The Churches Security Together with the Antidote, Part 10
THe first signe and marke of sauing grace is when no one sinne,A fi…t note freedome from all raigning sinnes. nor any sin is suffered to sway, domineere, and raigne in the bodie, or soule. Now that is a raigning sinne that is committed with a full and resolued consent of will,Psal 53. and wherein a man continueth without griefe for it,… Thes: 5, 7 without feare of God, or his iudgement, without resistance against it, and without amendment of life. It is when men make a trade, and occupation of sinne, and like Ahab sell themselues to commit sinne, and it is like to a wilde horseman,Math. 7, 23 and vnruly Rider that spurreth his horse so egarly vntell they both be ouerthrowne, and bee (as he said) caried man and horse and all to the diuell. EueryEvery sinne of this kinde is a deadly wound to the soule, an earnest penny to sathan, yea and his foode and diet; an vnresistable and violent tempest to the conscience,Rom. 6, 16. a strange God, an Idoll, and a certaine herbinger, and forerunner of eternall distruction; and it is in eueryevery man by nature vntill hee bee renued and regenerate. From this, and the like sinnes the regenerate are freede not by nature, but grace, not by their owne desertes, but by Gods meere merciemercy and goodnesse; and it is apeculier prerogatiue of a sanctified and iustified man to hauehave no sinne raigning, and tirannizing in him.
The Godly hauehave the seede of the spirit remayning in them, and therefore they can commit no such sinne. They keepe themselues (as instruments of grace) that the wicked one toucheth him not viz: 1. Ioh. 5, 18.to commit any raigning sinne. Sinne shall not (no nor can) hauehave dominion ouer them, for they are not vnderunder the law but vnderunder grace. Against these there is no law (to condemne them;) for in them the spirit alwaies fighteth against the flesh;Gal. 5, v. 24. and they hauehave crucified the flesh with the affections and lusts thereof, and therefore albeit they sinne of ignorance, and infirmitie onelyonly, yea & sometimes of presumption, yet they shall neuer bee condemned for them: for it is not they that do it, but that dwelleth in them;Rom. 7. v. 20. and they are not slaues, and seruants vntounto sin as the wicked, are, who li…e and die in them, but seruants of obedience vntounto righteousnesse whom the Sonne hath made free.Ioh. 8, 34. 36.
Let herevnto be added, that the regenerate with Dauid pray vntounto God,Psal. 19, 13. that he would keepe them from presumptuous sins that they raigne not ouer them, and they desire the Lord to direct their footesteps by his word, that so no iniquity hauehave dominion ouer them, and this their praier beeing framed according to Gods will,Ioh. 15, v. 16. and onelie for spirituall and necessary graces God alwaies heareth.
Vse. 1. Seeing that raigning sinnes are so dangerous and pestilent, yea and as contrary to true regeneration, as fire to water, darkenesse to light, and death to life: wee must beware of it, and giuegive no consent and allowance vntounto it, least sinne like the seruants, and messenger of …enadab King of Syria take diligent heede if they can catch any thing of vsus, 1 King 20, 33.and so worke vponupon vsus to our perpetuall ruine as they did vponupon Ahab.
Therefore it is wisdome, and good for vsus not to presume to come to neere the bankes of sinne, least wee sinke, and bee drowned, if wee would not hauehave the fire of sinne to consume vsus: Wee must take heede of, and labour betimes to quench the very sparkes of it; wee must dash our sinnes like the Babilonish young children against the stones:Psal. 137. v. 9. kill the young Lions; and wee must make a conscience euen of small and lesser sinnes, if wee would bee free from greate and raigning sinnes. These many times are more dangerous then greater and more grosse sinnes; for great and grosse sinnes men will often leaue, for feare of discredit, shame, and penaltie, but smaller sinnes are not acknowledged, and are counted no sinnes, and so at length preuaile, and get head that they that make no conscience of them wilbe drawne in time to commit more horrible sinnes: euen as hee that maketh no conscience of filching, and purloyning, may easily (vponupon occasion, and entisement) bee drawne to robbe by the high way-side, and to offer violence to innocent men.
Let vsus therfore giuegive no assent to sin, least assent bring delight, delight custome, custome necessity, necessity, senslesnes, & senslesnes death & damnation. Shall we so carefully shun, & decline al things y• bring hurt, sicknes, infection, & danger to the body? and shall not wee much more heedfully beware, and take heede of the tyranny and dominion of sinne that in time bringeth both body and soule to eternall destruction. Lastly let vsus betimes procure the Amulete or preseruatiue of grace to keepe the poyson of it farre from the heart (our hold, or castle) or (to speake more plainly) let vsus hide,Isal. 119. 11. and lay vp Gods word in our heart, that we sinne not against God.
It serueth also to condemne, and reprooue those,Vse. 2. that (because they are in their owne opinion onelyonly righteous, and in the conceit, and estimation of men, whom they may easily by their sophistry and hypocriticall holinesse deceiue: but not so inwardly of conscience before God,) thinke themselues free, though they with the Scribes and Pharasies be fast bound with the chaine of some peculiar and beloued sinne. If they with Iudas preach, do miracles, hauehave an office, and dissemble their impieties (albeit couetousnesse raigne in their heart) all is well with them: they thinke it sufficient with Herod, to heare Iohn Baptist for a time gladly, yea to reuerence him, and to reforme many smaller sinnes, and yet few goe so farre, albeit they liue with him, and remaine in perpetuall adultery, or the like sinnes:Iohn. 5. v. 35. they content themselues to delight in Ioh… his doctrine, and Ministery for a time, but they soone fall away from it and him: And lastly they thinke themselues happy, and perfect men, if with the Scribes and Pharasies they pray, they fast, they doe almes, they pay their tithes, they weare long robes, and enlarge the fringes of their garments for vanitie, vaine glory, yea and merits sake: and yet inwardly they be hypocrites, rotten bones, and full of extortion, crueltie, persecution, couetousnesse, excesse, deceit, and errour. But of these we may say iustly (as Christ did of his time) except your righteousnesse exce…d the righteousnesse of the Scribes and Pharasies yee shall not enter into the kingdome of heauen: Math. 5. 20:and as Christ said another time. O Serpents, Math. 23. 33.O gene…ation of vipers, how should yee escape the damnation of hell? Wherefore let vsus labour rather to be inwardly holy then outwardly, and to approone our waies and consciences to God rather then to men, and by no one sinne to suffer satha… to hauehave enterance and accesse vntounto our hearts, for if hee once get hold, and possession,2. Pet. 2. v. 20. (and specially re-entry) after hee hath beene by grace and the knowledge of the Lord Iesus repelled: hee will either very hardly, or els neuer bee remooued, but taketh, seauen other spirits worse then himselfe, and they enter in, and dwell there, Math. 12. ve. 45.and the end of that man is worse then the begin…ing.
And thus much of raigning sinne with the vses thereof.