Characters of a Sincere Heart, Chapter 4
CHAP. IIII. Of ingenuous Sorrow for Sin.
A Fourth Character of Sincerity is Ingenous Charact. 4. Ingenous ſorrow for our Sias.ſorrow for all Sin. This Epithete Ingenuous, I therefore name, becauſe I would lay down hereby a diſcriminating note between that ſorrow; which is for the Sin, and that which is onelyonly for the puniſhment.
Sect. 1 That ſorrow I call ingenuous which is for the Sin, more then for the Puniſhment, and this is a Filial kind of ſorrow, That I call ſervile and diſingenous, which is more for the Puniſhment, then for the Sin. A Child of God underſtands the nature of Sin, as to it's filthineſs, guiltineſs and puniſhment, which is the conſequent thereof, and therefore he laies Sin to heart, and is grieved and vexed at the very heart, becauſe God is thereby diſhonoured and his holy Law is broken. A Godly mourner mourns for Sin as it is Sin, becauſe of its filthineſs, and defilement, and becauſe it diſpleaſeth the only Holy Lord God, and is odious and abominable in his ſight. The Eye of every upright man affects his Heart, and melts him into Tears of Godly ſorrow, and works an inward compunction, and a heart breaking ſorrow. And this is that ſorrow, which is of the right ſtamp, a genuine and ingenuous kind of ſorrow. And where ever this ingenuous ſorrow is, it may be fully evidenced by ſeven Apoſtolical characters mentioned by the Apoſtle: For, Behold (ſaith the Apoſtle) 2 Cor. 7. 11.this ſelf ſame thing, that ye ſorrowed after a godly ſort, what carefulneſs it wrought in you? yea, what clearing of your ſelves? yea, what indignation? yea, what fear? yea, what vehement deſire? yea, what zeal? yea, what revenge?
Sect. 2 There is a very great difference between the mournings of Cain, Pharaoh, Ahab, and Judas, (who only mourned and roared for the ſmart of puniſhment) and the mournings of David, Paul, Peter, and Mary Magdalen, who mourned for their ſins; and therefore grieved, becauſe they diſpleaſed ſo good and gracious a Lord God. For inſtance, Pharaoh often cried out, that the plagues inflicted on him and on his people might be taken away; but what plagues did he mean? I anſwer; he meant only the plagues of Frogs, Locuſts, Caterpillars, &c. Pharaoh had a plague incumbent on him worſe than all thoſe, and that was the plague of a hard heart; of this plague he makes not any mention at all. A hard heart was his great ſin, and it was inflicted upon him as a very great judgment: But David cries out againſt Pſal. 51. 4.himſelf for his ſins, and makes a particular acknowledgment: Against thee, thee only have I ſinned, and done this evil in thy ſight. And he prayes, Hide thy face Verſe 9.from my ſins, and blot out all my tranſgreſſions. Ahab was a meer ſtranger to the Grace of Humility, and unacquainted with it altogether; yet it's ſaid of him, that he humbled himſelf: and for his outward humiliation the judgment threatned was adjourned. Seeſt thou how Ahab 1 Kings 21. 29.humbleth himſelf before me? Becauſe he humbleth himſelf before me, I Poenitentia ductus ſed quae non permanſit. Aliquid tamen de commeritâ poenâ ob hoc detractum eſt. Grot. Exemplum bonitatis Dei: quatenus Achab quantumvis hypocriticè poe…itentiam agenti poenas meritas differt. Hinc colligi pot eſt Deum, multo magis beneficum fore erga cos qui veram & ſeriam poenitentiam egerint. Piſcat.will not bring the evil in his dayes; but in his ſons dayes will I bring the evil upon his houſe. Yet of Ahab it may be more properly ſaid, that he was rather humbled than humble; for the fear and horror apprehended of thoſe dreadful judgments which were to be poured down againſt himſelf, and Jezebel his Wife, and his Poſterity, extorted from him an outward humiliation, which conſiſted in putting on Sackcloth, in faſting and going ſoftly, and looking with a ſorrowful and dejected countenance, yet all this while he had not one dram of true godly ſorrow, and of true humility. How ſad muſt be the condition of many looſe Profeſſors now a-dayes, who come ſhort of ſuch as Ahab was? and how dreadful muſt their condition be who come ſhort of thoſe who come ſhort of Heaven? But St. Paul was a man of another ſpirit, he was not only humbled, but humble, and had the gift and grace of true humility; and he was a true Penitent, a ſincere Convert, and a godly Mourner for ſin; and he was ſo low and debaſed in his own eyes, as to account himſelf the chief of 1 Tim. 1. 15.ſinners. We read of Ahab's forwardneſs in offering himſelf a Voluntier and Slave to ſin, ſo that this foul Brand of Infamy is ſtampt upon him. But there was none 1 Kings 21. 25.like unto Ahab, which did ſell himſelf to work wickedneſs in the ſight of the Lord, whom Jezebel his Wife ſtirred up. Ahab was active, and put himſelf forward to work all manner of miſchief; he precipitated himſelf, without fear or wit, into any deſperate Adventure. He ſtuck at nothing, but ran on in a wild and mad career, following all ſorts of wickedneſs with a full bent, propenſion and vergency of his ſoul, and with delight and complacency, driving a Trade for Sin, and for the Devil. We read of ſuch who were almoſt ſtarved for hunger, that they flew upon the ſpoil. And likewiſe 1 Sam. 14. 32.the Apoſtle ſtigmatizeth the vileſt of ſinners after this manner; Who being paſt feeling, have given themſelves over Eph. 4. 19.unto laſciviouſneſs, to work all uncleanneſs with greedineſs. Of this brand was Ahab. But on the contrary, St. Paul diſcovers a better ſpirit, as appears by his proteſtation; I delight in the Law of God after Rom. 7. 22.the inward man. He was paſſive, and with great grief and remorſe of heart Tom. 7. 14.complains, that he was ſold under ſin. He diſcover'd great renitency, reluctancy and antipathies againſt every ſin; For (ſaith he) that which I do, I allow not; for what I would do, that do I not; but Rom. 7. 15.what I hate, that do I. O how did this holy Apoſtle fight and ſtruggle, and exerciſe continual Combats and Conflicts, fighting againſt Sin and Satan! And thereupon he breaks forth into a doleful complaint; But I ſee another Law in Verſe 23.my members, warring against the Law of my mind, and bringing me into captivity to the Law of ſin which is in my members. And it's obſervable, that all this while, and amidſt all thoſe ſad complaints, Paul was a regenerate man; and a pregnant demonſtration we have of our aſſertion, becauſe he delighted in the Law of God, For (ſaith he) I delight in the Law of God Verſe 22. Totus homo mento & ratione regitur: ab ca itaque Apoſtolo homo totus appellatur, Bucer.after the inward man. And to delight in the Law of God in the inward man, cannot be appropriated to any, but to ſuch only who are in the ſtate of Regeneracy. And that the words of the Apoſtle are not by a figure, called foreign, it's evident that he ſpeaks in his own, and not in another perſon, becauſe he ſaith, I my ſelf. And that the Apoſtle Rom. 7. 25.gives no allowance to himſelf foreign. Idem ego vel ipſe ego, quod à Paulo emphaticè dictum eſt ad deſignandum ſeipſum ne quis eum ſub alienâ perſonâ hactenus fuiſſe locutum ſuſpicaretur. Eſtius in Loc. Accipiamus hoc in ſuâ ipſius perſonâ protuliſſe Apoſtolum. Zegerus. Hac exceptione fatetur ſe it a eſſe Deo addictum, ut reptans in terra mu…tis ſordibus inquinetur. Calr.in any ſin is clear, becauſe he profeſſeth, For the good that I would, I do not; but the evil which I would not, that I do. And the Apoſtle was apprehenſive of his own impotency and inſufficiency, to extricate himſelf out of thoſe ſtraits and difficulties wherein he was involved, and therefore he cries out for a deliverer, as appears in that pathetical exclamation: O wretched man that I am, who ſhall deliver me from the Body of Sin? By the Body o… Sin, he underſtands all ſorts of Sin, both Original and Actual, both the Roor and Fruit; the corrupt Fountain, and the corrupt Streams. And none but God ca… deliver and ſet him free from them. H… alone can deliver him, who delivers u… from the wrath to come, 1 Theſ. 1. 10.
Sect. 3 Moreover, we are farther to conſider… that there is a vaſt and a wide difference between the howling of Dogs, and the crying of Children; and there is as muc… difference between the roaring of Gally ſlaves, and the crying of godly Mourners. Wicked men, Slaves, an… ſuch as feel the preſent ſmart of the laſh, cry out bitterly by reaſon of the great pain which they feel, and thoſ… ſmarting blows which they groan under.
*Poe lit eat te quod tot & tantis flagitiis involutus in luto faecis & miſeriae diutius jacuiſti, poenite…tiam agens corpus tuum conteras & furibunde carnis aſello iacentivorum ſemina ſubtrahens, &c. Bern. p. 331.But as for all thoſe who are true and unfeigned Mourners in Zion, they are deeply affected with godly ſorrow fo… ſin; and therefore they grieve and mourn, becauſe they have been ſo hardhearted as to kick a tender Father upon his Bowels; and have been ſo unthankful, as to ſin againſt riches of mercy and loving kindneſs: Hence comes thei… Heart-piercing, Heart-breaking, and Soul-melting Sorrows, becauſe they have been ſuch undutiful Children, as to re… bel againſt a gracious and merciful God, the Father of all mercies, and the God of all conſolations. No maſſie great Mountain, no not the burthen of Aetna (as the Proverb is) no weight imaginable, or expreſſible, can be ſo heavy, as is the burthen of ſin to a Child of God. And no manner of ſorrow can be ſo bitter to a godly man, as is the ſenſe of Sin, and ſorrow for it. Nothing in the World can be ſo grievous, vexing, torturing, and every way afflictive to a good Chriſtian, as Sin is: for Sin to him is like a Dagger ſticking in his Heart, and continually tormenting and putting him to pain. Hereupon we read of David watering his Couch with his Tears; For Pſal. 6. 6, 7.(ſaith he) I am weary with my groaning; I make my Bed to ſwim, I water my Couch with my Tears: Mine eye is conſumed becauſe of grief. Further he expreſſeth an addition to his mourning, becauſe his Pſal. 42. 3.tears was his meat day and night. To eat the bread of affliction, and to drink the water of affliction is a ſad calamity, but to feed on tears muſt needs be much ſadder; but this is not all, for the Pſalmiſt confeſſeth further; There is no Pſal. 38. 3.ſoundneſs in my fleſh, becauſe of thine anger; neither is there any rest in my bones, becauſe of my ſin. Diſeaſes, aches, pains, and broken bones are very grievous Omnium eſt utiliſsimum dolorem corporis ex morbo vel ulcere loco peccati habere, & peceati etiam vocabulo appellare: ita vel hoc pacto ad deteſtationem peccatorum, & horrorem induceremur. Muſc. in Loc.but ſin is, or ſhould be, more grievou… to us than all. David was of a ſanguin… complexion (and ſuch naturally are more chearful.) David was a great and potent King, and an excellent Muſician… yet the ſenſe of his ſins cauſed great ſorrows to him, and made him go… mourning all the day long. If then the… thorow ſenſe of ſin, and the guilt thereof be ſet home upon the Conſcience, there will be weeping and mourning: The eye will affect the heart, and cauſe inward compunction, and godly ſorrow. Thus we read of Ephraim ſmiting upon his thigh. Of Ephraim's Converſion and Repentance (which is the Fruit of Converſion) the Prophet Jeremy makes mention: I have ſurely heard Ephraim Jer. 31. 18, 19.bemoaning himſelf thus; Thou haſt chaſtiſed me, and I was chaſtiſed, as a Bullock unaccuſtomed to the yoke. Turn thou me, and I ſhall be turned; for thou art the Lord my God. Surely after that I was turned, I repented; and after that I was inſtructed, I ſmote upon my thing. I was aſhamed, yea even confounded; becauſe I did bear the reproach of my youth. We ſhall likewiſe find the Prophet Ezekiel …zek. 21. 6.ſighing to the breaking of his loyns. And Job 42. 6.Job abhorring himſelf, and repenting in duſt and aſhes. Many mourn for worldly loſſes, and ſhed many a tear for any loſs which befals them in their temporal eſtate; but few there are which mourn for ſin, which produceth the greateſt loſs, even the loſs of God's favor. Many have cauſe to repent for their worldly mournings, and to mourn for their mournings. See the vaſt difference between worldly and godly ſorrow, 2 Cor. 7. 10. For godly ſorrow worketh repentance to ſalvation, not to be repented of; but the ſorrow of the world worketh death. If we could mourn for ſin much more, and for the world leſs, we ſhould lead more comfortable lives for the future, than ever we have formerly done.