A Sovereign Salve to Cure a Sick Soul Infected with the Poison of Sin, Religious tract – Author to the reader
The Author to the Reader.
If Sathans might and force of ſinne
Heere ſeemes thy ſoule to wound,
A ſoueraigne ſalue this booke preſcribes,
Direct to cure it ſound.
Eſteeme this ſalue, and exerciſe
Each day and night the ſame,
So ſhall your ſoule well cured be
Which ſinne brought out of frame:
Regard it more then worldly wealth,
No treaſure like to this,
No mony can buy ſaue to cure▪
Our ſoule, if this ſhould miſſe.
I. A. Miniſter and Preacher of Gods Word.
A SOVERAIGNE Salue to cure a ſicke Soule, infected with the poyſon of ſinne.
Wherein is Contained,
1 The ſtrength and force of the poyſon of ſinne.
2 How mans ſoule became poyſoned?
3 How the ſoule of man poyſoned by ſinne may be cured, and reſtored.
Theſe parts are all Authenticall, and compriſed in a most ſhort and Compendious method, briefly to be read, that they may be Effectually Practiſed.
Newly Publiſhed by I. A. Miniſter and Preacher of GODS Word.
LONDON: Printed by NICHOLAS OKES, and are to be ſold by FRANCIS GROVE, dwelling at the ſigne of the Wind-Mill, neare to St. Sepulchres Church. 1624.
The Booke to the Reader.
If I had tongue to ſpeake with voyce,
Oh then moſt loude ſtill ſhould I cry,
All thoſe that heare me would reioyce,
Now for to buy mee preſently.
Each greater booke of price more deare
Which you may buy, cannot containe
Effectuall phyſicke which is here,
Soules health from ſinne for to regaine,
Direction true in me is penn'd,
Rightly to cure thy ſoule from ſinne:
HaueHave care to vſe me as thy friend,
Now read me through, if thou beginne.
Firſt, of the ſtrength and force of the poiſon of ſinne.
TO bee plaine in words, certaine in ſence, and ſhort in writing, I will briefly deſcribe the ſtrength of the poiſon of ſin. It is a ſpirituall poiſon, The breach of Gods Law, 1 Ioh. 3.4. The which whoſoeuer committeth is of the Diuell, 1 Iohn 3.8. Yea, it is the vile, and moſt damnable thing in the world. The onelyonly Noli me tangere, which no man without the diſpleaſure of Almighty GOD, could euer taſte, or touch in the leaſt degree. For, Via peccati ingredientes contaminat, progredientes obſtinat, egredientes exterminat. Sinne in the firſt entrance defileth, in the progreſſe hardeneth, and at his going out deſtroyeth. It cauſeth all thoſe that commit it to diſhonour God, to crucifie Chriſt a freſh, and to greeue the Holy Ghoſt: It makes the Angels to moure, and all Gods creatures to groone and ſigh vnderunder the burthen of it, Rom. 8.22.
It is the very excrement of the Diuell, that old Serpent; the age of it is almoſt as old as the worlde: for ſcarce was there a world, but it was a priſoned worlde with ſinne; and almoſt no ſooner was there a man, but hée was infected with this poiſon. And ſo ſtrong was this poiſon, euen at the firſt committing of ſinne, that it made all the worlde mourne for her mallidy, the which neither Ghiron, Eſculapius, nor Apollo could euer heale: No, if all the Angels and men both of heauen and earth were in one, they could neuer heale it.
Our poyſoned ſoules could not bee cured without a Mithradate confection of the beſt bloude that euer was in the worlde, euen the moſt pretious bloud of Chriſt Ieſus, the onelyonly begotten Sonne of God. So this ſpirituall poyſon can bee nowayes cured, but by a ſpirituall antidote; this moſt deadly poyſon muſt hauehave the moſt ſoueraine antidote; onelyonly here is the difference, that as hel giueth the poyſon, ſo heauen giues the helps.
There is no ſinne ſo ſmall, that hath not coſt the Sonne of God euen a ſea of ſorrowes. O what a hell (thinke wee) was Ieſus Chriſt in for our ſinnes, when hee ſwet both water and bloud, and prayed thrice moſt feruently to hauehave that bitter cup paſe from him? Yea hee brake out into this ſundring voice, and cried to God his Father. Quare dereliquiſti me? Why hath thou forſaken me?
Whoſe bloudy ſweat came trickling downe to the ground Luke 22.44. In the which (no doubt) he felt the force and ſtrength of ſinne, the wrath of God againſt it, the Iuſtice of God requiring puniſhment for it, the power of the Law pronouncing condemnation to it; the force of death, the tyrannie of Satan, and the torment of hell, which was forcible enough to hauehave drawne ſtreames of teares out of the drieſt eye that euer was in the head of man, and to hauehave excited a multitude of ſorrowfull groanes out of the hardeſt heart that euer GOD made.
Oh, was the ſtrength of ſinne ſo great, that it cauſed Chriſt to ſhed dropps of blood for our ſinnes, and cannot we ſhed forth one teare for the ſame?
Oh, I beſeech you, let the horror of it be alwayes freſh in our memorie, and the meditation thereof imprinted in our hearts, that wee may remember thoſe grieuous dropps of that moſt precious blood, which Ieſus Chriſt ſhedde for our ſakes, for our ſinnes, for our ſoules, and for our ſaluation. Let vsus louelove him for it, thanke him for it, and ſerue him for it, all the dayes of our liues. So that our hands may tremble and ſhake for feare, and our whole body may quake with terror of it, when any euill imagination is hatched in our hearts, or any wicked deede ſhould be acted with our hands, that we may be euer terrified from nouriſhing ſinne in our boſome, whoſe condition is ſo vile and baſe. For ſuch is the nature of ſinne, enter where it will, it is the heart it aimes at, and it will not ſtay vntill it comes there: becauſe ſinne and Sathan louelove no veniſon but the heart, no fowle but the breaſt, and no fiſh but the ſoule. The heart is the throne where ſinne would raigne, and the ſoule it ſelfe is the ſeate where ſinne would ſit. And therefore, the more ſinne labours to poyſon that part, the more ſhould wee ſtriue to preſerue it.
If our heart bee Gods throne then is hee a moſt vile traytor to God and himſelfe, that ſuffers ſin, Gods great enemy, that proud, preſumptuous, aſpiring Tyrant, to ſit in the ſeat, and tyrannize in the throne of the Soueraigne Maieſtie of Almighty God.
Thus wee may ſee, that the very ſubiect and ſeat of ſinne is the heart and ſoule of man, that moſt glorious and pretious part, which God made like to himſelfe, and for the which the Sonne of God was crucified.
And as ſinne delights to ſit and captiue both the heart and ſoule of man, ſo the longer it raignes there the worſe it is; for as in good things the elder the better; ſo in the euill of ſinne, the elder the worſe, and the more they will grow in number. Aske one of the holieſt men, hee that had feweſt ſinnes; They are more in number (ſaith hee) than the haires of my head. Oh who can vnderſtand his errours? Pſalme 40.12. Pſal. 19.12. Or who can tell how oft he offendeth? Yea, ſinne is growne ſo foule, ſo great, and is ſo ſcattered abroad into ſo many mens hearts, that S. Iohn ſaith, Totus mundus in maligno poſitus eſt: The whole world lyeth plungeth in wickedneſſe.
Now to ſpeake more of the euill of ſin, it appeareth in thrée things; Firſt in the deformity. For God doth loath it. Secondly, in the iniquity, For the Diuell doth louelove it. Thirdly, in the generall contagious poyſon and leproſie thereof: (as S. Iohn ſaith) the whole world is infected therewith.
Secondly, how mans ſoule became infected therewith.
At the beginning, God ſuruaying his workes with the eyes of his wiſedome, after they had paſſed the hand of his power, his Iuſtice pronounced this infallible ſentence, Geneſis 1.31, Loe they were all very good. How then came it to paſſe, that mans ſoule became poyſoned? And Chriſt ſayth in another place, From the beginning it was not ſo. Mat. 19.8. Salomon ſayth, God made man righteous, Eccleſ. 7.29.
The anſwere whereof our Chriſtian Philoſophy ſheweth vsus, that our poyſoned ſoules which defile our whole nature came from the fault and fall of Adam; and from the curſe of the earth through Adams tranſgreſſion. For the Diuell, that Roaring Lyon, in whom the full perfection of malice lies, knowing how to moſt hurt, hath poyſoned the Fountaine, Adam and Eue: & the Fountaine once poiſoned, then the ſtreames iſſuing from the ſame are ſure and moſt certainly infected. The which Dauid confeſſeth in the perſon of all regenerate men, I was ſhapen in wickedneſſe, and in ſin hath my mother conceived me, Pſ. 51.
Thus our ſpirituall poyſon came into the ſoule and body of man by the ſubtiltie of Sathan, that arch-enimy of man-kinde. For he being once an Angell in Heauen, a goodly creature, would needes become a God, and conſequently a Creator. Now, a Creator muſt needes make ſomething, and therefore here we may behold his worke; Lo…, it is euen ſinne, for ſinne is the true creature, and onelyonly worke of the Diuell. And as he is a ſpirit, ſo hee hath ſociety with the ſpirits, as bodily creatures hauehave with our bodies.
Thirdly, How the ſoule of man poiſoned by ſinne, may be cured and reſtored.
The ſoule of man that is poyſoned by ſinne, muſt begin to be cured in this life, but it cannot bee perfected in this life: For whatſoeuer is begunne here in grace, in the life to come ſhall be perfected in glory.
And for this great cure, we ought diligently to obſerue three things.
1. Firſt, wee muſt know our ſelues, what eſtate wee are in, that wee may ſee how wee are poyſoned.
2. Secondly, wee muſt vſe the remedy to cure the poyſon.
Thirdly, we muſt take our medicine in due time.
Therefore, hee that hath eares to heare, let him heare; and that hath eyes to ſee, let him ſee, and diligently obſerue what ſalue hee muſt take to cure this poyſon of ſinne. The firſt and principall thing is to take this precept of the philoſopher, Noſce teipſum, Know thy ſelfe; It is the firſt thing to bee done to this cure, and the beginning of all grace: For in vaine is the medicine miniſtred, where the diſeaſe is diſſemblingly couered, and kept vnknowne.
Wherefore, whoſoeuer thou bée that feeleſt thy ſelfe to bee infected with this poiſoning ſinne, and art inwardly touched with any care of thine owne ſaluation, and doeſt groane with earneſt deſire to ſtand in fauour againe with God; thou muſt ſeriouſly enter into thy ſelfe, and make a true ſuruey of thine inward man, that thereby thou mayſt know how ſinne hath poiſoned thée both in greatneſſe and danger. For vntill thou knoweſt thy ſinnes, and how they hauehave infected thy ſoule, that thy conſcience may bee conuicted by them, thou canſt neuer bee cured. No man can rightly acknowledge his owne ſinnes, no man can truly confeſſe his fayth, no man can duly vſe the Sacraments, that doth not firſt earneſtly try and examine his owne conſcience: That is, throughly to try, narrowly to ſearch, and dilligently to prooue, who, and what manner of perſon hee is, and in what caſe hee feeleth himſelfe, how deeply his owne conſcience is poyſoned with ſinne. And withall, to know how, and which way hee may come into fauour againe with God. To the ſame effect S. Paul ſayth, Let eueryevery man proue his worke, Gal. 6.4. And againe, Proue your ſelues whether you be in the faith, 2. Cor. 12.5. Examine your ſelues, and bee ſorrowfull for your ſinnes; not for ſome ſinnes, but for all ſinnes wherewith you are infected and poyſoned: And that not for an houre, nor a day, nor for a weeke, nor a monethmonth; but mourne for your miſdeedes, and bee ſorrie for your ſinnes continually, euen ſo long as you liue.
Wee muſt doe as the Prophet Dauid did, when he had conſidered his wayes, and found they were euill, He euer after turned his feet vntounto the teſtimonies of the Lord. Pſ. 119.56
So muſt eueryevery one doe, that mindeth to bee cured from the poyſon of his ſinne; examine his owne conſcience, and make his heart ſmart for his ſinne, by aggrauation thereof.
The Church of God confeſſeth not her ſinnes lightly, but with wonderfull griefe. Dan. 9.
Secondly, wee muſt vſe the remedy to cure the poyſon of ſinne.
As by nature wee hate eueryevery thing that hurteth vsus, how much more by grace ſhould wee abhorre ſinne that woundeth vsus? Amongſt all the workes of the Diuell, there was none ſo mighty and malicious as the poiſoning and deſtroying the ſoules of men by ſinne.
So for to cure our ſoules from this deadly poiſon, our Sauiour Ieſus Chriſt, that heauenly Phyſition, hath accordingly giuen vsus a remedy proportionable to our malady, out of his glorious ſtore-houſe of the holy Scriptures If we will he cured from the poyſon of ſinne, we muſt take Chriſt, and the vertuous phyſicke hee giues vsus by a liuely fayth; but wee muſt keepe and retaine him, and it, by holineſſe of life. Theſe two, faith and holineſſe are the two bonds of our vnion with Chriſt: Faith brings Chriſt to vsus, and holineſſe keepes him with vsus, and vsus with him. If any man (ſaith Chriſt) heare my voyce, and open the doore, I will come into him, and will ſtay with him, and hee with me. Thus by faith we take this heauenly Phyſicke, and by holineſſe wee kéepe it. Wherefore, all thoſe which formerly obeyed ſinne, if they will be cured from the poiſon thereof, by faith and holineſſe of life, they muſt now withſtand it. They which were wont to yeelde vntounto it, muſt now ſtriue againſt it: they which were wont to delight in it, muſt now lament it: they which did formerly let ſinne raigne and captiue their ſoules in them, muſt now raigne ouer it, quench it, and ſubdue it, and flie from it, as from the moſt venemous ſting of a Serpent. If the filthy and ſtinking poyſon of their ſinnes cannot moue them, let the ſhortneſſe and vncertainty of their liues dampe them. If the ſhortneſſe of their lines cannot, let the ſmall number of them that ſhall be ſaued fray them. If that cannot, tell Death terrifie them. If Death cannot, let the day of iudgement ſhake them. If all theſe cannot, then will the torments of hell for euermore torment them.
Thirdly, wee muſt take our medicine in time.
For common experience teacheth vsus, that Tempus eſt pretioſum, breue, & irreuocabile, Time is pretious, ſhort, and irreuocable, Qui non oſt hodiè, cras minús aptus erat, He that is not ready to receiue this Heauenly phyſicke to day, will bee leſſe ready to morrow. Let vsus therefore take this time while wee hauehave it, for we hauehave no time but this preſent time; the time paſt is not ours, it is gone, and cannot bee recalled the time to come is not, for beeing not come, it may bee it neuer ſhall come: OnelyOnly the preſent houre is ours, let vsus take and make good vſe of it.
So that now, euen now is the time to take this wholeſome and brauenly phiſicke to purge away our ſinnes; while wee are here in this life, the time is in our hands. Now the doore is open, but after this life it will be ſhut. Therefore now while the Goſpell ſhineth, now while Chriſt calleth, now while he ſpeaketh, now while hee kneeketh, let vsus amend our former liues; let vsus now therefore heare Gods word, let vsus now obey him, let vsus make this day our day to returne vntounto God. And although we could neuer bee mooued by reading any booke heretofore, or by hearing Gods word preached hitherto, yet let vsus now be moued at the laſt, and with good Ezechias, let vsus be afraid of Gods threatning, ſorrow aforehand, examine our conſciences, and mourne for our ſinnes, let vsus clenſe and purge our hearts and ſoules from this poiſon, and let vsus neuer drinke, nor taſte that deadly dregs againe. Let vsus walke no more ſo inordinately in it, wallow no more in the filthie mire of it, obey no more the luſt of it, nor giuegive our members any more to be weapons to fight for it: But with all our power let vsus oppoſe it, reſiſt it, and manfully with all our force fight againſt it. Oh let vsus ſhake off our ſinnes, baniſh them, ſend our deareſt darlings packing, and neuer pittie them, neuer louelove them, neuer be led by them, for they would poiſon our ſoules moſt deadly vntounto eternall deſtruction.
To conclude, God grant that we may all, and eueryevery one of vsus forſake our ſinnes in time, before it bee too late; and as Phyſitions doe heale many ſore maladies with ſharpe medicines: ſo giuegive grace O eternall and moſt gracious God, that theſe my labours (though they ſeeme vnſauery, and ſharpe to the wicked) may yeelde ſuch ſound and godly Phiſicke, that they may become a ſalue to cure, and preſerue the ſoules of the godly, in their zeale of thy glory.
And furthermore grant O ſwéet Ieſus, that it may offer and miniſter all ſuch ſpirituall Phyſicke vntounto the ſoules infected with the poyſon of ſinne, that it may be a meanes to withdraw them from the ſame. And that the ſalue, which is here preſented vntounto ſuch as are ſicke, and almoſt paſt recouery, may worke ſo effectually one them, that it may both ſtrengthen, helpe, and heale them of that damnable poyſon, wherewith they are ſo deadly infected.
This GOD grant, without whoſe helpe all the labour of man is in vaine. And thus both from the poyſon of ſinne, and the puniſhment due for the ſame, the Lord deliuer vsus all, euen for his deare Sonne Chriſt Ieſus his ſake, our onelyonly Saviour, To whom with the Father, and the Holy Ghoſt, be all honour, glory, praiſe, power, and dominion, both now, and for euer. Amen.
The Author to the Reader.
Gentle Reader, I moſt humbly deſire thee, (what ſo euer thou bee) that gathereſt any ſpirituall Phyſicke to cure thy ſoules mallady out of theſe my labours to pray vntounto my Sauiour Ieſus Chriſt for mee, to direct me with his holy Spirit, and giuegive mee his grace, to vſe it to ſalue and cure my owne ſoule; that as I endeauour to cure thee in words, I may alſo labour in deedes to raiſe and preſerue my ſelfe from all my ſinnes, to the ſetting forth of Gods glory, and the ſaluation of my owne ſoule, which God grant for his Sonne Ieſus Chriſt his ſake, Amen.
FINIS.
End of the text · John Andrewes, A Sovereign Salve to Cure a Sick Soul Infected with the Poison of Sin (1624)