England Faithfully Watched, Lecture 86
COLOS. 1.28.
Jn all Wiſdome.
VVHat theſe expreſſions as conjoyned with the foregoing import, and then the termes of it in themſelves, may both worthily fall under conſideration; that which they import as conjoyn'd with the former, is, that the heart of man is very hardly throughly wrought upon; all variety of action, warning teaching; all duration of action, warning, teaching, termes Participly expreſt, to note the continuation of thoſe acts; all art, skill, and exactneſſe of action; wiſedome, all wiſdome; all theſe uſed to reach the heart throughly, and to bring a ſinner home to Chriſt. The ſoule of man is with much difficulty, throughly brought home to Chriſt.
Doct. There be many deviſes in the heart of man as Solomon ſpeakes, which make this that I ſay; I will note ſome of them. Every thing hath its defence, the heart hath many and all uſefull by which it beares off the power of Divine things from ſeaſing and taking hold of it; the heart will carpe and catch at the Miniſtery of the Word, this is one device by which the power of truth is deſtroyed; the diſh that holds the meat is not turn'd well, and therefore the meate in it overturnd: the braine crackt, the minde triffles out it ſelfe; 'tas no power to pitch and fix upon things of weight, this habit loſt, toyes and trifles only ſute and take up the heart; divine ordinance toyed with, their heart is pluckt out, that which hath no heart, cannot go to the heart: if a ſinner by any art, and craft, can pull out the heart of an Ordinance, he will abide (there is no doubt) unſtir'd in his ſinne. There is a ſpirituall frenſy, and madneſſe is not eaſily cure'd; the old man ſits at Table and playes with his fingers, hee can ſcarce ſee what meat is before him, and yet every diſh is out of order; one ſpeakes too quick, another too ſlow, one too plaine, an nother too darke: the ſtomack is poyſoned, a worme is under the tongue, the eare itches, therefore every thing preached is beſide the Text; no word foreign bene ſignificans the ſoule doth haerere in cortice choke it ſelfe with a ſhell: teares Sermons into particular ſentences; ſentences, into words; words, into ſylables; ſylables into Letters; ſtrips expreſſion ſtarke naked from matter, and then hunts a ſhadow to hell; this expreſſion is uſed, Mark. 12.13. they ſent to Chriſt certaine of the Phariſees and Herodians to catch him in his words foreign, to hunt him his words ſo the word ſignifies; that ſoule that hunts Chriſt and his Miniſters in their words, is hunted by the divill from the matter: a criticall ſpirit hath as many dores to run away from Chriſt, and the power of truth, as there be words in the Greek Lexicon.
This brings mee to ſpeake of another device of the heart, the old man can evade; he can catch others very nimbly and get looſe himſelfe as nimbly. The Serpent that dealt with Eve, could turne in and out, bend to and againe, wrigle every way at pleaſure; that Serpent is in our boſome: it was an emblem of our heart which will turne twenty wayes, to evade the power of truth; that which hath ſuch a property to bend every way, is not eaſily broken; things that will bend double, will wave double and treble force ere they will breake. The art of evaſion that the heart hath to put by the ſword of the ſpirit, and to ſave the life of ſinne, is of great compaſſe and depth, and runs it ſelfe into many branches, which I cannot run after now: ſummarily ſee a little of this art ſhadowed by the carriage of Saul, 1 Sam. 19.16. Saul had heard that David was at his houſe, and ſent him to kill him there, and Michal let him downe at a window, and laid an image in the bed, and told the meſſengers that came to ſearch, that David was ſick, and thus turned the meſſengers away: and then they were ſent againe to fetch David in his bed, that Saul might kill him in his bed: and by this time David was gone far enough, and nothing but the image could be ſeiſed on, which would endure wounds enough; and then Saul ſaid to Michal, why haſt thou deceived mee ſo and ſent away mine ememy? ſo when the life of ſin is ſought for by the word, ſinners can lay an image in the bed, twenty excuſes and pretences to conveigh the ſinnes which they love out of ſight, and ſo ſave the life of Chriſts enemy. How pleaſing ſoever ſinne be to affection, 'tis ugly to conſcience, becauſe condemnd by Chriſt; man can baffle one and mock the other. We reade of mockers of God, and they are ſuch as baffle conſcience with an image, ſo double and involve their motion before the purſuit of truth, likes a Hare before Hounds, deceiving and being deceived; deceiving (i) the force of truth is broken by wile; deceived, this the author to the Hebrewes explaines, the heart is hardened by this practice; leaſt any be hardned by the deceitfulneſse of ſinne; the heart hardned, is not eaſily wrought upon, 'tis the worſt ſtone that any Artiſt can meddle with.
As the old man can delude, ſo hee can collude; as one faculty can and oft doth betray another, ſo all faculties joyntly combine to plead an ill cauſe: the old man can bribe every office in the ſoule, underſtanding, will, conſcience too, as ſtout and as ſtiffe as this Officer ſeemes to be above the reſt; conſcience indeed is the longeſt ſtander out for God, yet at laſt may be and often is ſilenced, yea, ſeared, and then its not onelyonly paſſive in ſinne, but joyntly active with other depraved and corrupted faculties. Conſcience ſeard, the man is become a devill; to convert a devill is difficult indeed. Conſcience ſeared, darkeneſſe now is great, and the ſinner deſperate; the light that was in the man, is beeome darkneſſe (i) put out; the truth that was taken into judgement, into affection, and according to ſome degree approved, is now diſapproved; what was approbated is now reprobated; generally ſo; all powers tranſported into malice, and ſpeaking joyntly like that rabble, crucify him, let the cleane ſpirit be not onelyonly priſoned and tortured by violent action, but quite outed, and ſeven uncleane ſpirits come in the ſtead, that is, a perfection of evill. Conſcience once feard, the ſinner is as I may ſay a perfect ſinner. As there is a perfection in good, perfect as our Heavenly Father is perfect, and exhorted to in this life, which notes a degree of attainableneſſe here: ſo there is a perfection in evill, a child of the divill perfect, as his helliſh Father is perfect; now wee know he is according to all powers againſt Chriſt and truth; underſtanding, will, conſcience, a Creature tranſported, transformed into malice, one without all remorſe or reluctancy in purſuit of the greateſt wickedneſſe. All faculties do lie one to another mutually foreign recriprocally as that expreſſion is, and ſo conſcience confirming, and making reſtipulation to all.
The ſoule is with much difficulty indeed brought home to Chriſt, tis a great deale of pitty; there is facillity enough in the ſoule otherwiſe, it will take in falſhood preſently, eaſily; in a moment is the ſoule a convert to ſinne, to the fowleſt ſinne; Satans births are quick; he ſhewed Chriſt all the Kingdomes in the World in a moment, ſaith the Text, Luk. 4.5. intimating how his children grow very big in a moment; the wiſe man ſpeakes to this likewiſe, that their feet run to evill] and make haſt to ſhed bloud, Prov. 1.16. evill is terminus inde terminatus, its applicable to to any ſinne; the ſoule is facile to any thing that is naught: blood, is a terme that ſpecificates, points out the fouleſt, the horridſt child of hell. Man is eaſily brought to draw weapons of wickedneſſe, and ſtab the body, yea, ſtab the ſoule of an other, to waſh his hands in the heart blood of another, and ſport himſelfe therein. Nature is a greater advantage then education, in any thing: Chriſt carries it by principles, Satan by conſtitution. Engines are needleſſe, paines needleſſe, there is a current hellward. The ſoule is of great price, but not eſteem'd ſo by it ſelfe; a man will ſell his ſoule for a lie, and yet make the bargaine quickly. Satan loves a quick change, his commodities are deceitfull, and off beſt leaſt conſidered, and therefore you have him ſhewing Chriſt all the Kingdomes of the world in a moment, ſaith the Text Luke 4.5. as Satan loves quicke action, ſo doth the deluded ſoule: for hee is, whileſt deluded, upon Satans wings; the ſoule in temptation is lighter then vanity; what ſhould poyſe, to wit, judgement, is deſtroy'd by will and impure affections: tis in a gawdy chariot of Satans that takes, and he may run with it any whither with one horſe with eaſe.
Ʋſe. Sinners, we are upon things of great weight: conſider well to what are you facile, to ſin or to Chriſt? what you are moſt inclinable to has your heart: if that be ſinne, you are dead men: there are variety of temptations, the ſoule may pick and chuſe, but what he chuſeth is deſtructive; will is in the fact, and ſuch crimes cut off without remedy, for Chriſt is deliberately refuſed: in choyce there is debate, two objects are in view at once, and in competition with affection: if the worſt carry it by ſuffrage, Chriſt is caſt and given up to be crucifyed, which is very bloudy action. The rejection of Chriſt is ſimul tempore, together in time, with the election of ſinne. Sinne is ugly at firſt like an Harlot, but by ſociety and frequenting, beſots, and infatuates, and is more facily drawing then the mans owne wife, although far more beautifull: facility to ſinne, ſpeakes the wards of conſcience broken, the lock of the Cabinet ſpoyled, all the Jewells of the ſoule lying common gifts and abilities the ſervants of ſin at pleaſure, the heart paſt feeling, a beaten highway to hell.
The ſoule is of great price; Chriſt makes this eſtimate from being, we are to make it from property: who and how doth the ſoule love, ſuch is the lovelineſſe of it. The heart of the wicked is nothing worth ſaith Solomon, Prov. 10.20. Averſneſſe to Chriſt is any mans wickedneſſe, if the action be the action of the greateſt perſon in the World, 'tis his wickedneſſe; perſons are not reſpected with God; actions are impartially lookt upon above, though not below, they are weighed in a ballance as Job ſpeakes; nothing ſcand with more exactneſſe then this, how much of Chriſt is in this man and his courſe: if this were but received, the ſoules of ſome of you which heare me this day, would bleed within you; Oh what will become of you wanton Londoners, which have ſo much of Chriſt before you, and ſo little of Chriſt within you, who are quickly any thing but underſtandingly and ſincerely nothing? a Harlot is quickly gained, there needs not much wooing about her; light ſoules make heavy judgements: your ſpirituall crummes would be feaſts abroad; you have no minde to that food which thouſands as precious with the Lord Jeſus as you, would bleſſe God highly for: your ſinne makes many miſerable, but your ſelves moſt, though yet you feele it not: ſurely Juſtice hath eſpyed us all carnall, for Paul, Apollo, for Cephas, for this thing for that, for nothing cordially but our luſt.
Sinners, can you conſider your ſelves? can you conſider this time? you of this place? your advantages are great, do you know them? it will not be long ere our glaſſe be out, ere we meete before Chriſt; the Sword of Juſtice is at all our breaſts, all that you have heard will be repeated, all that you have rejected will be chronicled with the bloud of your ſoules, to beare witneſſe againſt you, as long as Chriſt and your ſoules are. Opportunity is more then eternity: 'tas not ſo much time in it, but 'tas more advantage; you ſhall anſwer for all advantages, which are the waightieſt things in the world; facility to Chriſt is now doubly needfull, ſoule hardning blowes are ſtrucke apace, the Ax is to the root, hypocrites are not ſo borne with now as formerly, but ript up and carried forth from the ſincere, like Judas, and Ananias and Saphira; our miſery is mercy in this: ſinkes are loathſome; yet tis well that Chriſt ſo workes, that baſeneſſe cannot hide it ſelfe: Drunken ſoules, and drunken bodies; pride, covetouſneſſe, malice, blaſphemy, all ſorts of ſinnes that lay hid a great while, now ſhew themſelves in their colours; ſpeedy action and through action is now expected, upon paine of ſpeedy and through detection and rejection.