Inquiry for a Suitable Return for Continued Life In and After Time of Plague, Part 2 · Section 13
SECT. XIII.
Queſtion Sixth.What are the ſigns of a man that waxeth worſe and worſe under all the Means that God uſeth to make him better?
MY purpoſe is not here to ſpeak of the declinings of Grace in the hearts of Gods people, which never is ſo much (becauſe not total) to denominate them abſolutely bad, though they make them worſe (becauſe on the loſing hand) being compared with themſelves, when better in the lively actings and daily increaſe of grace; but of the growth of wicked men in ſin and Impiety, which may be diſcerned by theſe ſymptomes.
I. The leſs a man is attending upon God in the uſe of holy Means, the worſe he is. Thou waſt wont to keep up a conſtancy, or at leaſt a frequency in holy duties, though thou never didſt perform them in a right manner, nor from a right principle, nor for a right end; yet time was, that thou couldeſt not omit them, but thy natural Conſcience would reproach thee, and moleſt thy peace; and though the performance of thoſe duties in thy manner and way, did never prove thee to be good, yet the total omiſſion of them now, doth prove thee to be worſe: inaſmuch as thou haſt ſhaked off all form of Religion, and doſt not profeſs thy ſelf to be at all Religious, but haſt ſtifled Natural Conſcience, and laid aſide a ſenſe of a Deity, which before did ſtir thee up to do ſome Homage unto God. Thou didſt pray, but now thou doſt not; thou didſt hear, but now thou doſt not; it is becauſe thou art worſe.
II. The leſſe thou lyeſt under the common workings of the Spirit of God, the worſe thou art: Though thou heareſt and prayeſt as before, yet the Spirit of God doth not ſtrive with thee as before: Thou waſt wont to finde thy heart ſomething affected, and to have ſome common convictions and relentings for ſin, and ſome purpoſes and reſolutions to forſake thy ſin, and leave thy wicked wayes and company, and almoſt perſwaded to come over unto Chriſt; but now thou art no more affected than the ſeat thou fitteſt upon, and the Pillar thou leaneſt againſt; thou haſt quenched the motions of the Spirit, and he in wrath hath departed from thee, and leaves thee to the hardneſs of thy heart, and the blindneſs of thy minde, and then thou muſt needs be waxing worſe.
III. The more thou art found in the Iteration and Repetition of the acts of ſin, the worſe thou art. Thou waſt wont to ſwear but ſeldom, but now Oaths are frequent in thy mouth: Thou waſt wont to be drunk more ſeldom, but now it is thy weekly, or thy daily practice; Iteration of ſin is an aggravation of ſin: The number of thy ſins, and the greatneſs of thy guilt is hereby encreaſed, and thou made worſe.
IV. The more kinds of ſins thou doſt uſually fall into, the worſe thou art. Thou waſt wont to ſwear, but not to be drunk, but now both: Thou waſt wont to be drunk, but waſt not given to uncleanneſs; but now thou art; and to uncleanneſs thou addeſt ſcorning at godlineſs, vvhen ſometimes thou ſeemedſt to approve it, and ſpeak for it; and to thy ſcorning of godlineſs, thou proceedeſt to the perſecution of godlineſs, when before thou didſt pretend to favour and to countenance it. Thou art increaſed in thy wickedneſs.
V. The fewer ſelf-Reflexions, the worſe thou art. Thou waſt uſe to reflect upon thy wayes, and ſometimes conſider of thy deviations from the Rule of holineſs, and thy Conſcience did check and did reprove thee; but now thou goeſt on and never lookeſt back, ſo much as to conſider wherein thou goeſt aſtray; and though thou art more wicked, and more vile, yet thou haſt more peace and quietneſs in thy wayes. It is becauſe thy heart is more hard, and thy Conſcience more ſeared, and thou worſe.
VI. The greater Light thou ſinneſt againſt, and the more thou goeſt on againſt the Dictates of thy Conſcience, the worſe thou art. Conſcience diſcovereth to thee the evil of thy wayes, the wickedneſs of thy life: Conſcience threatneth thee with damnation, with the loſs of God and Happineſs, and thundereth againſt thee, and doth diſturb thee in thy ſin, and yet thou goeſt on againſt thy knowledge, and doſt impriſon the Truths of God; thou art worſe.
VII. The more of thy heart and will is in thy ſinnings than before, the worſe thou art now, than before. The more the will doth give conſent, and the more the will doth chooſe wickedneſs, the greater progreſs thou haſt made in thy ſinful courſes. Though a Childe of God doth commit a ſin, yet becauſe his will and the bent of his heart is againſt it, the leſſer is the aggravation of his ſin: when he can ſay, The thing that I doe, I would not, I allow it not. So, when thou art wilful in thy ſin, thou frequenteſt wicked company, and thou wilt doe it; thou prophaneſt the Lords day, and thou wilt do it, this maketh thee to be very bad. The more of reſolution and purpoſe of heart, the more of the choice and conſent of the will in ſinning, the greater is the ſinner.
VIII. The leſſer force divine Arguments have upon thy heart to keep thee from ſin, than before, thou art ſo much worſer than thou waſt before. Time was, that Arguments taken from the Wrath of God, from the Torments of Hell, from Judgement to come, from the Curſes written in the Law of God, did awe thy heart, and reſtrain thy hand from the open actings of thy groſſer ſins; theſe were once the banks that dammed up thy wickedneſſe, but now thou ſleighteſt all theſe, that Hell doth not affright thee, and the wrath of God doth not awe thy heart; but the Spring and Fountain of ſin within, is riſen higher, and overflowes theſe banks, and like water ſpreads it ſelf, and diffuſeth it ſelf in the general courſe of thy life.
IX. The leſſer force humane Arguments have upon thy heart, to keep thee from ſin than before, thou art ſo much worſer than thou waſt before. Though abſtaining from ſin upon ſuch accounts, doth not prove the truth of grace, yet the committing of ſin notwithſtanding theſe, doth argue growth of ſin. Now theſe humane Arguments that did formerly reſtrain thee, were ſuch as theſe.
1. Shame amongſt men. Thou hadſt an Inclination to wicked company, but thou waſt aſhamed to be ſeen amongſt them; and therefore didſt not aſſociate with them. But now thou thinkeſt it no ſhame, or if thou doſt, thou haſt a face of braſs, and an heart of ſtone, and bluſheſt not. Thou art worſe.
2. Care of Reputation. Thou waſt tender of thy Credit, and good Name; and though thou hadſt a love unto ſome ſins, that would have diſgraced thee amongſt men, yet now thou wilt blot thy Name, and loſe thy Credit, and ſacrifice thy Reputation to ſatisfie thy Luſt.
3. Coſtlineſs of ſin. Some ſins are very chargeable, and call for great expence; and thy love to thy Money, and natural affection to thy Wife and Children, was a barre which did reſtrain thee from them: Thou wouldeſt not feed and ſatisfie thy filthy Luſts, becauſe it would be chargeable to thee; thou refrainedſt from riotous Prodigals, becauſe company with them would waſt thine Eſtate: But now thou thinkeſt no coſt too great, no charge too much, that thou mayeſt have thy fill of ſin, but tradeſt, and laboureſt, and workeſt, to get ſomething to maintain thy Luſt, and wilt rather that thy Wife and Children ſhould want bread at home, than thou ſhouldeſt not have enough to ſpend upon thy ſins abroad. Thou art now grown to an exceeding magnitude in ſin, that thou art monſtrous to beholders.
4. Health of body. Such ſins that tend to the impairing of thy health thou wouldeſt not commit: Thou didſt refrain, not ſo much becauſe they would damn thy ſoul, as deſtroy thy body. Thou thoughteſt exceſſive drinking would ſhorten thy life, and haſten thy death, and bring thee ſooner to thy grave; that acts of uncleanneſs would fill thee full of loathſom diſeaſes, and leave ſome mark upon thy body, whereby thou wouldeſt be noted for an unclean adulterer. But now thou wilt venture health, and life, and all that thou mayeſt more freely ſin: and the very food thou eareſt is now not only to nouriſh thy body, but to provoke thee to luſt. Verily thou art much worſe than thou waſt.
5. Fear of death. When the fear of God would not prevail to keep thee from ſin, yet fear of death ſomtimes hath done it, and according to the ſtrength of the fears of death, have been thy reſtraints from ſin: but now thou canſt think of death, and ſpeak of thy death, and yet act thy ſinne.
6. Diſpleaſure of men. Thou haſt had dependance upon ſome that hate ſuch ſins that thou loveſt in thy heart, but becauſe thou wouldeſt not looſe their favour thou haſt bridled thy ſin, but now thou layeſt the reignes looſe upon the neck of thy luſts, and wilt proceed to obey them, let who will be diſpleaſed thereby. When thou wilt diſpleaſe thy beſt friend, and them upon whom thou doſt depend for lively-hood and maintenance, that thou mayſt pleaſe thy luſt, it is a ſign that ſin is very high in thy heart, any one of theſe formerly were a ſufficient bolt to keep thee from groſſer ſins, but now all put together are too weak; a ſigne that ſin is ſo much the ſtronger.
X. The more thou haſt had experience of the dreadfull effects of ſin, and the more God hath puniſhed thee for thy ſin, and yet wilt proceed, the greater ſinner thou art. God hath puniſhed thee with poverty as the fruite of thy ſin; with diſeaſes in thy body, with horrours in thy conſcience, with the death of thy relations; when thou haſt taſted the bitterneſs of ſin to ſet againſt the pleaſures of ſin, when God hath put worm-wood and gall into thy ſin, yet thou art bent upon it: thou art very bad.
XI. The more thou juſtifieſt and defendeſt thy ſelf after the commiſſion of ſin than formerly, ſo much the worſer thou art than formerly. When thou waſt reproved, thou waſt uſe to acknowledge thy ſin, and to confeſs thy wickedneſs, but now thou doſt plead for thy luſt, and pleadeſt for thy evil wayes, and takeſt the quarrell of ſin upon thy ſelf, it is a ſigne thy heart is more wedded to thy luſts, by how much the more thou eſpouſeſt its cauſe.
XII. When thou art more preſumptuous in thy ſinnings, and addeſt more contempt of God, and pride and contumacy than formerly, the worſe thou art. Sins of preſumption are ſcarlet ſins, of a crimſon dye; when a man ſinneth againſt God, and bleſſeth himſelf in his wickedneſs, and preſumeth of Gods mercy, and preſumeth upon the patience of God, a man that ſins preſumptuouſly makes a bold adventure againſt expreſs threatnings of the Law of God, and is mingled with great contempt of God; it is no leſs than reproaching and deſpiſing of God himſelf, Num. 15.30. But the ſoul that doth ought preſumptuouſly —reproacheth the Lord; and that ſoul ſhall be cut off from among his people, verſ. 31. Becauſe he hath deſpiſed the word of the Lord, and hath broken his commandment; that ſoul ſhall be utterly cut off: his iniquity ſhall be upon him.
XIII. The more mercies thou ſinneſt againſt than formerly, the worſer thou art than before. God hath given thee more mercies, and multiplyed many good things upon thee, and yet thou committeſt more ſins, than when thou hadſt fewer mercies; to make Gods mercy to be fewel for thy luſts, is an aggravation of ſinning, for as much as it is contrary to the end of mercy, which is to draw men off from ſin: every mercy thou receiveſt hath a voice, and its language is, repent of ſin, return to God, Rom. 2.4. God loadeth thee with mercy, and the more thou preſſeſt him down with thy ſin; the more good, and the more mercifull God is to thee, the more vile and rebellious thou art againſt God, this is to be highly wicked.
XIV. The more thou draweſt others into ſin by thy entiſements or example than before; ſo much the worſe thou art. When thou art not content to ſin alone, not to diſhonour God thy ſelf, but draweſt and incourageſt others to do ſo alſo; and ſo damneſt thy own ſoul and others too; and makeſt thy ſelf guilty of the bloud of thoſe thou allureſt with thee into ſin. The more ſins thou committeſt thy ſelf, the worſe thou art, and the more perſons thou doſt influence by thy ſin to partake with thee, the worſe thou art. Thus if thou wilt compare thy ſelf what thou art now with what thou haſt been formerly, thou mighteſt diſcern how much more thou ſinneſt now than thou didſt before.