what an unworthy thing is this; That all the pretious promises in the Booke of God, confirmed with his owne bbBeati sumus, quorum causâ Deus iurat, sed miseri & detestabiles; si ne iuranti quidem oredimus. Tertull.Oath▪ and sealed with His Sonnes blood, should suffer dishonour and disparagement, as it were, by thy distrust: As tho so many mighty Rocks of mercy and truth, were not able to susteine a poore bruised Reede?

5. By disabling and dis-honouring:

1. Gods free love. See Hos. 14.4. Ier. 31.3. Ezech. 16. Deut. 7.7.8. Ioh. 3.16. Eph. 1.5▪

If God would not give us Christ, without some matter and motives in us; without something done by our selves first; it were something to stand out in such a case: But he gives him most freely, without any respect, or expectation p. 422at all of any precedent worke, or worth on our part. OnelyOnly there is required a predisposition in the Partie, to take Christ, legall dejection, sight, sense, and burden of sinne; we must bee truly wounded, sensible of the Divels yoke, feele our owne misery; wee must prize Him above, and **See Luke 4.18.Luke 4:18thirst for Him more, then the whole world, &c. A aaSicut illi, qui morbum nec agnoscunt, nec sentiunt, medicinam nec curant, nec quaerunt, nec applicant: ita gratu…am misericordiam Dei, quae in Christo proponitur, nemo satis curat, nem… seriò & rect… quaerit & amplectitur, nisi qui agnitione, sen su, & pavore peccatorum, & i…ae Dei adversus peccata contritus & perterrefactus est. Lex enim paedagogus est, urgens & impellens ad quaerendam gratiam Dei, in Christo. Et ordo divinus est, quòd vult quidem Evang…lizare, sed pauperibus; vul… sanare, sed contritos; v…lt praedicare dimissionem, sed …, vult educere & liberare, sed …nctos, hoc est, sub pec…atis conclusos; vult consolari, sed contri…a…os & l…gentes; vult respicere, sed ad contritum spiritu; Be…e pl…citum est Domino, sed super timentes …um, & in eis, qui sperant super misericordiâ eius; vult res…ce…e, sed laborant… & …n…ratos; …lt coronare misericordiâ & miserationibus, sed caput humiliatum, non turgidum; vult in…undere oleum misericordiae, sed vulneratis, &c. Chemnit. Exam. p. 2. De contrit.man will not seriously seeke after a Physition, before Hee feele Himselfe to be sicke; for ease, before Hee bee prest with the waight of His burden; for a plaister, before Hee bee wounded; for heavenly riches, before Hee bee sensible of His spirituall beggery; for enlargement and pardon, before Hee finde himselfe in prison; for mercy, before Hee smart with sense of His misery. Such dispositions then as these serve onelyonly to drive us unto Christ, and to let us see and feele a necessity of Him; But they are infinitely, with more then an utter impossibility disabled, by any worthinesse, to draw on Christ. Hee is a Gift; Rom. 5.16. Ioh. 3.16. And what is freer then Gift? Nothing is required at our hands, for receiving Him; but emptie-handednesse, and sensiblenesse of our owne nothingnesse. Our Heavenly Father never did, or ever will fell His Sonne unto any Iustitiarie; or any, that will needes bee something in Himselfe: Hee ever did, and ever will give Him to every poore Soule, thas is vile in His owne eyes, nothing in himselfe; labours, and is heavy laden, and willing to take Him as a Saviour, and a Lord. A full hand can hold nothing; Either it must bee empty, or wee cannot receive Christ. First thirst, and then buy, without money, and without price. Isa. 55.1.

Mee thinkes bbSive meo volueris expol…ri ornatu, sive armis meis armari, … mea … meis delitiari; sive iter meum peragere, sive in … art sex & cond…tor ipse sum, sive in regione meà domum aedificare: … omnia facere potes, ut non modò … abs te harum rerum omnium mercedem exigam, sed ipse tibi magnae velim esse mercedis debitor, dummodò uti rebus meis non abomineris. Quid huic liberalitati aequale unquam inveniri potest? In cap. Matth. 24. Homil. 77.Matt 24Chrysostome doth somewhere set out p. 423sweetly, the admirable, and adored frankenesse of this divine bounty:

^b If thou wilt be adorned with my comlinesse, or bee armed with my weapons, or put on my garments, or bee fed with my dainties, or finish my iourney, or come into that City, whose Builder and Maker I am, or build an House in my Countrey: Thou maist so doe all these things; that I will not onelyonly not exact of thee any price, or paiment for any of these things; but I my selfe would bee a Debtour unto thee of a great Reward, so that thou wouldest not disdaine to use my things, my strength, gifts, graces. What can be ever found equall to this bounty?

If God then bee so infinitely good, as to offer His Sonne so freely; And thou so fitted to receive Him; by sensiblenesse of thy spirituall miserie, thirsting for his blood, resolving upon His service for the time to come, &c. How unad-visedly cruell art thou to thine owne conscience, and unmannerlily proud, that wilt needs stand off still from taking the Lord Iesus; and suffer still thy poore trembling Soule to lie unnecessarily upon the Racke of terrour? Sith thou gets and gaines nothing thereby; but, first, Gods dishonour: secondly, Thine owne willfull torture: thirdly, Gratification of Satans malicious cruelty.

Obiect. 1. But were it not fitter for mee, maist thou say, first to amend my life; to doe some good workes; to have experience of the Change of my conversation; to grieve legally longer, &c. Before I bee so bold, as to lay hold upon Christ, and apply the Promises?

Answ. Thou must first bee alive, before thou canst ccAs for thy doings, thou must have that power from God after thy Believing: Therefore Believe first, and thou shalt doe after. Rogers Dedham, Doctrine of Faith, pag. 150. —They may not, for any thing they see in themselves, put these promises from them: But rather in admiration of Gods wonderfull goodnesse, mercy, and compassion upon such unworthy wretches, to give glory unto God, in Believing and accepting this mercy so freely offered: which they must …oe, before they shall see such a thorow change of heart and life in them, as they earnestly d…sir…, and for want w…eof they thinke … not to be … is to such, if … onelyonly, yet … let and … in faith: … son it, by these his … draw them … tho weakly, yet t…ly to stay … …pō Gods great …, so revealed to …: then assuredly shall they see, and … this change in their …, that they know not what to say, or thinke of Gods mercy, in pardoning such, as they feele themselves to bee. This cannot but breed an unfained love in them to God, with an earnest desire, and true purpose to glorifie Him; which bee the chiefe …arts of an holy life, and surest proofes of saving Faith: which can no more want these, then true fire can want heate, (tho too many carnall Gospellers thinke otherwise) and so miserably perish. Culverw. Of Faith, pag. 220.worke; Thou must have spirituall ability inspired, before p. 424thou canst walke in the dd2. Chro. 6.27.2 Chr 6:27good way; Thou must be justified, before thou bee sanctified. Now spirituall life is onelyonly then, and never before, or by any other meanes infused; but when wee reach out an eeI must bring unto the receiving of Christ an empty hand: That it may be of grace, God will make us let f…ll every thing, before wee shall take hold of Him: Tho qualified wi… humiliation, I must let all fall, not trusting unto it, as to make mee worthier to receive Christ (as some thinke): I say, when thus at first for my justification I receive Him, I must let fall any thing I have, to lay hold on Him, that so Hee may finde mee in my s…t as it were, in my blood D. O.empty hand, and take Iesus Christ into our humbled Soules. When a … wearie of all sinne, according to His ffMatth. 11.28. 1. Ioh. 3.23. Revel. 3.18.Matt 11:281 John 3:23Rev 3:18Call, Commandement, and counsell, roles itself, as it were, and ggThou wilt keepe Him in perfect peace, whose … is stayed on thee, because Hee trusteth in Thee. Isai. 26 3. Is stayed on Th…e or leaneth upon Thee: foreign Nixus, innixus fuit, incu…uit. Buxtorf. Fides illa proprie …, quâ incumbimus in Christū ad remissionem peccatorum & sal…tem. Amesius Medal. Theolog. lib. 1. cap. 27. Sect. 27. Credere in Deum est credendo … rere Deo, inniti Deo, ac qui es…ere in Deo tanquam in vitâ ac salute nostrâ omnisuffi…iente. Deut 30.20. Adhaerendo …i: Nam ipse est vita tua Idem. Lib. 1 Cap. 3. Sect. 15. [Adhaerendo] A [foreign Haesit, adhaesit. Buxtor]. Quòd verò fiducia dicitur fructus fidei: verum id est de fiduci…, pro ut r…spici… Deum in futurum & est spes firma: sed pro ut respicit Deum in Christo, in praesenti… se offerentem, est ipsa fides. Idem. Ibid. Sect. 21.Isa 26:3Deut 30:20…anes upon the Lord Iesus; then is spirituall life first brea…hed into it: The vitall operations of grace in …ll holy duties, good deeds, amendment of life, holy walking, universall obedience, &c. must appeare afterward. Zacheus, received Iesus Christ first into His heart and house, before Hee was able to restore, and distribute. Casting ou… selves upon that Lord of life with truth of heart; as our onelyonly Iewell and Ioy we have in heaven, or in earth … whom we are resolved to live and die; drawes fr…m Him into our soules that heavenly vertue and vigour, whereby we are afterward inabled to exercise all the functions of spirituall life, and to die to the world, and all wordly pleasures for ever. Herein is thy p. 425fault and failing, thou conceives not a right of Gods free grace; but thinkes thou shalt not bee welcome, except thou comest with thy hhMany despaire of helpe, because of their owne unworthinesse; as tho there were no hope of Gods mercy, except wee bring in our gift, and pawne in our hands to Him: But this were to discredit the Lords mercies, and to bring into credit our merits; and rather to binde the Lord unto us, then us unto Him: But if our sinnes bee great, our redemption is greater; Tho our merits bee beggerly, Gods mercy is a rich mercy, &c. Greenham in his Grave Counsels, pag. 9.cost. Whereas God ever gives His Sonne freely; and bids thee come, and welcome and buy without money, and without price.

Obiect. 2. But will it not bee presumption in mee, having no good thing in mee at all, to bring with mee; but comming now, as it were, fresh out of Hell, from a most wicked, impure, abominable life, to take Christ as mine owne; and all those rich and pretious promises sealed with his blood?

Answ. Enough hath been already said, to meete with this objection. It is not presumption, but good manners to come, when thou art called. How can Hee bee said to presume, who is both invited and intreated; commanded and threatned to come in, &c. Of which see before. Thou must now in this extreme spirituall thirst of thine, drinke of the water of life, so freely offered, that thou mayst receive some heavenly strength to bee good, and **Ioh. 1.12.John 1:12power to become the Sonne of God. Thou must throw thy sinfull Soule upon Iesus Christ, bleeding and breathing out his last upon the Crosse; as the Body of the Shunamites Childe was applyed to the Prophet stretching himselfe upon it; That thou mayst thereby bee quickened with desired fruitfulnesse, filled by little and little with all the fulnesse of God;Ephes. 3.19. Ioh. 1.16. & 11.25.Eph 3:19John 1:16John 11:25 receiving grace for grace: I am the resurrection, and the life, saith Christ: Hee that believeth in me, tho He were dead, yet shall Hee live.

It were execrable presumption, for any Man, who aaFaith, and the purpose of sinning, can never stand together. Perkins, Graine of Muster-seed, Conclu. 6.purposeth to goe on in the willing practise, or allowance of any one knowne sinne, to believe that Christ is His righteousnesse and sanctification. But where all sin is a Burden, every promise as a world of gold, and the heart syncere for a new way; there a Man may be bold. For thee to have pretended part in Christ, wallowing yet in thy sinnes, had been horrible presumption indeed: p. 426and for mee to have applyed the Promises, and preached peace unto thy remorselesse conscience, before the Pangs of the New-birth had seazed upon thee, had been damnable dawbing: But in the Case I now suppose Thee to bee; it is both seasonable, and surely grounded; for mee to assure thee of acceptation and pardon: and for thee to receive Iesus Christ without any more adoe, into the armes of thy humbled Soule.

2. His sweet Name: Exod. 34.6.7. Wherein is prevented, whatsoever may any wayes bee pretended for standing out in this Case: as appeares fully before, pag. 415. line 25.

3. His glorious Attributes.

1. His Truth. Hee that believeth, hath set to His Seale, that God is true: Ioh. 3.33. He that labours, and is heavy laden with the burden of sin, comes to Christ for case, when Hee is called; takes Him for his Saviour, and His Lord; and thereupon grounds a resolute, unshaken and everlasting confidence, that hee is His for ever; puts to his Seale, that Christ is true; that His pretious promise, Come unto mee all yee that labour, and are heavy laden, and I will give you rest; Mat. 11.28. is inviolable. Whereby Christ Iesus, blessed for ever, is bbSi tùm pendeat ex nudo quast Dei verbo & promissione, sanè quàm potest maximè Deum honorat; id quod …ecisse Abrahamum legimus, qui contra spem subspe credidit, Deum, quod promiserat, potuissè etiam sacere, ac proindegloriam Deo tribuisse dicitur. —Voluit hominem ex sensu imperfectionis, ins…mitatis ac miseriae suae, perpetuò, per fidem Christi, confugere ad gratuitas ili. … promissiones in Christo Iesu, & ab illis prorsùs pendere; eâ quippe re existimavit sese quàm maxime glori…icari. — I…llitiailla Christi aeterna nobis imputata, maior est iustitiâ hominem & Angelorum omnium: & vita, quae est ex iliá n…stitiâ, maior est vitâ c…, quae fuisset ex institiâ operum, si fing as Adamum perstitisse in illo statu innocentiae, in quo tumprimùm creatus est. Rolloc. in Iohan. cap. 3.mightily honoured His truth glorified, and thine owne soule with extraordinary, blessednesse everlastingly enlived. But Hee now that retires in this Case, and holds off, makes Him, who is Truth it selfe, a lyar: Hee that believeth not God, hath made Him a Lyar: 1. Ioh. 5.10.

Now what a fearefull indignity is this against the p. 427Lord God of Truth? Wee see too often how miserable mortall men, wormes of the earth, take such an affront at the hands one of another: For many times, for the Lie given them, they throw themselves desperately upon the irrecoverable ruine of their lives, states, soules and posterity, by chalenging the field, and killing each other. Which ccImpios extremae blasphemiae reos facit, quia Deum mendacij arguunt. Certè Deo nihil pretiosius est, quàm sua veritas: quare nùlla illi atrocior iniuria fieri potest, quàm dum hoc honore spoliatur. Ergò ut nos ad credendum incitet, argumentum à contrario sumit. Nam si Deum facere mendacem horribilis est, & execranda impietas, quia tunc quod illi maximè proprium est, eripitur: quis non horreat fidem Evangelio derogare, in quo Deus unice verax & fidelis vult haberi? —Mirantur aliqui, cur tantoperè Deus fidem commendet, cur tam severè damnetur incredulitas. Atqui hîc vertitur summa Dei gloria. Nam cum praecipuum veritatis suae specimen in Evangelio edere voluerit, nihil illi faciunt reliquum, quicunque oblatum illic Christum respuunt. Calv. in loc. Insignitèr Deum iniurijs & contumelijs afficiunt, qui de verbis eius dubitant, & credere morantur. —Magnus Dei cultus, fides: magna in Deum blasphemia, incredulitas. Naogeor. Ibid.dishonour to the mighty Lord of heaven and earth, is the greater, and is much aggravated by the infinite infallibility of the promises. For besides His Word, which were more then immeasurably sufficient, Hee hath added a most solemne Oath for our sakes, that wee might have greater assurance, and stronger consolation.

2. His Mercy, most directly and specially. And to say nothing of the freenesse of His mercy; which springs onelyonly out of the riches of his infinite bounty, and the good pleasure of His will: of his readinesse to forgive; otherwise the death of Christ should bee of none effect, His blood shed in vaine; the greatest worke lost, that ever was done: of His delight in mercy: Mich. 7.18. Mercy in man is a quality, in God it is His ddDeus est misericors suâ aeternâ & simplici essentiâ, non autem qualitate aliquâ, non affectu, non passione. Polan. Syntag. Theol lib. 2. cap. 23. Quia Deus naturaliter diligit clementiam, ideò tam facilis est ad ignoscendum peccatoribus. Calv. in Michaeam, cap. 7.nature and essence. Now what wee doe naturally, wee doe willingly, readily, unweariedly: As the eye is not weary of seeing, the eare with hearing, &c. eeMisericordia Dei melli, iustitia verò aculeo comparatur. Bern.A Bee gives honey naturally, never stings, but provoked: When God is angry, it is but, as it were, by accident, upon occasion; drawne unto it by the violent importunity of our multiplied provocations; but Hee delights in mercy, &c. I say, to say nothing of these; this one consideration may convince us of extreme folly, in refusing mercy in such a Case, for all the hainousnesse, p. 428or number of our sinnes: to wit, That no sinnes, either for number, or notoriousnesse, in a truly broken heart, can make so much resistance to Gods infinite mercies, as the least ffCogita scintillam, si in mare ceciderit, non poterit stare, aut apparere. Quantum scintilla ad mare se habet, tantum hominis malitia ad Dei clementiam pictatémque; imò verò non tantum modò, sed & lonè suprà. Nam & pelagus, tamet si magnum sit, mensuram recipit: Dei verò clementia & pictas mensuram non habet. Haec dicam, non quò vos desidiores, sed promptiores reddam. Chrys. Tom. 5. De Poenit.sparke of fire, to the whole Sea, and that is little enough. Nay, as infinitely lesse, as an infinite thing exceedes a finite. Betweene which there is no proportion.

3. His Power. For thou art very like thus, or in the like manner, to reason within thy selfe, and cavill cruelly against thine owne Soule: Alas! what talke you of taking Christ, the promises of life, and heavenly lightsomnesse; my poore heart is as darke as the very middle of Hell; much harder then a Rocke of Adamant; as cold and dead, as the senselesse Center of the earth; as uncomfortable and restlesse, almost, as desperation it selfe, &c. It is more then infinitely impossible, that such a darke, hard, dead, comfortlesse Thing should ever bee enlightened, softened, quickened, and established with joy, &c.

But marke how herein, thou unadvisedly undervalewes, and unworthily sets bounds to the ggCredo in Deum Patrem omnipotentem. Vide quàm citò dicitur, & quantum valet. Deus est, & Pater est: Deus potestate, Pater bonitate. Quàm felices samus, qui Dominum nostrum Patrem invenimus. Credamus ergò in cum, & omnia nobis de ipsius …sericordiâ promittamus. Quia o…nipotens est, ideò in Deum Patrem omnipotentem credimus. Nemo dicat, non potest mihi dimittere pe…ata. Quomodo non potest omnipotens? Sed dicis, ego multum peccavi, Et ego dico, sed ille om…ipotens est. Et tu, Ego ta…a peccata com nisi, unde liberari & mundari non pussum. Respo…ieo, sed ille omnis ote… est. —Ad hec nobis est erus omnipotentia necessaria. August. De temp. Scrip. 119.unlimited power of God. Whereas thou shouldest imitate Abraham, the Father of all them that believe, who staggered not at the Promise of God through unbeliefe: but was strong in faith, giving glory to God: And beeing fully perswaded, that what Hee had promised, Hee was able also to performe: Rom. 4.20.21.

Bee advised in this Case:

1. To compare these two things together: The making of the seven Starres, and Orion, and turning the shadow of death into the morning; And the infusion of heavenly light into thy darke and heavy heart: And doest thou not think, that the second is as easie as the first, to p. 429the same Omnipotent hand? Nay, it is easier in our conceit (to the Divine Majesty nothing is difficult or un-easie); For those glorious shining Constellations were created of nothing; and nothing hath no disposition to any Beeing at all, much lesse to any particular existence; But a Soule sensible and weary of it's spirituall darknesse, is in the nearest, and most immediate passive disposition, if I may so speake, to receive the whole Sunne of righteousnesse. Reach but out thy hand in this Case to Iesus Christ, offering Himselfe freely unto Thee, as a Saviour and Lord; and thou shalt presently take possession of the Kingdome of Grace, and undoubted Right to the everlasting Kingdome of Glory. The Prophet Amos 5.8. presseth this Argument of power for some such purpose. And it may serve excellently against all pretences and counter-pleaes for a supposed impossibilitie of being illightened, and refreshed in the depth of spirituall darkenesse and distresse. It may bee, Thou mayest say unto Mee, You advise mee indeed to seeke Gods face and favour, &c. But alas! Mine is not an ordinary heart, it is so full of guilty sadnesse, and horror for sin, that I have little hope, &c. Yea, but consider, He that I counsell Thee to seek, made the seven Starres and Orion, and turneth the shadow of death into the Morning: and will doe fargreater wonders for thy Soule, if thou wilt believe the Prophets, that thou mayest prosper. If thou will trust in Him, He will quickly turne the tumultuous roarings of thy conscience into perfect peace. Thou wilt keepe Him in perfect peace, whose minde is stayed on thee: because Hee trusteth in Thee: Isai. 26.

3. The Prophet therefore, to prevent all scruples and exceptions in this kinde, calles upon them thus: Seeke him that maketh the seven Starres, and Orion, &c.

2. Secondly, lay these two together: To bring hony out of the Rocke, and oyle out of the flinty Rocke; Deut. 32.13. And to mollifie thine heart, even to thine owne hearts desire; in which there is already some softnesse, p. 430else thou couldest not sensibly and syncorely complaine of it's hardnesse. And thou must needs acknowledge, that they are both equally easie to the same Almightie arme.

3. Thirdly, thou mayst well consider, that it is a farre greater worke to make Heaven and Earth; then to put spirituall life and lightsomnesse into thy truly humbled, and thirsty Soule, to which so many pretious Promises are made. And Hee, with whom Thou hast to doe, and from whom thou expectest helpe, is He, that made Heaven and Earth, the Sea, and all that therein is: which keepeth truth for ever. Which openeth the eyes of the blind,— and raiseth them that are bowed downe: Psal. 146.6. Which heal…th the broken in heart: and bindeth up their wounds. — Who taketh pleasure in them that feare Him: in those, that hope in His mercy: Psal. 147.3.11.

4. In such an extremity of helpe-lesnesse, and hope-lesnesse; In this trembling and terrour of thy heart, thou shouldest call to minde for thy comfort; That Hee who establisheth all the Ends of the Earth, Prov. 30 4. and hath hung that mighty and massie Body upon Nothing, Iob 26.7 can most easily stay, and stablish the most forlorne and forsaken Soule, even sinking into the mouth of despaire. Hee that said at first to the Earth, Stand still upon Nothing and it never stirr'd out of it's place since the Creation, can easily uphold, fortifie, and refresh thine heart in the depth of the most grievous spirituall misery. Even, when in the bitternesse of thy spirit, thou cries; My strength, and my hope is perished from the Lord: Lament. 3.18.

4. Even his Iustice. Christs blood is already payed, as a price, for the pardon of the sinnes of thine humbled Soule; and thou wilt needs pay it over againe, or else thou wilt not enter upon the Purchase: As tho God did expect and exact the discharge of the same debt twice; which to imagine, were a monstrous intolerable p. 431indignity to the most just God. You know full well, what conceit wee should hold of that Man, who having a debt fully discharged by the Surety, should presse upon the Principall for the payment of the same againe. Wee should indeed thinke HIm to bee a very cruell, hard-hearted, and mercilesse Man: wee should call Him a Turke, a Cut-throate, a Canniball; farre fitter to lodge in a Den of Tygers, then to live in the society of men. What a fearefull dishonour then is i… to the mercifull, and mighty Lord of Heaven and Earth; To the righteous Iudge of all the World, to conceive, that having received an exact, hhQuemadmodum igitur si quis in car…eris cus…odiam … nammos ob d…ed…entem conijcia…, neque …osum solum, sed cum illa, & propter illum. sim…l… …orem, liberos & f…m…los, v…m…is verò aliu… qui …ptam, qui non solu sol…at dicem illos numm…, s…t & i… mera … talenta largiatur, vinct…mque in reg…lem au…am inducat & in … hono… … is …ene…ator … …gere: i…a & … factum … siquiten … debeamus, Christus pronobis solvit, tantoque plura, quanto gutt…h…m exig…am p…l…gus excilli …m ensum. Noli itaque dissidere, O homo, cùm … honorum a…r…ias vtae…s n…que sol…tas inquiras quomodò scintillula illa mortis atque peccati, to…tosit donorum s…perinducto ma…i soluta & extincia. Chrys. Hom. …1. in 5. and Rom. Satanta inaequalitus prelij & redemp…, quanta immensi maris & umus guttulae: quorsùm supplemtatum meritorum, &c? Chami…. Tom. 3. pag. 249.and full satisfaction for all our sinnes, by the hearts-blood of His owne deare Sonne, should ever require them againe at our hands! Farre bee it then from every One, who would not offer extraordinary disparagement, even to Gods glorious Iustice, to entertaine any such thought: Especially, s…th wee have His Word, His Oath, and the Seale of His Sonnes blood for security. And assuredly, wee may build upon it, as upon a Rocke of eternall truth; that when wee come unto Christ, weary of all our sinnes, thirsting syncerely for Him, and throwing our selves upon Him, as Salvation it selfe; resolved to take upon us His sweet and easie yoke for the time to come; Hee doth presently, as Hee hath promised, take off the burden, and free us everlastingly, from the guilt and staine; damnation and reigne of all our sinnes.

But now, if thou wilt cast thy self upon Iesus Christ, role thy selfe upon the Promises, beeing so humbled, spiritually thirsty, and resolved, as thou hast said, and I supposed at the first: For wee, who are Gods Messengers, comfort and assure of pardon in such Cases, onelyonly p. 432upon supposition, that the heart and speeches; all the Promises and protestations of the Party and Patient, we deale with, bee syncere every way; I say, if thou thus cast thy selfe upon the Lord Iesus, and the promises of life, having a well-grounded, strong and seasonable calling thereunto, beeing, as appeares before, invited, intreated, commanded, &c. The Case will be blessedly altered. Thou shalt then doe, as God would have Thee; and mightily honour the un-valew-able, and iiConcedimus satisfactionis dignitatemori…i à Personá satisfaciente: ideo …ue satisfactionem Christi maximae, imò infinitae dignitatis esse. Idem. Ibid. pa. 245.infinite dignity of His Sonnes Passion, and blood, the pretious freenesse of all the Promises, His free love, sweet Name, Truth, Mercy, Power, Iustice, &c. Thou shalt also cut off, and defeate the Divels present fiery darts, and Projects of further cruelty; dis-intangle and unwinde thy selfe out of the irkesome Maze of restlesse terrours, and trouble of minde; crowne thine owne soule in the meane time with peace that passeth all understanding, Philip. 4.7. 1. Pet. 1.8.Phil 4:71 Pet 1:8with ioy unspeakeable, and full of glory; with Evangelicall pleasures, such as neither eye hath seene, eare heard, or have entred into the heart of Man;1. Cor. 2.9.1 Cor 2:9 and hereafter be most certainely received by that sweetest Redeemer of thine, into those glorious Mansions above; where nothing, but light and blessed immortalitie, no shaddow for matter of teares, discontentments, griefes, and uncomfortable passions to worke upon; but all ioy, tranquillity and peace, even for ever and ever, doth dwell.

2. Yea, but may an other say, I, in the Case proposed have cast my selfe according to your counsell, upon Iesus Christ; and there, by the mercy of God, am I resolved to sticke, come what come will; and yet no comfort comes: What doe you thinke, should I thinke of my selfe, in this Case?

I think in such a Case, it may be convenient, and that such an One hath thereupon some cause and Calling, seriously and impartially, to search and trie His spirituall state. For which purpose ponder seriously upon such considerations as these: some of which may discover p. 433unsoundnesse; Others His unadvisednesse.

1. It may bee, the Party is not yet come in truth, to that sound humiliation, contrition, spirituall thirsting, resolution to sell all, &c. required by the reverend **Master Rogers of Dedham.Author in that most profitable, and piercing Doctrine of Faith, quoted before: but onelyonly hath passed over them overly, not soundly; superficially, not syncerely; and then no marvell, tho no true and reall comfort come. Informe thy selfe further in this Point, and that thou mayst more fully know my meaning in it, and be guided aright in a marter of so great waight, Ibid. Cap. 2. Of the Author and meanes of Faith. And Cap. 5. Of the difficulty of Faith, pag. 284, &c.

2. Or it may bee, howsoever Hee protest otherwise, and for all His partiall Legall terrour, and trouble of minde, His deceitfull heart may still secretly harbour and hanker after some sweet sinne, as Pride, Revenge, strange Fashions, Worldlinesse, Lust, Playes, Gaming, Good-fellowship, as it is call'd, &c. From which, it doth not heartily yeeld, resolve, and endeavour to make an utter and kkSed videte qualis debet esse poenitentia, quia multi assid…è se du…nt esse peccatores, & tamen adhuc illos delectat peccare. Professio est, non emendatio. Accusatur anima, non sanatur. Pronunciatur Offensa, non tollitur. Poetentiam certam non facit, nisi odium peccati & amor Dei. Quandosi… poe…tes, ut tibi amarum sapiat in animo, quod ante dul…e fuit in vitâ, & quod te prius oblectaba… in corpore, ipsum te cruciat in mente, &c. August. de Temp. Serm. 7.finall cessation and divorce. And assuredly, that false heart, which regards, and allowes any wickednesse in it selfe, howsoever it may be deluded with some Anabaptisticall flashes; yet shall never bee truly refreshed with ioy in the holy Ghost.

3. It may bee, tho there was some probable and plausible shewes, that the Party was principally cast downe, and affected with the heavy waight of sin, and horrour of Gods wrath for it; yet the true predominant cause of His heavinesse, harts-griefe, and bitterest complaint, was some secret earthly discontentment, the restlesse biting of some worldly sting. And in such Cases, remove this, and you remove His paine; Comfort Him about his Crosse, and you set Him where Hee was. And therefore, as in all this He continues a meere stranger in affection to the sweetnesse, amiablenesse, and excellency of Iesus Christ; so it is impossible, that p. 434Hee should bee acquainted with any sound spirituall comfort.

But I will suppose all to bee syncere, and as it should bee: Let mee advise Thee then to take notice of thine unadvisednesse.

1. Thou art, perhaps, so full of the want of feeling, such a stranger to so much expected, and desired ioy, and peace in believing; and by consequent, so drowned in the unnecessary distractions, and distempers of a sad heart, that thou utterly forgets to give thankes, and magnifie Gods singular, and incomprehensible mercy, for illightening, convincing, and terrifying thy conscience; offering his Sonne; raising in thine heart an insatiable thirst after Him; and giving Thee spirituall abilitie to rest thy weary Soule upon Him. And who knowes not, that unthankfulnesse keepes many good things from us; and is an unhappy blocke in the way, to intercept, and hinder the comfortable influence, and current of God, favours and mercies, from being showred downe so frankly and plentifully upon His people. And Hee is more likely to bee the more provoked in this Case; because thou suffers thine heart to bee lockt up, and thy Tongue tied, by Satans cunning and cruell malice, from praysing the glory of Gods free grace, for such a worke of wonder: I meane, that mighty Change of thine from nature to grace; in extolling of which, were all the hearts and tongues, of all the Men and Angels in Heaven and Earth, set on worke industriously thorow all eternitie, they would still come infinitely short, of that which is due and deserved.

2. Or it may be, when some One of a thousand, upon thy complaint, that no comfort comes, doth seriously labour to settle thine heart in peace; pressing upon Thee for that purpose, invincible and unanswer-able Arguments out of the Word of Truth; to open it wide, that over-flowing Rivers of Evangelicall joyes, which may spring to Him that is advised, and believes the Prophets, p. 435abundantly, even from the weakest Faith, to refresh and comfort it: Telling thee, that as thine humbled Soule, learning upon Christ, drawes much heavenly vertue, mortifying power, and sanctifying grace from him; so it may, and ought also to draw abundance of spirituall lightsomnesse from that ever-springing Fountaine of life, &c. Yet notwithstanding all this, thou suffers some malicious counter-blasts, and contrary suggestions of the Divell, to disperse and frustrate all these well-grounded and glorious Messages. And therefore it is just with God, that thou fare the worse at his hands, and fall short of thine expectation; because thou gives more credit to the Father of Lyes, then the Lord of Truth. Sith thou spills all the Cordials, that are tendered unto thee in the Name of Christ by His faithfull Physicions, thou art deservedly destitute of comfort still. Many in such Cases, while Gods Messenger, who can rightly declare His wayes unto them, stands by, opening, and applying the rich treasures of Gods free mercy, in the mysterie of the Gospell, and with present replies, repelling Satans cavils, are reasonably well cheared, and revived; But when Hee is gone, they very weakely, and unworthily give way againe to that foule lying Fiend, to cast a dis-comfortable mist over the tender eye of their weake Faith, and to domineere as Hee did before.

Tell mee true; If thou wert in doubt and distresse about thy temporall state, Tenure of thy Lands, soundnesse of thy evidence; Wouldest thou advise with, and take counsell from a Foole, a Knaue, and an enemy; or wouldest Thou make choise of an honest, wise, understanding Friend? I doubt not of thine Answer: And wilt thou then so farre disparage divne truth, gratifie Hell, and hurt thine owne heart, as in that waightiest Point of thy spirituall state; to consult and resolve with the Divell, a Liar, a Murtherer, and sworne enemy to Gods glory, and thy Soules good; And neglect God Himselfe, blessed for ever, speaking unto Thee p. 436out of His Word, by that Minister, which in such a Case durst not falsify, or flatter Thee for a World of gold. Shall many thousands of worldly-wise men, give credit very readily, and roundly, to Dawbers with untempered morter, upon a false and rotten foundation, to the most certaine, and eternall ruine of their Soules; And shall not an humble, and upright-hearted Man, believe the Prophet upon good ground; that the bones, which the heavy burden of sinne hath broken, may reioyce? God forbid.

3. Nay, but suppose the Party bee truly humbled, very thankefull, resolute against all sinne, labour to believe the Prophets, &c. And yet no comfort come? I say then, there is an other Duty expected at thy hands, right pretious and pleasing unto God: And that is waiting. By which God would,

1. Set yet a sharper edge and eagernesse more hungring and thirsting, greater longing, and panting after the ravishing sweetnesse of His comfortable presence; with which melting, earnest, crying dispositions, Hee is very much delighted;

2. Cause us with peace and patience to submit unto, and depend upon His mercifull wisedome, in disposing and appointing times and seasons for our deliverances and refreshings. For Hee well knowes, that very Point and Period of time: first, when His mercy shall bee most magnifyed: secondly, His childrens hearts most seasonably comforted, and kindlily enlarged, to poure out themselves in praisefulnesse: thirdly, His, and our spirituall enemies most gloriously confounded:

3. Quicken, and set on worke with extraordinary fervency, the spirit of prayer; fright us further from sinne for the time to come; fit us for a more fruitfull improovement, of all Offers and opportunities to doe our Soules good; to make more of ioy and peace in believing, when we enioy it; And to declare to others p. 437in like extremity, Gods dealing with us, for their support, &c.

Wee must learne then, to expect, and bee content with Gods season: And hold up our hearts in the meane time with such considerations, as these; first, we performe a very acceptable service, and a Christian Duty, right pleasing unto, and much prevailing with God, by waiting, See Isa. 40.31. and 64.4. And 49.23. Lam, 3.25. Secondly, By our patient dependance upon God in this kinde, wee may mightily encrease, and multiply our comfort, when His time is come. For He is woont to recompence abundantly, at last, His longer tarrying with excesse of ioy, and over-flowing expressions of His love. Thirdly, wee must ever remember; that all the while Hee exerciseth us with waiting, that season is not yet come, which in His mercifull wisedome, Hee holds the meetest to magnify the glory of His mercy most, and wiseliest to advance our spirituall good. Fourthly, And that which is best of all, If the true Convert, resting His weary Soule upon the Lord Iesus, and Promises of life, should bee taken away, before Hee attaine His desired comfort; Hee shall bee certainely saved, and undoubtedly crowned with everlasting blessednesse. For, Blessed are all they that waite for Him: Isa. 30.18. A Man is saved by Believing; and not by ioy and peace in Believing: Salvation is an inseparable companion of Faith: But ioy and peace accompany it, as a separable accident: As that which may be remooved from it; yea, there is cause why it should bee remooved. The light would never bee so acceptable, were it not for that usuall entercourse of darkenesse, &c.

Take here notice upon this occasion; That as a truly humbled Soule receiving Christ, in the sense I have said, hath power given Him thereby to become the Sonne of God; so Hee doth draw also from that glorious obiect p. 438of Faith, so full of all amiablenesse, excellency, and sweetnesse.

1. Sometimes, by the mercy of God, a very sensible, stirring, and ravishing ioy, unspeakeable, and full of glory: which, tho it be many times very short, yet is unutterably sweet.

2. If not so, yet an habituall calmenesse of conscience, if I may so call it. Which, tho wee doe not marke it so much, or magnifie Gods mercy for it, as we ought; yet it makes us differ as far by a comfortable freedome from many slavish, guilty twitches, & an universall contentednesse in all our courses, and Passages thorow this vale of teares, from the worlds dearest Minion, and most admired Favourite, as **Quantū inter tranquillissimū interest portum, & mare tempestuosum atque incommodum. Chrysost.the highest region of the Aire, from the restlesse and raging Sea. Especially, if that unhappily happie wretch, have a waking conscience.

3. Or at least, ever a secret heavenlie vigour, whereby the Soule is savingly supported in what state soever; though it be under the continued pressures of most hideous temptations. The tyth of the terrour whereof, would make many a wordling make away Himselfe, because Hee wants this stay. And suppose they should last unto the last gaspe, even unto thine ending houre▪ Nay entrance into Heaven; ****Who is among you that feareth the Lord, that obeyeth the voyce of His servant, that walketh in darkenesse, and hath no light? Let Him trust in the Name of the Lord, and stay upon his God: Isai. 50.10 Here it appeares, that one which truly feares God, may walk in darkenesse, and have no light of co…fort: And that such an One may bee certainely saved, by staying upon …is God. By leaning upon Him, as One leanes upon a sta…fe. foreign niti, inniti, incumbere, foreign Incumbebat hastae suae, nitebatur super hastam suam. 2 Sam. 1.6. B…xtor.Isa 50:102 Sam 1:6yet notwithstanding▪ thy spirituall state is not thereby prejudiced, but thy salvation is still most sure; and thy first taste of those eternall ioyes shalbee the sweeter, by how much thy former temptations, and trials have been the sorer. For wee must ever hold fast this blessed Truth; llThose that are afflicted in conference, because they want assu…rance of salvation, have no cause of despaire, or of discouragement, as long as with an heavy loaden soule, hungring for mercy, they trust in Christ; and cast themselves wholly upon His merits for salvation, according to the Gospell. For the condition of the Gospell, required of sinners to salvation, is not a comfort, but a Duty; not an assurance that they are saved, but a trust in Christ, that they shall be saved. So that, as long as they rest on Christs merits, seeke to no other meanes, but with such an heart, as hath been said, to seeke to Christ for salvation; as soone as they have believed in Christ, they are justified sinners, tho they doe not presently feele by the witnesse of the Spirit, a full assurance that they are saved. Chibald, in his Triall of Faith, lib. 2. cap. 4. pag. 185: Wherefore comfort yourselves, O ye, that are tender-hearted, and troubled-minded Christians, because you feele not the assurance of your salvation; in as much as the condition of the Gospell is not; That Hee that believes in Christ, shall bee assured of salvation, but that Hee shall bee saved: so that though thou never have in thine owne Soule a feeling of assured perswasion, that thou art saved; yet as long, as with a heart mourning after Christ, and gasping for Him, as the barren Land for water; thou casts thy selfe upon Him, and hangs on Him still for salvation, with trust unto the merits of His death and obedience, thou shalt in the end and event, certainely bee saved. Idem. Ibid. pag 187. There bee that doe truly believe in Christ, and that to salvation, if they should then die, that yet are not come to bee perswaded, that Christ is theirs, &c. Rogers of Dedham in His Epistle to the Reader, pag. penult.That wee p. 439are justified, by casting our selves upon Christ, not by comfort; by Faith, not by feeling; by trusting the sure Word of God, not by assurance.

But I desire to come yet neerer to thy Conscience, and to presse comfort upon thee with such strong, and unresistable Arguments, which all the subtilety of the infernall powers, will never bee able to dissolve.

Thou sayest, and I suppose so; That thou art weary of all thy sinnes, hungers and thirsts after the righteousnesse of Christ; prizes Him before all the world; hast cast thy selfe upon His Truth, and tender-heartednesse for everlasting safty; And yet Thou feeles no speciall sensible joy in thine heart thereupon. Bee it so: yet upon this occasion, Take my counsell, and at my request, addresse thy Selfe again, and have recourse afresh unto the Promises, Settle thy Soule upon them seriously, with fixed meditation, and fervent prayer: Set thy selfe purposely with earnestnesse and industry, to sucke from them, their heavenly sweetnesse. And then, how is it possible, that thine mmExultemus in Domino, gaudeamus cum fletu; Memores simus dignationis divinae & captivitatis nostrae. August. de temp. Serm. 3.humble upright heart, should make resistance to those mighty torrents of spirituall joyes and refreshings; which by a natural, and necessary consequence, spring abundantly from the ensuing comfortable Conclusions grounded upon the sure Word of God, and thine owne inward sense, and most certaine un-deniable experience?

Whosoever hungers and thirsts after righteousnesse, is blessed from Christs owne mouth: Mat. 5.6. And this blessednesse compriseth an absolute, and universall confluence of all excellencies, perfections, pleasures, and felicities in this World, and in the World to come; begun in some measure in the Kingdome of Grace, and made compleate in the Kingdome of Glory, thorow all eternity.

p. 440But I, mayst thou say, out of evident feeling, and experience, finde my selfe to hunger and thirst after righteousnesse:

Therefore I am most certainely blessed, and inter-essed in all the rich purchases of Christs dearest blood and merit, which is the full price of the Kingdome of Heaven, and all the glory thereof, &c.

Whosoever is **See the Properties of a saving Thirst be…e. pa. 377. lin. 31, &c.athirst, hath his Part in the Fountaine of the water of life; Rev. 21.6. and 22.17. Ioh. 7.37. Isa. 55.1.

But I, mayst thou say, cannot deny, dare not belie my selfe, but that my poore heart thirsts unfainedly, to bee bathed in the heavenly streames of Gods free favour, and Christs soveraigne blood:

Therefore undoubtedly, I have my part in the Well of life everlastingly. Whence, what delicious streames of dearest aaIn desiderio illo pij animi suspiria inenar…abilia & gaudium ineffabile mirisi…è coadunantur, suspiria inquam, & gaudium, quae ne ipse quidem, qui ea sentit, potest plenè enarrare. Rolloc. in Iohan. cap. 8. pag. 556.joy doe sweetly flow?

Whosoever labours, and is heavy laden, may justly chalenge at the hands of Christ, rest and refreshing: Mat. 11.28.

But I feele all my sinnes, an intolerable burden upon my wounded Soule; and most willingly take Him as a Saviour, and a Lord:

Therefore I have my portion in His spirituall, and eternall rest.

The High and lofty One that inhabiteth eternity, whose Name is Holy, and who dwells in the High and holy Place; dwelleth also in every humble and contrite spirit, as in a royall Throne; (Hee hath as it were two Thrones; One in the Empyrean Heaven, the other in a broken heart): Isa. 57.15.

But my heart lies groveling in the dust, humbled under the mighty hand of God, and trembling at his feete, &c.

Therefore it is the mansion of Iehova, blessed for ever.

Whosoever confesseth and forsaketh his sinnes, shall p. 441have mercy, Prov. 28.13.

But I confesse, and abominate all sinne; resolved never to turne againe to folly:

Therefore mercy is most certainely mine.

Hee in whose heart the holy Ghost hath enkindled a kindly heate of affection to the Brethren, hath passed from death to life: 1. Ioh. 3.14.

But by the mercy of God,1. Pet. 2.17.1 Pet 2:17 my heart is wholy set upon the Brother-hood, which I heartily hated heeretofore:

Therefore I have passed from death to life.

These, and the like Conclusions, are in themselves as full of sound joy, and true comfort; as the Sunne of light or Sea of waters. Open but the eye of thine humbled soule, and thou maist see many glorious things in them. Crush them but a little with the hand of Faith, and much delicious sweetnesse of spirituall peace may distill upon thy Soule.

Lastly, such considerations as these, may contribute some matter of comfort, and support, to Him of weakest apprehension, in this Case:

1. If Hee consult with His owne Conscience, Hee shall happily finde in His present syncere resolution, an impossibility to turne backe againe to His former sinnefull life, pleasures, goodfellow-ship, sensuall courses, company: Hee sayes, and thinkes it, that Hee will rather die, then lie, sweare, prophane the Sabbaths; put to usury, doe wrong, keepe any ill-gotten goods in his hands, Haunt Ale-houses, Play-houses, Gaming-houses; or willingly put His heart, or hand to any kind of iniquity, as Hee was formerly wont. And doth nature, thinke you keepe Him backe; or grace, and Gods Spirit?

2. If Hee should now heare, and have his eares fill'd with oathes, blasphemies, ribald talke, rotten speeches, filthy songs, railing at Gods people, scoffing at religion, jesting out of Scriptures, &c. His heart would rise; p. 442Hee would either reproove them, or bee rid of them, as soone as Hee could; whereas heretofore, Hee hath been, perhaps, a delightfull Hearer of them, if not a notorious Actour Himselfe. And whence doe you thinke doth this arise, but from the seede of God remaining in Him?

3. Thirdly, If when you heare Him complaine; That howsoever Hee hath cast Himselfe upon Christ, as the Prophets have counselled Him; yet sith thereupon Hee feeles no such comfort, and peace in Believing as other Christians doe; Hee begins to doubt, whether Hee hath done well, or no: and to conceive, that Hee hath layd hold upon the Promises too soone: Nay, and it may bee upon this discontent, doth thus further enlarge His complaint: Alas! my sinnes have formerly been so great, my heart is at this present so hard, my sorrow so scant, my failings so many, &c. that I know not what to say to my Selfe. Mee thinkes, I can neither pray, conferre, love the Brethren, sanctifie the Sabbath, rejoyce in the Lord, &c. as I see other of Gods Children doe. And therefore, I am affraid, all is naught: What heart can I have to hold on? I say, if to such a speech, thou shouldest for triall give this reply: Well then, if it bee so; even give over all, strive no more against the streame; trouble thy selfe no longer with reading, prayer, following sermons, forbearing good fellowship, and thine old companions. And sith no comfort comes by casting thy selfe upon Christ, cast thy selfe againe into the current of the times, course of the world, and merry company; For there yet, is there some little poore pleasure to bee had, at least: Oh! No, No, No, would Hee say; That will I never doe, whatsoever comes of mee: I will trust in my Christ, tho Hee should kill mee; for all these discouragements, I will by no meanes, cast away my confidence. I have been so freshly stung with their guilt, that I will rather be pull'd in peeces with wild horses, then plunge againe p. 443into carnall pleasures; I will put my hand to all holy duties in obedience to God, tho I performe them never so weakely; I will, by the mercy of God, keepe my face towards Heaven, and backe to Sodome, so long as I breath; come what come will, &c. And whence, doe you thinke, springs this resolution; but from a secret saving power, supporting Him in the most desperate temptations, and assaults of distrust?

Now this first, secret saving power, by which an humble Soule leaning upon Christ is supported, when it is at the lowest; secondly, The seed of God, and thirdly, presence of grace; doe every one of them argue a blessed state, in which thou shalt bee certainely saved; and therefore thou mayst lift up thine heart and head, with comfort unspeakeable and glorious.

3. Thirdly, Many there are, who much complaine of the great disproportion betweene the notorious wickednesse of their former life, and their lamentable weakenesse of an answerable be wailing it: Betweene the number of their sinnes, and fewnesse of their teares; the hainousnesse of their rebellions, and little measure of their humiliation. And thereupon, because they did not finde, and feele those terrours, and extraordinary troubles of mind in their turning unto God; those violent passions, and pangs in their New-birth, which they have seene, heard, or read of, or knowne in others, perhaps, farre lesse sinners then themselves; they are much troubled with distractions and doubts about the truth, and soundnesse of their conversion. ddMany are still questioning of their beginnings; and though they came to Faith and comfort by these steps, yet are still fearing, that they have not begun in truth, or that they are not in the right way, or took comfort, ere it belonged unto them. And this, because their corruptions bee so strong, and that they cannot doe as they would. But corruptions felt, hated, and striven against, are no Markes that wee are not the Lords; but the contrary. It is the subtilty of Satan, to keepe them ever at the beginning, that they may never get forward. True, it is good to bee very carefull in laying the foundation of our house; But if we be ever pulling up, after it is laide, wee shall never finish the Building. Moster Rogers of Dedham, Doctr. of Faith, cap. 2. pag. 177. For a true Christian to denie the work of Gods grace in Himselfe—doth no good to Him; But interrupts His prayers, hinders his humiliation, estrangeth Him from God, and turneth godly sorrow for His sinne, into desperate: sorrow for the punishment of sinne. Master Whately. Gods Husbandry, cap. 12.Whereby they p. 444receive a great deale of hurt and hindrance in their spirituall state. For Satan gaines very much by such a suggestion, and grounds many times a manifold mischiefe upon it. For by keeping this temptation on foot; these doubts and troubles in their mindes, whether they bee truly converted or no; Hee labours, and too often prevailes:

1. To hinder the Christian in His spirituall Building. With what heart can Hee hold on, who doubts of the soundnesse, and sure-laying of the foundation? What progresse is Hee like to make in Christianity, who continually terrifies Himselfe with fearefull exceptions and oppositions, about the truth of His conversion? A man in a long journey, would jogge on but very heavily, if Hee doubted whether Hee were in the right way, or no.

2. To abate, lessen, and abridge His courage in standing on Gods side, patience under the Crosse, spirituall mirth in good company: To keepe Him in dulnesse of heart, deadnesse of affections, distractions at holy exercises, and under the raigne of almost, a continuall sadnesse, and uncomfortable walking: To make Him quite neglect, and never looke towards those sweete commands of the blessed Spirit: Reioyce evermore. Reioyce, and I say againe, Reioyce. Bee glad in the Lord, reioyce, and shout for ioy all yee, that are upright in heart.

3. To fasten a great deale of eeTake heed of false reasoning; As because our fire doth not blaze out, as others, therefore we have no fire at all; and by false Conclusions to sinne against the Commandement, in bearing false witnesse against our selves. The Prodigall would not say, Hee was no sonne; but that hee was n…t worthy to bee called a Sonne. Wee must neither trust to false evidence, nor deny true; for so wee should dishonour the Worke of Gods Spirit in us, and lose the helpe of that evidence, which w…uld cherish our love to Christ, and arme us against Satans discouragements. Some are so faulty this way, as if they had been hired by Satan, the Accuser of the Brethren, to pleade for Him, in accusing themselves. Doctor Sibbes, Bruised Reed, pag. 94.dishonour upon God; when He can make the Christian dis-avow, as it were, and nullifie in conceit, so great a worke of mercy and grace, stampt upon His Soule by an Almighty hand: p. 445A worke for wonder and power answerable, if not transcendent, to the Creation of the World. To the production whereof, the infinite mercies of the Father of all mercy; the warmest hearts-blood of His onelyonly Sonne; the mightiest Moouing of the blessed Spirit were required. Now what an indignity, and disparagement is offered unto so glorious a Workeman, and blessed a worke, to assent and subscribe unto the Divell, a knowne Liar, that there is no such Thing?

4. To double, and aggravate upon the Christian, the grievous sinne of unbeliefe: Not to believe the Promises, as they lie in His Booke, is an unworthy, and wicked wrong unto the Truth of God: But for a Man to draw backe, and deny, when they are all made good upon His Soule, makes Him worse then Thomas the Apostle: For when He had thrust His hand into Christs side, Hee believed. But in the present Case, a Man is ready to renounce, and disclaime; Tho Hee have already graspt in the armes of His Faith, the crucified bleeding Body of His blessed Redeemer. The sacred and saving vertue whereof, hath inspired into the whole Man a new, spirituall, sanctifying life, and a sensible, un-deniable change from what it was:

5. To discontinue, or detaine the heart lock't up, as it were, in a perpetuall barrennes, from giving of thanks; which is one of the noblest, and most acceptable Sacrifice, and service, that is offered unto God. Now what a mischiefe is this; that an upright heart should bee laced up, and His Tong tied by the Divels temptation, from magnifying heartily the glory of Gods free grace, for such a worke? I meane, the New-Creation; at which Heaven and Earth, Angels and Men, and all Creatures may stand everlastingly amazed. So sweet it is and admirable, and makes an immortall Soule for ever.

But to keepe my selfe to the Point. Those who complaine, as I have said: That because the pangs of their New-birth were not in that proportion they desire, answerable p. 446to the hainousnesse of their former pestilent courses, and abominablenesse of their beastly life before, many times suspect themselves, and are much troubled about the truth of their conversion; may have their doubts, and scruples encreased, by taking notice of such propositions as these, which Divines both ancient and moderne, let fall sometimes in their Penitentiall Discourses.

Ordinarily men are wounded in their Consciences at their conversion, answerably to the wickednesse of their former conversation.

Contrition in true Converts, is for the most part proportionable to the hainousnesse of Their former courses.

ffHomil. of Repentance, pag. 1.The more wicked that thy former life hath been, the more fervent and earnest, let thy Repentance, or returning bee.

ggDike of Repentance, cap. 4.Sorrow must bee proportionable to our sinnes. The greater our sinne, the fuller must bee our sorrow.

hhSecundum conscientiae molem exhibenda est poenitentiae magnitudo. Ambr. ad Virg. …orr. cap. 8.According to the waight of sinne upon the conscience, ought penitent sorrow to bee waighty.

iiQui culpam exaggeraverit; exaggeret etiam poenitentiam. Idem. de Poenit. lib. 1. cap. 2.He that hath exceeded in sinne, let Him exceede also in sorrow.

kkQuàm magna deliquimus, tam graviter des…eamus. Cypr. de Lapsis ad sin.Looke how great our sinnes are, let us so greatly lament them.

llVniuscuiusque mens tantum poenitendo cō punctionis suae bibat lachrymas, quantum se à Deo meminit aruisseper culpas. Gregor. Pastor. Curae. pag. 3. cap. 30. Tantò arctiori manu poenitentiae men à pollutione tergenda est, quantò se per consens…m conspicit sordidiùs inquinatam. Idē in 3. cap. Iob.Let the minde of every One drinke up so much of the teares of penitent compunction, as Hee remembers Himselfe to have withered from God by wickednesse.

mmGravia peccata gravissi nis lamētis indigent. Aug. ad Fratr. in eremo.Grievous sinnes require most grievous lamentations.

nnGreenh. Grave Couns p. 16The measure of your mourning must bee agreeable, and proportionable to the sinne.

And wee may see these rules represented unto us in the practise of Manasses, who beeing a most grievous p. 447sinner: 2. Chron. 33.6. Humbled Himselfe greatly before the God of His Fathers: vers. 12. In the Woman, who is called a Sinner; Luk. 7.37. foreign, as they say, by a kinde of singularity; and therefore takes on extraordinarily, vers. 38. So that she wipes Christs feete with teares. In the idolatrous Israelites upon their turning unto the Lord: 1. Sam. 7.4.6. who drew water, and poured it out before the Lord. In the Hearers of Peter, who having their consciences all bloody with the horrible guilt of crucifying the Lord of life; Act: 2.33.36. were pricked in their hearts: vers. 37. with such horrour and raging angvish, as tho so many empoisoned daggers and Scorpions stings stucke, and were fastned in them **foreign, pungendo penetro. Punctìm caede. Scap.punctually. In Paul, who having been an hainous offender, a grievous Persecuter, Act. 9. whereas the other Apostles, as One sayes, had been honest and sober fisher-men, tasted deeper of this cup then they. For Hee tells us, Rom. 7.11. That the Law slew Him. Hee was strangely amazed with a voyce from Heaven, strucke downe to the earth, and starke blinde. He trembled, and was astonished: For three daies Hee did neither eate, nor drink. &c. Act. 9.

And there is good reason for it. For ordinarily the newly-illightened eye of a fresh-bleeding Conscience, is very sharpe, and cleare; piercing and sightfull; greedy to discover every staine, and spot of the Soule; To dive even to the heart-roote, to the blackest bottome and ougliest nooke of a Mans former Hellish courses; to looke backe, with a curious survay, thorow the pure Perspective of Gods righteous Law, over his whole life to His very Birth-sinne, and Adams rebellion. And in this sad, and heavy search, it is very inquisitive after, and apprehensive of all circumstances, which may adde to the hainousnesse of sin, and horrour to his heart. It is quick-sighted into all aggravating considerations; and quickly learnes, and lookes upon all those wayes, degrees, and circumstances, by which sins are made more p. 448notorious and hatefull. And what the spirit of bondage, in a fearefull heart, may inferre hereupon, you may easily iudge.

Now to the Case proposed; I say, first;

1. That betweene sinne and sorrow, wee cannot expect a precise adequation; not an Arithmeticall, but a Geometricall proportion: Great sinnes should bee greatly lamented; yet no sinne can bee sufficiently sorrowed for; Tho it may bee savingly. When wee say, the pangs of the New-birth must bee answerable to our former sinnefull provocations; wee meane not, that wee can mourne for sinne according to it's merit; that is impossible: But great sinnes require a great deale of sorrow. Wee must not thinke, that wee have sorrowed enough for any sinne, tho wee can never sorrow sufficiently.

Before I proceede to a further, and fuller satisfaction in the Point, let mee tell you by the way, how discomfortable, and doubtfull, the Popish doctrine is here about; that the truth of our Tenet may appeare the more pretious, and taste more sweet.

Their Attrition and Contrition, as I take it, differ, as our Legall and Evangelicall repentance; 1. In respect of the object. Contrition, as they say, is sorrow for sinne, as an offence to God: Attrition is a griefe for sinne, as liable to punishment. 2. In respect of the cause. Contrition ariseth from sonne-like, Attrition from servile feare. [See Valent. Disp. 7. Q. 8. De contrit. punct. 2.]

This Contrition is the cause of the remission of sinnes. [Bellar. lib. 2. de poenit. cap. 12. Arb. At Catholici] & alij passim. Well then, thou art a Papist, and troubled inconscience. Thou knowest well, that without contrition no remission: But when comest thou to that measure and degree, which may give thee some contentment about the pardon of thy sinnes? Goe unto them in this Point for resolution and reliefe, and thou goes unto a p. 449Racke. Consult with their Chapters, de quantitate contritionis, of the muchnesse of sorrow, and they are able to confound thee with many desperate distractions.

1. Looke backe upon the elder Schoolemen: and you shall have Adrian Quaest. de poenit: Quodlib 5. Artic. 3.] and others tell you of a Contrition intensivè summa; in the highest s…reine; and to which nothing can bee added, as aaMultò minùs requirere putandus Deus est, ut doleamus de peccato, dolore simplicitèr summ…, qùo nullus intensior esse possit, ut Hadrianus requirere videtur. Tom. 4. disp. 7. qu. 8. De contritione punct. 5.Valent. reports it. This opinion Vega refutes [de iustif. lib. 13. cap. 14. ad princ.] And Bellarmine dislikes it [De poenit. lib. 2. cap. 11. Art. denique si summus]. Note by the way, how sweetly they agree: our concord is Angelicall, in respect of their confusions.

2. Goe to Scotus [In 4. Sent. Dist. 14. Q 2], and his Followers. And you shall finde him to talke of a certaine intension of contrition; which is [soli Deo cognita] onelyonly knowen unto God: but this Greg. de Valent. censures as very false [Tom. 4. Col. 17.24]. You see againe, as there is no truth in their Tenets; so no constancy, no concord; and by consequent, no comfort to a truly troubled spirit.

3. Come at length to the latter Locusts, some Moderne Iesuites, dawbers over of their superstitious ruines, with many rotten distinctions: I meane Bellar. Greg. de Valent. and their fellowes: And they dare not stand either to the unknowne intension of Scotus, nor that of highest pitch, which Hadrian holds: But come in with a sorrow for sin, appreciativè summus. And what is that, thinke you?

Hence Bellarmine [for Valent. speakes more warily in the quoted place, Art. Neque verò]. Yet very weakely too (for in such Cases, the troubled minde is not woont to rest upon generalls onelyonly, but will (will wee, nill we) bring us to particular; howsoever Scotus, Navar and Madin…, advise the contrary).

Sorrow for sinne, saith bbDolor est summus appreciativè, quando voluntas plur…s aestimat detestationem alicuius mali, quàm cuiuscunque boni consecutionim, aut alterius mali evitationem. De poenit. lib. 2. cap. 11. Art. Secunda propositio.hee, is then summus appreciativè p. 450when the will doth more esteeme the detestation of sinne, then the attainement of any good, or escaping any ill. And so by consequent, (for as I intimated, a troubled conscience in such a Case, is very curious, and inqui…itive; and will not stay onelyonly upon confused, and generall notions of good and ill, but easily descend to Particulars, to know it's state more perfectly, especialy in a Point of so great importance) A man must finde his heart first to prize the hatred of sinne, before the happinesse of heavenly joyes, or avoiding hellish paines; before hee can come to comfort of the remission of his sinnes. What a torture were it to a troubled spirit, to fall into the hands of such true Pharisies, who lay heavy burdens upon others, but will not touch them themselves with the least of their fingers. But blessed bee God! wee truly teach, that it is not so ccIf any cavilling Romanist except, and say, that this doctrine may open a way to sloth; let him heare his owne man, E…ius: Doctrina haec benè intellecia non sovet ignaviam poenitentium, sed dubias conscientias magis consolatur & in spem …rigit, dum tradit sceundum Scripturas omnibus peccatoribus synce…è conversis ad Deum & peccatum ex animo detestant: bus — patcre reditum in gratium cum Deo. In 4. Sent. Dist. 16. §. 8. Art. Ad extren…um].much the measure and muchnesse, as the truth, and heartinesse of o… sorrow; which fits for the promises of life, and pardon of sinne. Yet I must say this also; Hee that thinkes, hee hath sorrowed sufficiently, never sorrowed truly. And I like ddVtilissimum tamen est, peccata singula amarissimè, et longo tempore it a destere, ut con tritio non solùm appreciativè, sed etiam intensivè, & extensivè, utsic loquamur, summa dici possit.Bellarmines last Proposition well in the fore-…ted place; If it bee thus understood: That wee must desire, aime, and endeavour after the highest pitch of godly sorrow, which can possibly bee attained. But … is one thing to say; either, just so much measure of sorrow, or no mercy; such a quantitie of contrition, or no remission: An other thing to say, wee must long and labour to bring our naughty hearts to this: Even to bee willing rather to lie in Hell, then to live in sinne. Perfections of grace are aimed at in this life, not attained.

4. I confesse some of them sometimes, by reason of freedome in their Schooles, over-ruled like Caiphas, or over-mastered by the clearenesse and invinciblenesse of p. 451the truth, &c. speake something more orthodoxally. As in this Point, Vega. lib. 13. cap. 24. Art. Ad qua accedit] Ibid. Art. Et Sacerdotes] Tolet. Instruct. Sacerd. Lib. 2. cap. 5. Art. Quartum dubium] ccPoenitens si non cognoscatur habere sufficientem dolorem, doleat se talem non babere, & proponat in posterum non peccare, & absolvatur.Navar. Cap. 1. Num. 18. Estius In 4. Sent. dist. 16. §. 7. Art. Adde quòd fi summus]. ffGratianum Lombardum, Camestorem, fratres fuisse ex adulterio fama obtinuit: & eorum matrem in extremis confitentem negâsse posse sibi displicere peccatum; quum filios videret esse lumina Ecclesie: hinc confessorem, Si non habes, inquisse, tantum dolorē, quantum exigit tam horrendum scelus, de hoc tam…n doleas, quòd non potes dolere. Referente Chamiero, Tom. 3. De Satisfac. proprijs Lib. 23. Cap. 21.Gratians Mothers Confessour.

But you see them still like the foure windes, blow in one anothers faces.

Hereupon I have many times marvailed, that understanding Papists looking into the Point, are not plunged into desperate perplexities; considering the ggQuidam adcontritionem requiri dicunt summum conatum hominis, ideóque dolorem debere esse iuxta vires hominus quàm maximè intensum. Alijcertum quendam gradum intensionis, itémque certam quantitatem extensionis seu continuationis in contritione requirunt. Alij aliter opinantur. Verùm hac opinionum varietate omissâ, &c. And so hee comes in with a new one of his owne. Esti. in 4. dist. 16. §. 7.varietie of opinions, and uncertainety of the degree of sorrow, required to their Contritiō. But when I reflected upon another rotten dawbing tricke of theirs, I rather wonder at the depths of their Anti-Christian craft, in so politikly, and plausibly patching together their Popish Paradoxes; that they may still keep their damnably-deluded Disciples in contentment, and please them still, at least, with some palliate cures. It is this I meane; They hold also, (prodigious infatuation!) it is impossible, that the learned on the Popes side (but that, that curse is justly upon them; 2. Thes. 2.10.11. Because they received not the love of the truth, that they might be saved: God sends them strong delusion, that they should believe a lie) should ever bee so grosely blinded: I say, they hold, that a man hhAttritio virtute clavium fit Contritio. Romani Correctores Gloss. Gratiani de poenit. Dist. …. in princ. Attritus virtute Sacramenti fit contritus. Navar. Man. Cap. 1. Num. 38. Itaque omninò sentiendum est in proposito, Christum per institutionem clavium voluisse infirmita…i hominum it a subvenire; ut cum ij alio qui non possent remissionem peccatorum, nisi per veram contritionem, quae difficillimè babetur, obtinere; alium praetereà haberent modum, quo etiam absque ciusmodi contritione divinam gratiam certò consequerentur solâ attritione, beneficio potestatis clavium in usu Sacramenti. Greg. de Valent. Disp. 7. q. 8. de Contritione, punct. 3. Art. Atque haec nimirùm] & alij passim. Some later Schoolemen labour in vaine, to make this Point appeare not so extremely absurd, by mincing, nay, by beating into powder (& confusum est quicquid in p…lverem sectum est) this poore word Attritio, utterly unknowne to Scriptures and ancient Fathers, as their owne Man, …lius, confesseth [Attritionis nomen Scripturae & Patribus incognitum, … Scholae Doctoribus distinctionis & doct…inae causà excogitatu, &c.] by vexi…g, and violent distinctions, of which it is utterly uncapeable: and then lose themselves in the mists of them. Es…tus is glad to distingvish so long, untill he flatly make Attrition, Contriton, [Caeterùm postremi generis attritio vera Contritio est. In 4. dist. 16. § 9.] which, how ridiculous and absurd it is, every Childe may judge. And how will hee an…wer Aquinas his argument to the contrary? which runs thus: Quorum principia sunt diversa omnin…, corum unum non potest fiert id quod est alterum: sed Attritionis principium est timor servilis; cont…itioni… autem timor silialis; ergo Attritio non potest fieri Contritio Suppl. 3. p. q. 1. Art. 3.ex attrito, by the power of the priestly absolution, p. 452is made hhAttritio virtute clavium fit Contritio. Romani Correctores Gloss. Gratiani de poenit. Dist. …. in princ. Attritus virtute Sacramenti fit contritus. Navar. Man. Cap. 1. Num. 38. Itaque omninò sentiendum est in proposito, Christum per institutionem clavium voluisse infirmita…i hominum it a subvenire; ut cum ij alio qui non possent remissionem peccatorum, nisi per veram contritionem, quae difficillimè babetur, obtinere; alium praetereà haberent modum, quo etiam absque ciusmodi contritione divinam gratiam certò consequerentur solâ attritione, beneficio potestatis clavium in usu Sacramenti. Greg. de Valent. Disp. 7. q. 8. de Contritione, punct. 3. Art. Atque haec nimirùm] & alij passim. Some later Schoolemen labour in vaine, to make this Point appeare not so extremely absurd, by mincing, nay, by beating into powder (& confusum est quicquid in p…lverem sectum est) this poore word Attritio, utterly unknowne to Scriptures and ancient Fathers, as their owne Man, …lius, confesseth [Attritionis nomen Scripturae & Patribus incognitum, … Scholae Doctoribus distinctionis & doctrinae causà excogitatu, &c.] by vexi…g, and violent distinctions, of which it is utterly uncapeable: and then lose themselves in the mists of them. Es…tus is glad to distingvish so long, untill he flatly make Attrition, Contriton, [Caeterùm postremi generis attritio vera Contritio est. In 4. dist. 16. § 9.] which, how ridiculous and absurd it is, every Childe may judge. And how will hee an…wer Aquinas his argument to the contrary? which runs thus: Quorum principia sunt diversa omnin…, corum unum non potest fiert id quod est alterum: sed Attritionis principium est timor servilis; cont…itionis autem timor silialis; ergo Attritio non potest fieri Contritio Suppl. 3. p. q. 1. Art. 3.contritus; and that ex opere operato, as Valent. affirmes. Which upon the matter is thus much: That having but only Attrition, Legall repentance, that fruitlesse sorrow, which may be found in a iiMatth. 27.3.Matt 27:3Iudas, a Latomus; and which a reprobate may carry with him to hell, is, by the vertue of their sained Sacrament, by the Sacr…mentall act of Ab…olution, as they call it, made truly, and savingly Contrite, & put into a state of justification. Heare it in the words of that great & famous light of kkIn his answer to the Iesuites chalenge, pag. 145. and 150.Ireland; and for ever abhorre all such Popish impostures: When the Priest with his power of forgiving sins, interposeth himselfe in the businesse, they tell us, that Attrition, by vertue of the Keyes, is made Contrition: that is to say, that a sorrow arising from a servile feare of punishment, and such a fruitlesse repentance, as the reprobate may carry with them to hell; by llReceptissimum est aliorum omnium Theologorum axionia, quòd Sacramentum suppleat ex opere operato defectum Contritionis. Disput. 7. q. 8. De Contritione Punct. 3.vertue of the Priests absolution, is made so fruitful, that it shall serve the tur… for obtaining forgivenesse of sinnes; as if it had been that mm2. Cor. 7.10.2 Cor 7:10godly sorrow, which worketh repentance to salvation, not to bee repented of. By which spirituall cousenage, many poore soules are most miserably deluded, while they perswade themselves, that upon the receit of the Priests acquittance, upon this carnall sorrow of theirs, all skores are cleered untill that day; and then beginning upon a new reckoning, they sinne and confesse, confesse and sinne a fresh, and tread this round so long, till they put off all thought of saving repentance; and so the blind following the blind, both at last follow into the pit. Or thus a little after:

It hath been alwayes observed for a speciall difference, betwixt good and bad men, that the one nnOdèrunt pec…are bon… virtutis a more. Ho…. Lib. 1. Epist. 16.hated sinne for the love of vertue, the other only for the feare of punishment. p. 453The like difference doe our Adversaries make betwixt Contrition, and nnFatemur enim perfectum odium peccati esse illud, quod ex amore Dei iustitiaeque procedit; & ideò dolorem sive odium ex timore poenae conceptum non Contritionem sed Attritionem nominamus. Bellarm. lib. 2. de Poenit. cap. 8. Art. Respondeo, si admit teremus].Attrition. ooId. Ibid.That the hatred of sin in the one, proceedeth from the love of God; and of righteousnesse in the other, from the feare of punishment. And yet teach for all this, that Attrition (which they confesse, would not otherwise suffice to iustifie a man) being ioyned with the Priests absolution is sufficient for that purpose: Hee that was att…ite, being by vertue of this Absolution, made contrite, and iustified; that is to say, hee that was led only by a servile feare, and consequently was to bee ranked among disordered, and evill persons, being by this meanes put in as good a Case, for the matter of the forgivenesse of his sinnes, as hee that loveth God syncerely. For they themselves doe grant, that ppArgumentum rectè probat …os, qui timorem servilem habent, inor dinatos & malos esse, &c. Id. Ibid. Art. Respondeo, argumentum].such as have this servile feare, from whence Attrition issueth, are to bee accounted evill, and disordered men, &c.

But leaving these blind Pharisies in the endlesse Maze of their inextricable errours, untill it please the Lord to illighten them, and by a strong hand pull them out, which I heartily desire, and will ever pray; I come to prosecute mine owne Point.

2. Secondly, If you aske mee, when trouble for sinne is saving: I would answer, when it is true. If you further demand, when it is true: I would say; when it drives Thee utterly out of thy Selfe, and to sell all, in the sense I have said before; and brings thee with a syncere thirst, and setled resolution to Iesus Christ, to live and die with Him, as a Saviour and a Lord; and is accompanied with an universall change in Body, Soule and Spirit.

3. Thirdly, take notice of such considerations, as these:

1. God beeing a most free Agent, doth not qqI grant, the Lord, who is the most free Agent, takes liberty, and workes as it pleaseth Him; and there is oddes and difference for time, measure, and such things: But for the generall, alwayes the same; By humbling first, then comforting, &c. Master Rogers of Dedham, Of Faito cap. 2. pag. 67.tie Himself constantly, & unvariably, to ordinary, expected, p. 454set, and the same formes, measures, times, proportions of his waies, and workings upon his Children. For Hee is wise without limit, and above measure; and therfore hath many secret and glorious ends, and aimes, which, according to His good pleasure, much diversifie the meanes serviceable and subordinate thereunto. From whence may spring these three Conclusions:

1. Hee may, for the most part, create in the heart of the true Convert, terrours and troubles of Conscience; amazements and mourning, answerable, in some good measure, to the varietie, vanity, and villany of His former wicked waies, and lewd life. As appeares before in Manasses, the sinnefull Woman, Idolatrous Israelites, Hearers of Peter, and many in these dayes, if it were convenient to name them. For the most part, saith a great Divine, the violence of humiliation in the Calling of a sinner, is according to the continuance and greatnesse of His actuall transgressions: According to the same, is the rent in the conscience and Soule. Therefore, if there bee any, who hath been a great and grievous sinner; and hath not with violence been pulled from his sinne, Hee may doe well to suspect, and search Himselfe soundly.

2. Hee may sometimes suffer a notorious sinner … passe something more easily, and unterribly thorow th… Pangs of the New-birth. But then such a One is woont to walke more humbly before God, all His life after; for that Hee was not humbled with more remarkeablenesse of penitent remorse, and spirituall angvish in His conversion: And so extension and continuance of Godly griefe, that Hee was not more grieved, makes up as it were that desired intension, and extremity of pangs, which might justly have pained Him, in His passing from death to life. Every hearty, and sensible complaint, that the Pangs of the New-birth were not more painefull, and proportionable to the pollutions of His youth, is, as it were, and in the sense I have said, a Pang of the New-birth. Or else p. 455upon some occasion afterward in His Christian course, Hee may bee revisited, and vexed afresh, with more terrour and trouble of conscience, then in His first change; As in such Cases as these: first, If Hee should, which God forbid, by some volent enticement, and snaring opportunity, bee entangled againe, and re-infected with any former sensuall pleasure of His unregenerate time; or by neglect of His care, and watchfulnesse over His waies, bee suddenly surprised with some new scandalous sin. Secondly, upō the assault of some extraordinary frighting temptation, or pressing of hideous thoughts upon his melancholick imagination. Thirdly, when some heavy rrDavid, Psal. 38. beeing put in minde by His sicknesse of Gods wrath against sinne, was full sorely afflicted in Soule: So that Hee cries; There is no soundnesse in my flesh, because of thine anger: neither is there any rest in my bones, because of my sinne. For mine iniquities are gone over mine head: as an heavy burden, they are too heavy for mee.—I am troubled, I am bowed downe greatly; I goe mourning all the day long. —I am seeble, and sore broken; I have roared by reason of the disquietnesse of my heart.—My sorrow is continually before mee.Ps 38crosse, or sicknesse, after many prosperous daies, shall seize upon Him, which may lye sore, and long. Fourthly, upon His Bed of death; especially, if Hee fall upon it immediately after some relapse, backsliding, or new wound of Conscience. There is a kinde of naturall power, besides Gods speciall hand, in sicknesse, sorrow, darknesse, melancholy, the night, extraordinary crosses, the Bed of death, to represent the true number, and hainousnesse of sinnes with greater horror, and more unto the life: Whereas prosperity, health, and daies of peace, doe rather delude the eyes of the conscience; and like false and flattering glasses, make those foule Fiends seeme fairer then they are indeede. And therefore the christian, especially, that I speake of, beeing outwardly distressed, cast upon His Bed of death, or any waies extraordinarily visited by Gods hand, seeing his sinnes upon the sudden marshalled, and marching against Him; moe in number, and more fiercely then heretofore, may for the while bee surprised and exercised with unexpected terrour; untill, by meditation upon Gods former speciall mercy unto Him, in spirituall things; upon the markes and effects of His Change; upon the uprightnesse of His heart towards God in the daies of health; upon those testimonies, and assurances, which His Christiā friends can give Him, of p. 456His beeing in a gracious state; with such like holy helpes; And so in cold blood, and above all, resolving to sack so, ever fast to the Lord Iesus, tho He kill Him; Hee bee raised againe from such dejections of spirit, to the …oonte… confidence, and comfort of His interest in Christ, and salvation of His Soule.

Here by the way, let none think it strange, that even the dearest servants of Christ may bee ssBut how may this re…si…ation, with as great, if not greater … than at first tur…ing unto God, … which … Rom. 8.15. … received the … it of Bo…dage againe to …ar…, which seemes to i… port thus much; that Gods Child… recei…e… the spirit of bondage no more, after Hee hath once received the spirit of adoption; revealing, and evidencing …nto Him, that Hee is a Sonne and that God is His Father? In answer: The same Spirit produceth these contrary effects: By the …, feare, and terrour; By the Gospell, peace, and prayer. [ …acit du…s spiritus … & adoptionis, & his contraria tribuit effecta, ùon quò. t…t … Spirits … …quod …ias…em spiritus diversa & contraria sint effecta, per Legem & per Evangelium. …er Lege… … Spiritus sanitus arguit mundum de pecca…o, de i…â▪ Dei, & maledi…oce ater… &c. Par. in …oc] Now at the first taking a Man in hand to turne Him unto the … the spirit of bondage by the worke of the Law, doth testif…e unto the Soule, that it is in a wretched, and lamnable state, bound over in the guilt of it's owne sinne, and God… …ry wrath to d…th and Hell, and damnation for ever; that so it may bee driven to Iesus Christ for release and pardon. But after the plantation of Faith, and presence of the … … never testifies so againe; because it would be an untruth. It may afterward work… an apprehension, that God is angry; but not, that He is not a Father. The hiding of Gods face, which may often befall His Childe; the darknesse of our owne spirits …, which may revive all the old guilt againe, and the Divels cruell pressing … …pon such advantages, raise these hideous mists of horror I have in hand … after-tempests, which are so terrible. Of which, our OnelyOnly-wise, and All-power … makes excellent use, both for our selves and others, and attaines thereby His owne most glorious, secret, and sacred end; as appeares in the following Passage.Rom 8:15re-visited with more horrour of conscience afterward, then at their first turning on Gods side. As appeares in Iob, Ezechiah, David, in Mi…. Brettergh, M^r. Peacock, &c. See before, pag. 84. l 21. & 31. Besides the proposed Cases; this revisitation may befall them also. Fifthly, For their owne triall. This was the tt… est …word di…re …, qui pat…batur, non ut puniretur, sed ut …robaretur. August. Tom. 9. p. 1. pag. 1487.end, as it may seeme, why Iob was set up as a marke, for the envenomed Arrowes of the Almighty to aime at, and whole armies of terrours to fight against. Hee approoved Himselfe to be steele to the backe, as they say, by that victorious ejaculation. Cap. 13.15. Though He slay mee, yet will I trust in Him. Whereby God was mightily honoured, Satan utterly p. 457confounded, that controversie, whether Iob feared God for nought, or no? gloriously ended on Gods side. Sixthly, That they may grow into greater conformity with their blessed Saviour in spirituall sufferings. Seventhly, That tasting againe sometimes the bitternesse of divine wrath for sinne, they may bee the more frighted, and flee further from it. Eighthly, That thereby the incomprehensible love of Christ toward them, may sinke deeplier into their hearts; who for their sakes, and salvation, drunke deepe and large; and the very dregs of that Cup; the least drop whereof, is to them so bitter and intolerable. Ninthly, That by sometimes, sense of the contrary, their joy in the favour and light of Gods countenance may bee more joyful; Their spirituall peace more pleasant, the pleasure of grace more pretious, the comforts of godlinesse more comfortable, &c. Tenthly, For admonition to others: To draw duller and drouzy Christians to more strictnesse, watchfulnesse and Zeale; by observing the spirituall troubles and terrours of those, who are far more holy and righteous then themselves. To intimate unto Formall Professours, that all is certainely naught with them, who ordinarily are meere strangers to all afflictions of Soule, and sorrow for sinne. Eleventhly, For terrour to many, who going on securely in their sensuall courses, are woont to cry downe all they can, the power of preaching, by crying to their companions thus, or in the like manner: Well for all this, wee hope, Hell is not so hot, nor sinne so heavy, nor the Divell so blacke, nor God so unmercifull, as these precise Preachers would make them, &c. How may such as these bee affrighted, and terrified upon this occasion, with pondering upon that terrible Place, 1. Pet. 4.17.18. If iudgement begin at the house of God, what shall the end bee of them, that obey not the Gospell of God? And if the righteous scarcely bee save… ; If Gods Children have their consciences scorched, as it were, with the flames of Hell; where shall the ungodly p. 458and the sinner appeare? But even in the bottome of that fiery Lake, and amidst the unquenchable rage of those endlesse flames. Twelfthly, For the just hardening of such as hate to bee reformed, and are desperately resolved against the saving precisenesse of the Saints. It may bee in this manner: A godly Man hath lived long, amongst Rebels, thornes and Scorpions, scorners, railers, Persecutours; who, altho Hee hath shined all the while as a Light, in the midst of a crooked and perverse generation; yet they were ever so farre, from beeing heated with love of heavenly things, by His holy life; or wonne unto good by His gracious example: that like so many Bats and Owles, impatient of all spirituall light, they did either flie from it, as farre as they could in affection, practise, if not in Habitation; Or fell upon it fiercely with their envenomed Clawes of spite and cruelty, to extingvish quite, if it were possible, such blessed beames of saving Light; and to darken with Hellish mists of ignorance, and ill life, the Place where they live. They wilfully blinded themselves with a pestilent conceit; That His sincerity was nothing but Hypocrisie; His holinesse, onelyonly humour; His forwardnesse Phantasticallnesse; His sanctification, singularity. And thereupon resolved, and boisterously combind against Him, with all their policy, purses, and possibilities; like those ungodly Ones, Wisd. 2. Let us lie in waite for the righteous: because Hee is not for our turne, and Hee is cleane contrary to our doings; He upbraideth us with our offending the Law, and obiecteth to our infamy, the transgressings of our education, &c. I say, now God may suffer such a Man upon His Deaths-bed, to fall into some more extraordinary, and markable discomfort, and distresse of Conscience: Of which those gracelesse wretches taking greedy notice, may thereby bee desperately obstinated, and hardned in their lewd and carnall courses. For seeing Gods hand upon Him in that fearefull manner, and wanting the spirit of discerning, p. 459they doe conclude most peremptorily, that for all His great shewes, Hee was most certainely but a Counterfeite. And so themselves become, upon that occasion, many times more, most implacable enemies to grace, and all good men; They are stronglier lockt up in the armes of the Divell, faster nailed to formality, or good-fellowship; and which is the perfection of their madnesse and misery, blesse themselves in their hearts, saying merrily to their Brethren in iniquity: You see now what these men are, which make themselves so holy, and are so hot in religion: These are the Fellowes, which pretend to bee so scrupulous and precise: and of that singular streine of sanctity, that they thinke none shall be saved but themselves, &c. You see in this Man the desperate ends of such hypocriticall Puritans.

Thus the glory of Gods justice is justly magnified, by letting them grow starke blind, who wilfully shut their eyes against the Light of grace; by giving them over to a reprobate minde, who so maliciously hated to bee reformed; And so too often, they walke on for ever after, with confidence, and hardnesse of heart, which cannot repent, in a perpetuall prejudice against purity, and the power of godlinesse; unto the Pit of Hell. Whereas by the mercy of God, and inviolable constancy of His Covenant, that blessed Man, by these terrours, and afflictions of Conscience, besides glorifying God in hardening others, is, as it were, the more thorowly fitted and refined, for that glory, which is presently to bee revealed.

3. Greatest humiliations doe not ever argue, and import the greatest Sinners. For sinnes aa1. Prima & generalior causa afflictionum sunt peccata vel nostra, vel aliena. 2. Altera, ut exerceamur, probemur; & ne peccemus cauti reddamur, 3. Tertia ut declaretur in nobis gloria potentiae ac bonitatic Dei. Musc. in Ioan. cap. 9. Docet Christus ut maximè omnes homines peceatores sint: non tamen omnes afflictiones propter peccatorum merita contingere. Nam Deus habet in homines, quos affligit, diversos respectus: alterum impeccata, alterum in suam gloriam.—Si gloriam suam respiciat affligit, non propter peccatum, sed ad gloriam manifestandam. Sic afflixit Iosephum, Israelitas in Aegypto, &c. Brentius Ibid.John 9are not alwayes p. 460the cause of our afflictions, particularly and directly; But some times, some other Motives. Abraham was put unto that heavy Taske, of taking away His owne onelyonly deare sonnes life, principally for the triall of His Faith: Iob was visited with such a matchlesse variety, and extremity of afflictions, upon purpose to end that controversie betweene God and Satan; whether Hee feared God for nought, or no? Gods heavy hand was sometimes upon David, specially, for the manifestation of His innocency: See Psal. 17.3. Nay our blessed Saviour, infinitely free from sinne, was notwithstanding tempted and tried by Satan and the world; that His heavenly vertues, & divine excellencies might appeare, and bee made more illustrious. And Himselfe tells us, Ioh. 9.3. that the blinde man was so borne; neither for His owne sinne, nor for the sinne of His Parents; But that the workes of God should bee made manifest in Him.